Vintage car owners in Bahrain welcome new rules on number plate registration

TDT | Manama                                                                 

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Staff Reporter

The owners of vintage cars in Bahrain have welcomed new rules initiated by the Interior Minister, General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, specifying the procedures for registration of number plates for such cars.

They said the new rules will lead to many more Bahrainis collecting vintage cars of historic importance, further raising the Kingdom’s status as a hub of vintage cars in the region.

The Interior Minister issued two ministerial decisions amending the provisions of the Executive Regulations of the Traffic Law 23/2014, concerning the registration of classic vehicles’ number plates.

The first ministerial decision includes amendments to classic vehicle registration number plates, their issuance regulations and the conditions related to importing and regulating those vehicles that are banned from driving on the road.

The second ministerial decision includes the registration fees for these vehicles. The classic vehicle registration number plate can now be issued according to the request of its owner, provided that the registration number should be among those specified for private cars.

The specific number plate can only be used for a single vintage car and it will be a violation to maintain the same number plates on different vintage cars. According to new rules, vintage cars could only be imported into the Kingdom after paying a fee of BD500.

The owner will have to pay an additional BD100 for registering the vintage vehicle for the first time. The ministry also classifies the vintage cars as Category A and Category B. All vintage cars manufactured before 1970 fall under Category A, while classic cars manufactured between 1971 and 1990 come under Category B.

Bahraini vintage cars owner Mohammed Al Banna praised the ministry decision, saying that it will add to the Kingdom’s great legacy as the home to vintage cars in the region. Another Bahraini vintage cars owner Mohammed Al Anoud said: “The popularity towards vintage cars is increasing day-by-day and this decision will lead to many Bahrainis owning up vintage cars.”

Vintage cars collector Bahraini Adnan Yousef Al Thawadi said the directive will ensure the efforts to preserve vintage cars, which is a tribute to the Kingdom’s historic automobile heritage.