Kuwait: After lifting ban, applications for delivery licences pour in

Cairo: Kuwaiti commerce authorities have been deluged with applications for establishing businesses handling delivery services after a five-year ban was recently lifted, a Kuwaiti newspaper has reported.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry received more than 1,700 applications to establish consumer delivery companies on the first day of lifting the ban on issuing licences, Al Qabas reported, citing well-informed sources.

The sources anticipated the number of applications to go up until the end of the current month, bringing the total to 40,000 or 50,000 licence applications when the process stabilises.

In 2019, the Kuwaiti Interior Ministry halted issuing licences for pursuing the business of delivering consumer goods and forwarding logistics services. Earlier this month, the ministry reversed the decision in line with new rules.

Accordingly, the applicant must have one branch to run this sort of business located in a suitable site that would not hamper the flow of traffic.

Other stipulations are that the company must own at least five light transport vehicles the payload of which does not exceed 2 tons with the age of each vehicle being three years from the date of manufacture.

After providing the minimum number of vehicles, the operator is allowed to introduce a maximum of 15 motorcycles into the fleet. The motorcycles are, however, barred from using highways and ring roads, according to the new rules.

Kuwait is set later this year to enforce a set of requirements for home delivery workers, including the necessity of having an official health certificate and wearing a uniform.

Authorities have warned business owners that breaches will result in licence suspension and other legal action.