Kuwait brings every ride on camera

Kuwait has introduced new regulations governing passenger transport and transport brokerage services operated through electronic applications, following the publication of Ministerial Resolution No. 893/2026 in the official gazette Kuwait Al-Youm.

The ministerial resolution, issued by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of Kuwait, Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah, specifies the controls and conditions governing the work of companies, institutions, drivers, and vehicles operating.

Article 1 of the resolution stipulates that companies or institutions must be officially authorized to conduct commercial activity in accordance with the Traffic Law, its executive regulations, and relevant ministerial decisions.

Under the new rules, they also must be licensed by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and obtain prior approval from the General Traffic Department before operating, in addition to having a designated official location for conducting business, as required by the General Traffic Department.

The companies and institutions will be required to keep electronic records of vehicle movements, trip details, drivers, passengers, transported items, and pickup and delivery times.

Companies are obligated to conduct only the licensed activity and are prohibited from using the electronic application for any other unlicensed activity.

The resolution also requires passenger transport vehicles to be fitted with surveillance cameras, with recordings stored for at least 120 days.

Any passenger data must be handed over upon request by the relevant authorities.

Article Three sets out seven conditions for Kuwaiti citizens willing to work as drivers in passenger transport via electronic applications, including:

Applicants must be of good character and must not have been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude or dishonesty, unless their civil rights have been restored, and not have been involved in serious traffic offences or convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, psychotropic substances, or any other substances that impair their natural faculties, as evidenced by a criminal record certificate issued by the General Department of Criminal Evidence.
Driver must be at least 21 years of age.
The vehicle must be air-conditioned, clean inside and out, and meet all safety and durability requirements specified in the executive regulations of the Traffic Law and its supplementary ministerial decrees and amendments.
The vehicle must not be older than three years from the date of manufacture, and its service must cease upon reaching seven years of age from the date of manufacture. It must also be owned by the same individual.
The vehicle must be designed to transport a minimum of three passengers and a maximum of seven passengers, in addition to the driver.
The driver must possess a valid driver’s license suitable for the activity.
The driver must obtain a permit from the General Traffic Department to operate the business, and this permit must be renewed annually.

According to Article 4, the General Traffic Department has been given the authority to monitor electronic transport platforms. Companies that fail to correct violations of traffic regulations or licensing conditions within one month of notification could face the suspension or blocking of their applications through the relevant authorities.

The Director General of the General Traffic Department of Kuwait is also empowered to revoke a Kuwaiti driver’s operating permit for breaches of the Traffic Law or the provisions of the new resolution.

According to Article 5, the provisions of this decision apply to transportation brokerage activities via electronic applications, as well as to all activities subject to the General Traffic Department if they are conducted through electronic applications.

Article 6 of the decision mandates that companies and institutions conducting commercial activities related to the General Traffic Department via electronic applications must comply with its provisions within three months of its effective date.

Articles 7 and 8 of the decision require the cancellation of Ministerial Decision No. 724/2020.

The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior is responsible for implementing its provisions, and it will come into effect upon its publication in the official gazette.