KUWAIT CITY, Dec 28: First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah issued Ministerial Decree No. 2570/2025, amending certain provisions of Ministerial Decree No. 2753/2024, which regulates the authorization of companies and institutions to conduct technical inspections for the renewal of private vehicle licenses, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

The decree amends Article 11 of the previous decree, granting technical inspection centers covered by its provisions a six-month grace period to adjust their operations and comply with the new requirements. This six-month period begins from the date the decree is implemented. The decree also authorizes the Director General of the General Traffic Department to extend the grace period for an additional duration not exceeding ten months.

Meanwhile, Decree-Law No. 162/2025, which criminalizes unlicensed money exchange activities, has been published in the official gazette Kuwait Al-Youm and will come into force one month after its publication. The new decree-law adds a new Article 12 bis to the Law Regulating Commercial Licenses, issued under Law No. 111/2013.

The explanatory memorandum states that money exchangers engage in activities that impact the volume of cash flows to and from the country, with no oversight of foreign transfers. Many countries have enacted legislation to regulate the money exchange profession, placing those working in this field under the supervision of the Central Bank. In Kuwait, despite the long history of the profession, there has been no independent law regulating it.

The justification for the draft law is that “the Ministry of Commerce and Industry grants licenses to practice the money exchange profession in accordance with the Law Regulating Commercial Shop Licenses, issued under Law No. 111/2013, and sometimes the license includes conducting money exchange activities alongside other commercial and real estate activities”. Many natural and legal persons practice money exchange activities without obtaining a license, which harms the economic interests of the State of Kuwait,” due to the absence of a law regulating commercial shop licenses and penalizing violators. The first paragraph of the new Article 12 bis stipulates that any natural person who engages in money exchange activities, such as buying, selling, exchanging, or transferring local or foreign currencies within or outside the country for the benefit of the public, without obtaining a license shall be punished by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of up to KD 3,000, or by one of these two penalties.

The second paragraph specifies that any private sector legal entity engaging in these activities without a license shall be fined no less than KD 5,000 and no more than KD 20,000. The establishment or its branches used to commit the offense may also be ordered closed. The decree-law will come into effect one month after its publication date of December 28, 2025. In a separate development, the official gazette “Kuwait Al-Youm” has published Decree Law No. 163/2025, which repealed Law No. 115/2014 concerning the establishment of the Public Authority for Roads and Transportation (PART) and transferred its responsibilities and departments to the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Interior.

According to the accompanying explanatory memorandum, the decision is based on the government’s policy to merge and abolish certain government bodies, institutions, and entities. The aim is to develop government services, ensure their effectiveness and balance, prevent overlapping responsibilities, reduce public expenditures, avoid additional burdens on the state budget, streamline procedures, and expedite paperwork. The memorandum affirmed that practical experience has shown that PART, established under Law No. 115/2014, failed to achieve its objectives, including the establishment, supervision, and maintenance of a modern, safe, and economical land transport system. The decree stipulated the transfer of departments previously under PART to the Ministry of Public Works, except for the Land Transport Department and the Traffic Bank Project Supervision Department, which were transferred to the Ministry of Interior.

According to the decree, the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Interior assume all rights and obligations of PART, with the assets and movable property of the transferred departments being handed over to the respective ministries. Regarding financial matters, the decree mandated the preparation of the final accounts for PART’s budget for the period from April 1, 2025, until the decree’s effective date.

The budget will then be transferred to the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Interior, according to the departments being transferred, in coordination with the Ministry of Finance. The decree affirmed the preservation of the employment rights of PART staff. It also authorized the Minister of Public Works to issue decisions transferring employees to the ministry or other entities within a period not exceeding six months, while ensuring that all their rights and job grades are maintained.

By Marwa Al-Bahrawi Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff and Agencies