Although Malaysians only have to renew their driving licences once every five years, this can be a hassle and we have often wished that the validity period would be longer. Now, Transport Minister Anthony Loke has announced that Malaysians can renew their driving licences or Lesen Memanu Malaysia for a maximum of 10 years. Loke had first announced that the government was mulling the decision by the government to do so at the end of February.

People who do so will also enjoy a 10% discount on the fee. The fee is RM30 a year, but the fee of renewing for ten years in one shot is only RM270, which means that drivers will only be paying for nine years. Drivers will have the option of renewing their licences between one to ten years according to their personal preference, with ten years being the maximum.

During a press conference as reported by The Star, Loke said, “Those who want to renew must ensure that their licence has not expired for more than a year.”

Loke also said that those whose licences expired as of 1 January 2018 will be able to renew them without the hassle of retaking the driving test. This was carried out in the consideration of Malaysians based overseas who faced difficulties in renewing their driving licences due to restrictions set in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. This will only be valid until 31 December, and on 1 January 2024, the driving test requirement will apply again.

These two initiatives will commence on 8 May 2023 at all Road Transport Department (JPJ) offices. The implementation of these initiatives through platforms provided by JPJ such as Pos Malaysia would be subjected to the availability of the changes in the system of the parties involved.

However, these initiatives are only applicable to Malaysian citizens, and not to foreigners who hold special passes such as the MyKAS card. This is also not applicable to those who have been blacklisted by the police, those who have existing restrictions imposed by the JPJ, or those who have been suspended due to a conviction or court order.

Image credit: facebook.com/lokesiewfook