Saudi Arabia Begins Issuing Driving License To Women

Saudi Arabia issues first driver's licenses to women.

Ahead of the lift of a decades-old ban on women driving, a group of women have received their driver's licenses. The ban is due to be lifted on June 24.

10 Women have been issued driver's license in Saudi Arabia as at Monday. The announcement comes three weeks before a ban on women driving is set to be lifted following King Salman's decision last year to allow women to drive .

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are not allowed drive but this will change on June 24.

About 2,000 licenses are expected to be issued for women next week, according to a statement from the Ministry of Information.

"The general directorate of traffic today started replacing international driving licenses recognized in the kingdom with Saudi licenses, in preparation for allowing women to drive," the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

The women – who already held driver's licenses from other countries, including the UK, Lebanon and Canada – took a brief driving test before having the right granted to them in Saudi Arabia.

@DW