Doha: The Traffic Department has issued a directive to stop converting drivers’ licences of expatriates from other GCC countries into Qatari licences.

The Department has sent a circular to all sections concerned in this regard, said the daily. This privilege will now be available to only GCC citizens, Al Sharq reported.

The department has also decided to stop direct driving tests for holders of licences issued in several Asian and African countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China, Egypt, Somalia, Mauritania, Sudan, Ghana, Eritrea, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, China and North Korea. To obtain a drivers licence, they will be required to take at least a half course in a driving school in Qatar and pass the tests.

The minimum duration of the course will be decided based on the nature of their licence, said the daily.

The Peninsula