Relief for overseas Pakistan travellers: Kiosk set up at airport for instant international driving permits
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
Special kiosks set up at the Lahore Airport also offer licence renewal services
A view of Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore
Dubai: Lahore Traffic Police launches first-ever 24/7 airport kiosk to issue international driving licenses within minutes for travellers heading abroad.
Overseas Pakistanis and international travellers flying out of Lahore can now obtain an International Driving Permit (IDP) in just a few minutes right at the airport, thanks to a groundbreaking new facility launched by the Lahore Traffic Police.
For the first time in Pakistan, a dedicated IDP kiosk has been set up at Allama Iqbal International Airport, offering round-the-clock licencing services to passengers. The facility is especially designed for Pakistanis going abroad for work, study, or tourism, many of whom often struggle with last-minute licencing issues.
Inaugurated by Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Dr. Muhammad Athar Waheed, the kiosk offers fast-track services for issuing international driving permits, along with licence renewal, duplicate licenses, and learner permits—all in one place, 24/7.
With this new airport facility, Lahore Traffic Police has taken a major step toward digital efficiency and citizen-focused service delivery, ensuring overseas Pakistanis have one less thing to worry about as they prepare to travel.
“We understand the challenges overseas Pakistanis face when it comes to driving licences. This initiative is aimed at making their travel experience smoother and more convenient,” said Dr. Waheed.
International driving permit
Recognized in over 150 countries, an International Driving Permit (also known as an international driving license) translates a valid Pakistani driver’s licence into multiple languages, making it legally acceptable abroad under international conventions.
The service has been widely appreciated by frequent flyers, expats, and migrant workers, many of whom previously had to deal with long queues and delays at traffic offices before flying out.
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
