Bangladeshi nationals who possess a valid driver's licence issued from the home country will be issued a driver's licence in the Maldives without undergoing a test, the transport ministry of the island country has said, the Maldivian media reports.
With recent changes to the Land Transport Act, the transport ministry has been given the option to issue permanent driver's licences to countries the ministry accepts. In this regard, a 25-country list was compiled and publicised on August 2, according to the report.
The countries on the list are Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, United Kingdom, United States of America, China, United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Belgium and Germany, avas.mv notes.
The ministry added Bangladesh to the list and published the updated list in the gazette on Sunday, the Maldivian media outlet further notes, saying that the ministry did not state the reason behind adding the country to the list.
A large percentage of the expatriate work force consists of Bangladeshi nationals, according to the report.
