GCC looking into issuing a common driving licence

Manama: A common driving licence could soon be a reality in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, a traffic official has said.

"The GCC is looking into the possibility of issuing a single driver's licence that would be valid in the entire region as a step forward towards seeking integration," Brigadier Mohammad Saad Al Kharji, the head of the Department of Traffic in Qatar, said.

"For this purpose efforts are on to make sure that member-countries have unified tests for applicants in order to be eligible to obtain a driver's licence."

Currently, the GCC states have different criteria for issuing driver's licences and if a person possesses a licence issued by any of the six GCC states, he can drive a vehicle in another member-state only for a limited period, Qatari daily The Peninsula reported on Monday.

According to Al Kharji, the proposal to unify the criteria for issuing a single driver's licence for the region was discussed by senior traffic officials of the GCC states recently after ground work for the unified licencing system had been done.