Expatriates face deportation for driving without a license in Kuwait

Last year, 145 people were deported for hitting the road without a driver’s license

In the Gulf nation of Kuwait, foreigners will be deported for driving with an expired or unlicensed license, with 145 people deported last year for hitting the road without a driver’s license. According to Gulf News, a Kuwaiti newspaper reported that expats driving without a valid license in the Gulf country could face deportation, so all expats should make sure their driver’s licenses are valid. Legal and official apps are authenticated by “My Identity” or “Sahal”.
“If any migrants are unaware that their driver’s licenses have been revoked, they are also not exempt from penalties, which may include deportation,” official security sources were quoted as saying. And last year, about 145 foreigners were deported from Kuwait for being on the road without a driver’s license.

It is learned that in December, Kuwait switched to electronic driving licenses for expatriates, expatriates can renew their licenses electronically through the Ministry of Interior’s website or the “Sahil” app, while in late 2021 Kuwait unveiled a new system for issuing driver’s licenses to immigrants, including checking holders’ data and revoking ineligible ones, the revision aims to ensure that driver’s licenses Foreign nationals must meet eligibility and salary requirements.”Over 18,000 migrants were deported from Kuwait in six months last year for various violations of the country’s laws, including traffic violations,” a Kuwaiti official said in September last year, the chief of the Traffic Awareness Department. Brigadier Nawaf Al-Hiyaan told the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai that a total of 18,486 foreigners were deported from March to August in 2023. Among these violations were speeding, violation of red traffic signals, illegal transportation of passengers. Including pregnancy, driving in the opposite direction or driving without a license, Kuwaiti authorities revoked the driving licenses of 34,751 foreigners between January and August last year because they were ineligible to hold them.