The Transport Ministry has stated that the special license issued at 60 years of age will not invalidate the previous license.

The Transport Ministry amended and gazetted the "Regulation on Issuing Land Vehicle Driving Licenses" last Sunday.

According to the amendment, a special license can be issued to elderly people to drive certain categories of vehicles. The amendment states that this is a special land vehicle driving license issued to Maldivian citizens over 60 years of age.

The regulation states that this license only allows driving motorcycles under 60cc, auto cycles, and island pickups. It also states that the license will be issued after completing a four-hour training.

In a press release today, the Transport Ministry said the purpose of introducing such a license is to facilitate driving certain types of vehicles in the islands for Maldivian citizens over 60 years of age who want to drive land vehicles without completing the tests specified in the regular land vehicle driving license regulation.

"No existing license will be invalidated due to the permit decided to be issued to Maldivian citizens aged 60 and above to drive some vehicles under this amendment. There is no obstacle for those aged 60 and above to use their issued licenses, obtain licenses issued through the general procedure, and drive in all areas where those licenses allow driving," the Transport Ministry said.

According to the regulation, the duration of this license issued to elderly people is 10 years. The license cannot be renewed after its expiry.

The regulation also states that these vehicles can only be driven on the island where the issuing authority is located, and only on roads that allow driving at speeds below 30 kilometers per hour.

According to the regulation, if a person driving under this special license for elderly people violates traffic rules more than once, the authority has the power to revoke the issued license.