Sadyr Japarov explained why driver's licenses need to be changed

In an interview with the Kabar agency, President Sadyr Japarov revealed the reasons for the relevance of replacing driver's licenses, as well as measures against counterfeiting and issues related to the digital platform "Tündük".

According to the president, the issue of driver's licenses has not been raised for almost three decades.

“Previously, our passports, ID cards, and driver's licenses were produced outside the country, and their protective characteristics left much to be desired. Since the beginning of last year, we have started producing all state documents at our enterprise 'Uchkun'. This applies not only to vehicle registration certificates and driver's licenses but also to license plates for cars. The quality of these documents has significantly improved,” he noted.

Japarov also reported cases where migrants from other countries forged old driver's licenses and ID passports for sale. He pointed out that counterfeit documents are still present in Russia.

“We have recorded the detention of terrorists with fake Kyrgyz passports. This has undoubtedly negatively affected the reputation of our country on the international stage. Now we plan to completely eradicate the problem of counterfeit documents. Replacing all old licenses with new ones will allow us to eliminate the possibility of their use both within the country and abroad,” the president emphasized.
He clarified that some citizens acquire fake driver's licenses in Russia and then use them in Kyrgyzstan.
“In this regard, a nationwide inventory of all driver's licenses and other official documents is being conducted. The main goal of these activities is to identify illegal documents and streamline processes to ensure the safety of citizens and maintain the international authority of our country. Therefore, we have decided to replace all old driver's licenses with new ones. The protection of the new documents is of a high level, making them virtually impossible to forge. Citizens are advised to exchange their old licenses,” Japarov added.

In response to a question about indefinite driver's licenses, the president noted that those planning to travel abroad or who believe they will only drive within Kyrgyzstan should replace their licenses with new ones.

“Some documents are in such a condition that the name is unreadable, and the photo is unrecognizable. Therefore, a complete replacement of indefinite licenses is also necessary. The service for replacing documents is available without weekends and breaks. Previously, a medical certificate No. 083 was required to replace indefinite licenses. However, to make the process more accessible, a procedure for replacement without a medical certificate has been introduced for citizens with indefinite licenses. It is only needed for those obtaining a license for the first time,” the president explained.

Sadyr Japarov also touched on the topic of the "Tündük" platform's operation. He noted that previous governments only declared digitalization, but in practice, this area did not receive the necessary attention and funding, and the servers remained weak.

“Due to the lack of capital investments in the development and modernization of the 'Tündük' server infrastructure, 122.5 million soms have been allocated from the presidential fund. This funding will improve the platform. Currently, the JSC 'Tündük' is looking for suppliers of the necessary equipment. Additionally, for the first phase of modernization, 9.5 million soms have been allocated from the republican budget. This will significantly increase the capabilities of the system. Problems with the portal's operation arose due to a sudden influx of citizens accessing the system simultaneously, which created a high load on the server,” he added.

Japarov emphasized that in the future, the international community must be assured of who is a citizen of Kyrgyzstan. There should be no doubt on this issue in the country, the president stated.