Long wait to convert foreign driving licence to local one
I am a Singaporean who is returning after several decades of driving experience overseas.
- by autobot
- Dec. 29, 2022
- Source article
Publisher object (23)
I am a Singaporean who is returning after several decades of driving experience overseas. The Traffic Police allow the conversion of a foreign licence to a Singapore licence after the holder passes the basic theory test. However, the test is outsourced to three commercial driving centres, which require me to make an appointment online to visit the driving centre, where I then have to set up an account before selecting a test date. In my case, I waited for two months for the earliest appointment. The wait would have been four months at a different driving centre. At the driving centre on Tuesday, I had to pay to enrol as a student and set up an account before I could select the next available date for the basic theory test, which is in late February 2023. After passing the test, I will have to take the proof of passing to the Traffic Police headquarters in Ubi to convert my foreign driving licence to a Singapore one. I did not expect this endeavour to take three separate trips and a total wait time of at least four months. If Singapore is to welcome talented individuals from overseas to work and live here, would it not make sense to expedite this unnecessarily lengthy process? Why does it take so long just to book an appointment and test date for the basic theory test, especially since these tests are computerised and could easily be scheduled more frequently?