Egypt's interior ministry has extended the deadline for installing data stickers on all road motor-vehicle windshields to 31 December 2020, a statement by the ministry said on Thursday.

The ministry has urged vehicle owners to head to traffic administration bureaus nationwide to get their new electronic car stickers, the statement noted.

The 40-day grace period has been decided, the statement said, within the framework of the ministry's keenness to make it easier for citizens to install electronic stickers for all types of vehicles.

The extension has been announced two days ahead of the previously announced deadline, 21 November, that came also as a grace to the initial deadline of 20 October.

The ministry added that work continues in traffic units across the country until 8:00pm in order to facilitate the procedures for installing the electronic sticker until the end of the specified period.

The ministry had previously warned that legal measures would be taken against those who fail to get the stickers before the deadline. 

The stickers, which can be read by special infrared devices at traffic lights and by traffic officers on the streets, include a SIM card that holds the vehicle's data to allow authorities to track violations and expired licenses.

The sticker system was launched by the General Directorate of Traffic in June last year with the aim of making it easier to register all vehicles in a single database.

The stickers will also allow vehicle owners to make electronic payments for tolls, parking fees or fines, after receiving messages on their mobile phones.