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New Smart Licenses to Combat Counterfeiters
08/07/2019
AUTHOR: EI THANDAR TUN
After encountering counterfeit driver’s licenses, the Department of Road Transport Administration announced that beginning July 1, drivers can exchange their current license for a smart card that features better security measures.
The new smart cards employ a chip that can be detected by a chip reader. It will also have a QR code, which can be scanned by a QR code scanner. These measures will, it is hoped, prevent counterfeiting.
U Lian Kyint Mhan, Director of the Department of Road Transport Administration, told Myanmar Business Today: “We are upgrading to smart cards that have security features on a level with the international standard. This will prevent counterfeiting.”
Drivers can change out their existing licenses for the smart cards for free; they will only have to pay the regular fees if they are renewing an expired license.
The department will issue the new cards when renewing licenses are providing new ones, when the driver comes in to replace a damaged license, to change the registered location of their vehicle, or to apply for a new card.
In 2018, the government arrested 17 counterfeiters, and seized their computers and other counterfeiting equipment.
Currently, the Department of Road Transport Administration has issued some 880,000 driver’s licenses, and there are 5.39 million driver’s licenses issued across the country.
