Thursday Jan 29, 2026
Thursday Jan 29, 2026
Thursday, 29 January 2026 05:02 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Cabinet of Ministers approved a proposal to submit to Parliament the regulations issued to temporarily extend the validity period of driving licences, following widespread public inconvenience caused by adverse conditions in late 2025.
The public faced significant difficulties in renewing driving licences on time due to severe damage to normal day-to-day life resulting from unfavourable weather conditions that prevailed across the country in November 2025.
The situation was further compounded by technical failures in the computer system of the Department of Motor Traffic, which disrupted the issuance and renewal of driving licences during the same period.
In order to prevent any adverse impact on road safety and to ensure that road users were not penalised due to circumstances beyond their control, the Government issued Motor Traffic (Temporary Extension of the Validity Period of Driving Licences) Regulations No. 04 of 2025. These regulations were published in Extraordinary Gazette Notification No. 2467/52 dated 17 December 2025.
Under the Gazette Notification, the validity of driving licences due to expire between 25 November 2025 and 24 December 2025 was extended by a period of one month.
The proposal to this effect submitted by Transport, Highways and Urban Development Minister to forward the relevant orders to Parliament for approval, in terms of the provisions of the Motor Traffic Act, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
