Car Impounded in Kuwait? Here’s Exactly How to Get It Back

You go back to where you parked and the car’s gone. No towing note, nothing. If you’ve been through this in Kuwait, you know the panic before you even work out which impound yard has it.

Here’s the thing: getting your vehicle back isn’t complicated, but it does need to be done in the right order. Skip a step and you’ll be sent back to the start, sometimes with an extra day’s fee added on.

There are now two ways your car can end up held by the Traffic Department: the old-school impound yard, or the new smart home impoundment system that started this month. The process differs depending on which one applies to you.

My car’s at the impound garage. What do I do first?

Start with the fines. The General Directorate of Traffic says you can settle violations through its electronic services, or in person at the Traffic Violations Investigation section in your governorate.

Some cases aren’t just a fine to pay. If your licence, vehicle registration or number plates were administratively withdrawn, or the case has gone further legally, you’ll need to sort that at the Traffic Violations Investigation section before anything else moves forward.

1. Settle the traffic violations tied to the impoundment (online or at the Traffic Violations Investigation section)
2. Complete any extra legal or administrative steps if your case involves a withdrawn licence or plates
3. Get the official vehicle release letter (كتاب الإفراج عن المركبة) from that same section
4. Bring your Civil ID, driving licence and proof of ownership, along with any other documents requested
5. Head to the Vehicle Impoundment Garage where Traffic patrols keep towed vehicles
6. Pay the ground/impound fees before they’ll hand the car over

On the fees: Kuwait’s Traffic Law sets the basic cost at KD10 for transporting the vehicle to the impound location, then KD1 for every day it sits there. Under Article 209, you don’t get the car back until the reason for impoundment is cleared and every fine, fee and expense is paid.

Worth knowing: the law generally allows an impoundment period of up to two months, though the General Directorate of Traffic can extend that. And if nobody claims the vehicle within three months of the impoundment period ending, it can legally be sold at public auction. Don’t let a towed car become someone else’s auction lot.

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Source: arabtimes