Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation has amended regulations to allow taxi registration for MVR 10,000 instead of acquiring 'garage letters'.
The ministry changed its procedures after amending the "Regulation on registering motorized land vehicles".
The regulation had previously required vehicle owners to provide an authenticated no-objection letter from a garage owner, confirming the storage of the vehicle on their property, along with a copy of the owner's national ID card.
However, the amendment of the regulation on Tuesday gave leeway for registration of vehicles for industrial purposes and taxis.
While the ministry will provide taxi registration for a fee of MVR 10,000 temporarily imported vehicles for industrial purposes will be charged a fee of MVR 15,000.
Deputy minister of the Transport Ministry, Hamad Abdul Ghani, said that this change reflects the government's efforts to simplify the taxi registration process for drivers who previously faced difficulties due to a lack of garage spaces in the Malé region.
The deputy minister also said that this exemption is extended only to taxis while automobiles registered under smartphone apps (such as Avas Ride) will not receive the same leniency.
"One of the main options to transportation is taxi, and we believe this decision will bring a positive change," Hamad said.
Hamad added the vehicles imported for industrial purposes will be used in road development, land reclamation, and other developmental projects.
While noting that vehicles for industrial purposes will increase if developmental projects increase, they will be exclusively used at project sites.
Sign In