Kuwait Extends Driver's License Validity for Expats to 5 Years
- Publish date: Monday، 28 July 2025 Reading time: 1 min read
New decision also increases license validity for Kuwaitis and Gulf nationals, effective immediately
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Big news for expats behind the wheel in Kuwait—your driver’s license just got a longer lifespan.
A new ministerial decision published in the official gazette on Sunday confirms that the validity of driver's licenses for expatriates has been extended from three to five years. That’s a major upgrade from earlier limits, which had previously been reduced to just one year.
The updated regulation doesn’t just stop there. Kuwaiti citizens and Gulf nationals will now benefit from 15-year licenses instead of the earlier 10-year term. As for stateless individuals, commonly known as bedoons, the validity of their licenses will match the expiration date of their ID cards.
This isn’t the first change in recent memory—just months ago, expat license validity was bumped up to three years by a decision from Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah. Now, the jump to five years brings added convenience and fewer renewal headaches.
However, strict rules for expat licenses still apply. Foreign residents must hold a university degree, meet income and profession criteria, and have legally resided in Kuwait for at least two years before being eligible to apply for a license.
The ministry stated that the new decision is effective immediately, so expats and citizens can expect the changes to reflect in upcoming renewals.