BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: In a bid to prevent forgery and misuse of driver’s licence and motor vehicle licence, the Ministry of Communications through the Land Transport Department yesterday launched the new format of driver’s licence, motor vehicle licence (road tax) and vehicle registration (blue card) – all of which come equipped with enhanced security features and provide a better source of identity of the driver, Borneo Bulletin reported.
Following the launch, members of the public who have recently passed their driving test or who have an expired or nearly expired licence, can apply for the new driver’s licence and motor vehicle licence at -counters of the Land Transport Department or at post offices.
It will take 10 working days to get the licence, which can then be collected at counters of the Land Transport Department where the licence was applied for.
As for licences done at post offices, they can be collected from counters of the Land Transport Department according to each district, except for the Brunei-Muara District, whose centralised collection point is at the Sungai Akar driving test circuit.
Members of the public can also request for their new licence to be sent to their home address through PosLaju at an additional cost of $3.
The new vehicle registration will only be issued for newly registered vehicles, and this can be done at the various Land Transport branches.
For members of the public keen on getting their renewal online, they must first register with eDarussalam and activate the account at the counter of the Land Transport Department headquarters.
The fees for the new driver’s licence are $10 (one-year validity), $30 (three years), $50 (five years) and $100 (10 years).
According to a speech delivered by Haji Khalid bin Haji Mustafa, the Director of Land Transport Department and Chairman of MTLA, “The new format of the driver’s licence boasts a picture of the licence holder, a 3-D barcode as well as a microchip that will allow enforcement officers to overcome the issue of fake/forged licences as well as to combat any attempt of forgery”
He revealed that last year, 300 fake licences were detected by Land Transport Department.
Describing the new motor vehicle licence format, he explained, “It is a plastic-coated paper that is of sticker format, and contains information of the vehicle and its owner. Once it is stuck onto the vehicle’s windscreen, it will be tough to remove and used on another vehicle.”
With regard to the vehicle registration book, he noted that it is now smaller in size – almost similar with that of the size of a passport. It is convenient to keep and there is enough space to input information of the vehicle and the owner.
Meanwhile, Chief Licensing Officer (IT) Haji Mohamed Abirieza Hj Md Mandi elaborated on the security features, explaining that “the back of the new driving licence has very fine lettering, while the front of the driving licence has a barcode with a microchip
containing information on the driver. The serial number is distinctive to each person, making it hard for anyone to produce a fake licence.
Elaborating on the tamper-proof motor vehicle licence, he said, “Once stuck onto the car, it will be very hard to tear off and used on another car. If it is tom, it would cost $50 to replace.”
As for the new vehicle registration, he said, “There is a unique serial number and it contains a watermark.”
Minister of Communications Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Abdullah bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka,Hj Bakar, who officiated the event in his capacity as guest of honour, said, “The new driver’s licence can provide a better source of identity of the driver as compared to the old one.
“The new licence has various security features including a barcode. Enforcement personnel currently have equipment to scan the barcode during roadblocks to obtain a driver’s details – including the demerit points.”
The new licence is part of the preparation towards the Demerit Points System which will be launched soon.
With regard to whether the new driver’s licence can be used overseas, the minister said, “No, the driver’s licence for overseas is covered by separate law, therefore that will be issued separately”