According to the president, the issue of driver's licenses has not been reviewed for almost three decades, and the documents themselves were previously produced abroad. He noted that their level of protection was insufficient, and the quality was low.
Japarov emphasized that since last year, state documents, including driver's licenses, have begun to be produced at the local enterprise "Uchkyn," which has significantly improved their quality.
Counterfeiting Issues
The head of state reported that there had previously been cases of counterfeit Kyrgyz documents being sold to migrants in Russia and Kazakhstan. He noted that such documents are still being used today.The president stated: "Counterfeits of our ID passports and driver's licenses were widespread among migrants. These documents are still being used in Russia."
Japarov also added that there have been cases of terrorists being detained with fake Kyrgyz passports, which has negatively affected the international image of the country.
According to him, the state has decided to offer free replacement of old driver's licenses in order to completely eliminate their use both within the country and beyond its borders.
He also mentioned instances where citizens bought fake licenses in Russia and then returned to Kyrgyzstan to drive a car. In this regard, a nationwide inventory of all driver's licenses and official documents is being conducted.
The president emphasized that the main goal of these efforts is to identify all illegal documents, ensure the safety of citizens, and protect the international reputation of the country.
Replacement of Licenses and Possible Exceptions
In response to questions about the validity of documents, Japarov clarified that all old ID cards and driver's licenses need to be replaced, regardless of citizens' plans to travel abroad or drive within the country.He noted that some licenses have deteriorated to the point where the surname and first name are unreadable, and the photograph is indistinguishable. Therefore, all indefinite licenses require complete replacement.
Japarov added that the exchange of driver's licenses is carried out every day without weekends from 08:30 to 23:00. He also reported on the simplification of the procedure: now, a medical certificate is not required for the replacement of indefinite licenses, unlike for those obtaining a license for the first time.
Issues with "Tunduk"
The president also commented on the malfunctions of the "Tunduk" portal, which is used for the replacement of driver's licenses.According to him, digitization in the country in recent years has only developed at the theoretical level, while the technical infrastructure has left much to be desired due to insufficient funding and weak servers.
Japarov reported that 122.5 million soms have been allocated from the presidential fund for the modernization of the server infrastructure of "Tunduk," and 9.5 million soms have been allocated from the republican budget for the first phase of modernization.
He explained that the recent malfunction occurred due to a mass simultaneous login of users into the system, which led to server overload.
The president assured that work to resolve the issues will continue and urged citizens to replace old ID passports and driver's licenses with new ones.
