Conversion of Foreign Driving Licences to Singapore Licences

Mrs Lina Chiam asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs if he will consider tightening the procedures on the conversion of foreign to Singapore driving licences to include other tests beyond just passing the basic theory test.

Mr Teo Chee Hean: Singapore is a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic and the 1985 Agreement on the Recognition of Domestic Driving Licences Issued by ASEAN Countries. Under these agreements, a person with a foreign licence from a signatory country is allowed to drive in Singapore for up to 12 months without having to convert his licence. Beyond 12 months, he must convert to a Singapore licence if he wishes to continue driving. The same arrangement applies for Singaporeans driving overseas in other signatory countries.

The requirements for licence conversions differ between jurisdictions. For example, United Kingdom and Hong Kong allow direct conversions for selected foreign licences without any additional requirements. In our case, we require the foreign licensee to pass the Basic Theory Test before he can convert his licence. For driving heavy vehicles, the foreign licence holder is also required to take the practical test.

The Police has reviewed whether our current requirements for conversion are sufficient. Of the approximately 370,000 foreign drivers with converted Class 3/3A driving licences, about 0.1% of them contributed to traffic accidents that resulted in a fatality or injury over the past three years. Police's overall assessment is that there is currently no need for us to impose additional requirements for the conversion of licences.

Road accidents are usually caused by dangerous or errant driving. To deter and detect such irresponsible behaviour, Police will enhance its enforcement stance and mount more operations to clamp down on serious safety-related traffic violations.

The Ministry of Home Affairs is also currently reviewing with the Ministry of Manpower the framework for drivers who ferry workers in the course of their work. A stricter standard is being considered given the higher level of responsibility of such drivers. We will announce details of these changes once this review is completed.

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