10-year licence renewals

PUTRAJAYA: Motorists can now renew their driving licences for a maximum period of 10 years instead of five years previously, and at a discount too.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said any Malaysian licence holder who renewed for a period of 10 years would only be charged RM270 compared to the current RM30 a year.

“Those who want to renew must ensure that their licences has not expired for more than a year.“People will still be allowed to renew their licence for between one and 10 years according to their choice, but the maximum limit is 10 years.

“Only those who renew in one go for 10 years will enjoy the privilege of getting the tenth year for free,” he told reporters here yesterday.

The initiative, he added, was only for Malaysian citizens and would not apply to foreign nationals or any holder of passes, long-term permits or temporary residence MyKAS cards which were tied to the validity period of the individual’s passport.

Loke also announced an initiative for those whose licences had expired to renew it without having to retake a driving test.

However, this special permission is only limited to those whose licence expired from Jan 1, 2018 onwards.

Loke said the initiative would only last until Dec 31 this year, adding that the previous policy would come into force again on Jan 1, 2024.

“This initiative takes into account the movement control order (MCO) imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the constraints faced by Malaysians abroad who are unable to renew their licence because they could not return to their homeland,” he added.

Loke said under the current policy, those with a licence that had expired for more than three years would have to retake the test.

He went on to say that both initiatives are only available from Monday (May 8) onwards at the Road Transport Department (JPJ) offices or counters only.

Those wishing to renew their licences should not be on the police’s blacklist or have any existing restrictions imposed by JPJ, and be free from any suspension due to any convictions or court orders.

Renewals involving other platforms provided by JPJ business partners such as Pos Malaysia will be subjected to the readiness of the system changes by the concerned parties.