By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: Renewing a vehicle's registration in Kuwait involves a number of steps. Third-party insurance is the first step of the renewal process, which can be purchased from any insurance office. It's very important to always have valid insurance to avoid paying a fortune in case of an accident. The insurance fee differs according to the type of the vehicle and how many passengers it can carry.

You then have to take the vehicle for technical inspection to a traffic inspection department, depending on your address. There is one traffic inspection department in each governorate. The inspection used to be done for free, but starting from May 12, 2021, a new fee will be imposed.

According to ministry decree 203/2021 issued recently, vehicle owners will have to pay a KD 2 fee for the technical inspection. This includes personal vehicles, trucks, taxis, buses, agricultural and industrial vehicles, commercial vehicles and ATVs. Motorcycle owners will only pay KD 1.

The decree includes other fees related to the technical inspection, such as KD 10 for having the inspection done at another location instead of the traffic department, which is usually done for companies that have many vehicles. Also, fees for many other services are included in the decree, including for changing the color of the vehicle, issuance of car plates and various permits, among others.

After passing the technical inspection successfully, you will go to the traffic department to receive the vehicle registration (daftar). Before it is issued, you have to pay any pending fines. This can be done online if the fine is payable online, or at the traffic department. It is also possible to demand a photo of the violation taken by the speed or traffic light cameras.

Some fines for serious traffic violations cannot be paid online. These violations may include withdrawal of the driving license for a certain period, imprisonment or other sanctions. Such fines can only be paid at the traffic department after being signed by the director of the department.

Only then can you receive the new daftar of the vehicle, after paying KD 5 for the renewal. If you go to a private center for technical inspection, you can have all the work done at one place at the same time. In addition to the fees for each service mentioned above, you will pay an additional KD 10 for the comfort of renewing the car's registration under one roof and saving time and effort.