Hi all,

I've recently moved to Kuwait and would like to get a driving licence here. I have a valid UK driving licence, but this has not been legalised. I understand that I may be able to get my UK driving licence legalised & attested in the UK and simply get a Kuwait driving licence with that, but that is likely to be time consuming and costly. The alternative would be to get a Kuwait driving licence in the traditional way - i.e., get a learner's licence and then do theory and practical tests.

Does anyone have recent experience of getting a driving licence in Kuwait? How long does it take? What do I need? Would appreciate any thoughts, insights and recommendations!

Cheers

I too will be arriving to Kuwait shortly. My institution's HR team informed me to simply bring the original drivers license ( US in this case) and they will take care of the rest.

Probably best to check with your HR contact.

Welcome to Kuwait! Thanks - I have and am waiting for their response. Will be interesting to know how your procedure goes once you get here. My understanding is that to convert your foreign driving licence, it needs to be attested in your home country and then again in Kuwait, which is a long process, but perhaps there is a way around that.

Unless you have some WASTA getting a drivers license in Kuwait is not that simple, it comes with a big list of requirements. One is that you should be living in Kuwait for 2 years...... the others are an attested Degree and a minimum salary.

But as I said if you have some Wasta you should be able to get it rather soon and bypass the 2 year requirement...

Thanks Charl01 - I meet the criteria and exemption requirement for the 2-year residence. If you do have 'wasta' to share, please let me know (privately).

Any expats who have converted their UK driving licence into a Kuwait licence in the last few years?

Thanks

Hello there,

As anyone managed to get his UK license legalised from Kuwait ?

Thanks in advance !

I had to get a Kuwait driving licence from scratch unfortunately and I’m not aware of anyone having been able to convert theirs recently.

Thanks a ton for your quick reply !
All right then I guess it will be the easiet way to be able to drive around!
From what I read online if your employer supports you it's not so long and difficult to get it.
Just wanted to confirm if as an experimented driver is it mandatory to take driving lessons ?
Or can you just take the exam when you want ?

I am not sure what you mean by "legalized", but most countries require people living there to obtain a local licence, as specified under local law, which may give you 12 months, or may be a shorter period. Some countries may allow you to swap a UK licence for a local one, other countries require you to take the local test procedure to obtain a license.

Generally a UK driving license is no long valid when you are living in another country (it used to be a bit different within the EU, when the UK was a member), and certainly cannot legally be renewed if you are no resident in the UK.

You’re welcome
You don’t need to take lessons but even though the test is very quick and simple, it is worth doing at least one lesson close to your test date to practice the specific manoeuvres they ask for here. They are notorious for failing people and that’s possible even if you don’t make any mistakes so be prepared for that as well - just keep going back and eventually you’ll get it :-)

Yes indeed by legalised I meant so to swap it with a local one.
Thanks for your reply !

Yes that's what I read on an other forum.
Well we'll see and get prepare for it !

I've recently moved to Kuwait and want to obtain a driving license. I have a valid UK driving license, but it hasn't been legalised. I understand that I could get it legalised and attested in the UK, which might allow me to convert it to a Kuwaiti license. However, this process seems time-consuming and expensive.

An alternative option is to apply for a Kuwaiti driving license from scratch, which involves getting a learner’s permit, passing a theory test, and completing the practical driving exam.

Having obtained a UK licence, I sincerely doubt that it will be unduly challenging to obtain a local licence from scratch, pretty much anywhere else, unless there is a language barrier e.g. Having a written/ computer component to the test which isn't available in English.