Manama: Foreigners in Kuwait will need a salary of at least 400 dinars (Dh5,142) and a university degree to be able to apply for a driving licence.
The requirements introduced in amendments to the traffic law also stipulate that the applicant must have lived at least for two years in the country before seeking the driving permit.
The regular conditions of the legal age and being physically fit still apply, the Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) said.
The decision is part of a drive to limit the number of vehicles on the increasingly overcrowded roads.
Exceptions to the new requirements imposed on expatriates include the wives or divorcees of Kuwaitis who had their children with them, the husbands of Kuwaiti women and their children, stateless residents (bidoons) who carry valid security cards, students enrolled in Kuwaiti colleges and housewives of expatriates who already possess a driving license.
Other exemptions include diplomats, professional players, recruited drivers, private domestic helpers, medical, health, nursing and ambulance personnel and oil technicians.
Professions that are not required to fulfill the conditions of a minimum legal residency and salary include judges, public prosecution members, chief justices, legal experts, doctors, pharmacists, engineers and assistant engineers, accountants, teaching faculty staff, teachers, social workers, scientists, translators, librarians, company directors, journalists, TV presenters, public mosque imams, pilots and marine captains and their assistants.
The amendment stipulates that licenses obtained by drivers or company representatives will be annulled when they change their profession.
They can re-apply for a new licence, but only after two years.
