The deadline of acquiring new electronic driving permits by September 30 for both local and foreign drivers has been extended, the head of Traffic Police, Supt. Vincent Sano, has said.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Friday, Sano said that extension of the deadline was due to integration of foreign driving licenses into the National ID database which has delayed.

"Acquiring these new electronic driving licenses is equivalent to having a national ID so we have been discussing how foreigners can be given these electronic licenses and be integrated in the ID database,” Sano said.

"We have just come out of a meeting with the National ID coordinator and other partners to devise ways to the effect.”

According to the traffic chief, another reason for the extension of the deadline was to give another chance to those who need to change their old driving licenses and others who have not yet collected their new licenses.
"We had actually not done the required sensitization for drivers to know this and so we find it not viable to begin arresting them,” Sano added.

Sano added that National ID Project will soon announce modalities of how foreigners will apply for the new electronic driving licenses and thereafter traffic police will announce the deadline for all drivers.

The traffic boss said that the matter of foreign drivers is being catered for and will soon have an alternative for their foreign permits.

Article 9 of a Presidential decree No. 63/1 of 30/Dec/2008 which modified law No. 85/001 of 2/Dec/2002 provides the exoneration of drivers with valid foreign or international driving licenses from having a national driving license before one year and he/she must be from a country signatory to the Vienna Convention of Nov 8, 1968 on road traffic.

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