Job Discussion Forums

[egyptfan]

Does anyone know the procedure for getting an expired Saudi driving licence (by about 5 months) renewed in Riyadh? Before, you start saying 'get your sponsor to do it' my sponsor says (rightly or wrongly) I need to be physically present myself to do so. Any suggestions welcome. Thanks

[sheikher]

Poke around in here. Everything CARS in KSA:

http://workinginsaudiarabia.blogspot.com/search/label/Vehicles%20and%20Driving%20license

[veiledsentiments]

So... you are trying to renew it from outside the country? I wouldn't think that would be possible.

VS

[johnslat]

Dear veiledsentiments,

Possible - but only with (as always) enough wasta.

Regards,
John

[007]

[egyptfan]

Yes, I am actually in-Kingdom but have come back with a new sponsor and am waiting for the new iqama to be processed (slowed due to Hajj). While I was out of KSA the old license expired and I have been told it is easier just to pay the fine for the expired period and renew than to try to get a new one.

My query here is where to go to get this done and papers needed.
Thanks for the links and info to date. The paperwork needed is becoming clearer now but it's a question of where to go? Please don't say Dallah in Riyadh as that means trying to get time off work and scrambling over bodies to get to the right window(s)! i.e. if my sponsor is correct when saying I have to turn up in person to renew.
Believe it or not, according to their website Saudi Post will renew your license for 25 SR, but has anyone tried and succeeded or even heard of anyone who used this method? I know, ..... kind of contradicts what the sponsor said but then again, we live in a place awash with contradictions and ambiguity.
PS: In case you haven't been out driving in Riyadh recently, it's like Holywood. Flashing cameras everywhere for speed, stopping on the pedestrian crossings, etc. Lovely experience this evening. My mate was driving at about 60 kph in a 70 zone and knew of the upcoming camera. Common situation..... Lexus behind, flashing and flashing .. get out of my way... of course, my mate gave way, lexus zoomed by and .... 5 seconds later .. FLASH done for speeding

[desertdawg]

It might be easier to get a new licence as you have a new iquama. I had a similar situation a few years ago. My sponsor told me to do just that. I had to go to the office, but a broker came with me and jumped the queues. A big boned Arabic speaking friend would serve the purpose too. My present sponsor claims to do the process without me physically being at the office. Like previous posters above have stated, it's all about wasta.

[sheikher]

Great news, egyptfan!


http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2008111822315

Driving license fee slashed to SR150
By Fahd Al-Dhiyabi
RIYADH � Responding to public demand, the Traffic General Administration has reduced the driving license renewal fee to SR150 from SR400 for a validity period of ten years, a source at the Traffic General Administration said. Five million driving licenses have been issued in the Kingdom, 800,000 of them registered in Riyadh alone. � Okaz/SG __



http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2008071411775

Driving license validity extended to 10 years
RIYADH � The validity period of private driving licenses has been extended to a period of 10 years from the existing five years, said Director of Traffic Department Maj. Gen. Fahd Bin Saud Al-Bishr, at a press conference here.
In the press conference held at the headquarters of the Traffic Department, in Riyadh, Al-Bishr said a Royal Decree was issued on the new traffic regulations, which extends the validity of private driving licenses to 10 years and raises the driving license fees to SR400, from the existing SR75. [Might pertain to first application or transfer from overseas license!]
The regulation specifies the validity period for motorbike licenses also as 10 years and for other vehicles as five years.
The validity period for foreign international driving licenses has been specified as one year from the date the holder enters the Kingdom.
The new traffic regulation also imposes penalties on violations such as throwing garbage or cigarette butts on the street.
Al-Bishr said that as per the new regulation each traffic violation will have certain points depending on the level of danger of the violation to public safety, and these points will be registered in the violator�s record.
The driving license would be withheld when it reaches the specified number of points. This period will be for four months, six months or one year or it can be withdrawn for ever or the motorist will have to attend a driving school.
The regulation gives the Minister of Interior the right to allow the establishment of national non-government societies to create awareness among the citizens and put a limit to road accidents.
The new traffic regulation will boost the relations between the traffic police, the motorist and citizens in general as it strives to achieve safety on the roads, Al-Bishr said � SPA __



Caution: gory photo! Not for the faint-of-heart! http://swrphome.wordpress.com/2009/04/25/crisp-saudi-driving-license/

...Today I received from our Government Affairs Department my fresh and crisp Saudi driving license. I got it easy as it is actually only renewal (I have my old license to expire mid-May 2009). Unlike the previous issue that is bit big and printed on a thick paper, the new license is now the size of an ATM card with lots of security features. The picture on the license was taken from the photo grab at the airport when I arrived in Saudi Arabia last year (wherein our fingerprints were also captured).

Renewal Procedure:
1. Our liaison officer filled-up required government forms for license renewal application and attached corresponding company letters/documents at the office (was filed on a standard green hanging folder).
2. We proceed to �Dallah� (driving license application / renewal office), I paid SR 430 renewal fee (I paid thru my electron visa card) and was issued a receipt.
3. I was sent for �medical check-up�, wherein I was �tasked� to donate 450ml of my blood. Vision check was also performed.
4. After which our liaison officer brought our documents to another �window� for traffic violation verification (a computer print-out was released declaring negative).
5. Our files were submitted to another �window� for filing pending release.
6. Today, I collected the crisp driving license as our office.


The Comment section of the above link (http://swrphome.wordpress.com...) reveals:

Sub: Licence Renewal procedure

Dear All;

If you already have a licence & its about to expire the following will be the simple procedure for renewal

Step 1 # Using online Account if you have one from (SABB, NCB, Al-Rijhi etc) You can pay the licence renewal fee which is S.R. 400/- once you payed the money get a receipt of it as proof. (You can print the payment confirmation report)

Step 2 # Download the licence renewal form from http://www.rt.gov.sa/applications/doc/app002.doc and fill it (Its better if you have any arabic speaking colouge or freinds who can fill is)

Step 3 # Use a Paper File (An ordenary Paper File) to arrange the following
1. Licence renewal application completely Fill
2. Two(2) 4�6 Size photo with white back ground
3. Receipt of payment confirmation (i.e; S.R.400/-)
4.Original Driving Licence
5. Copy of your Iqama

Step 4 # Go to Driving School (Dallah) Riyadh
1. Go to Builidng # 01 , there is a licence check counter produce your File, He will just check it & stamp it
2. Once he stamp it they will return you file . Take your file to Building # 1. There is a token system (Once you enter Building # 2 on to your left the token machine) Take a token & wait till you number come.

Step 5 # Once your number come submit your file . They will check in system (If you have not yet done finger print, you have to do it before you renew you licence. All you date is been stored in there system) using your Iqama # & that it !!!!

Step 6# Waiting for 5-10 min they will call you name & you will have all new Licence for 10 years�. (Congrats�)



http://www.ebamooz.com/jml16/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=205:expatguru&catid=88:expatcorner&Itemid=197

NB: BEWARE OF AGENTS AT THE FRONT DOOR! SOUND FAMILIAR?

How to get a driving license in Saudi Arabia (detailed for Riyadh) for Expatriates?

You need to go to Dallah driving school which is near Dallah Hospital on King Fahad Highway. Just take any taxi and ask him to take your there.

Before going to the License Office you need following things:

1. Original Iqamah.
2. Photocopy of Iqama.
3. Photocopy of Passport.
4. Driving License of your country (e.g. India)
5. Translation of driving license of Country of Nationality in Arabic from an approved translation institute.
6. A letter from your sponsor attested by chamber of commerce for issuing you the license.
7. Eight Passport size photographs
8. Medical report (Blood Group Test)
9. License Fee (SR 400 SR pay it Riyadh bank/ATM for your iqama id and keep the voucher)

Once you have above mentioned things, just take a taxi and ask him to take you to Old Dallah Driving School. Taxi will take 15-20 Saudi Riyals. You are suggested to go there earlier in the morning (reach by 7 am).

Now go to shop next to the entrance gate. (You will be approached by persons for license payment in bank. They will asking SR450 or SR500 as fees for SR 400Govt. Fee. Never turn to them as you had already completed that in Item #9)

From shop, you will get application form which will be filled for you in Arabic then and enclosed in file cover . Total cost for you is 8 riyals.

Now go to Room number 2 in the license office. The person on extreme left will do Eye-sight test. The person on extreme right counter will check your forms, stamp and send you to "License Check" counter. Here one more person will put a stamp on your application and send you for "first try". This trial place is behind the building where you are standing.

There will be a car or more and person will be sitting inside. He will ask you to drive the car a little ahead and then reverse a little. Don't worry it is just to see whether you have ever touched the car or not. The person inside will make his comments on your application.

Now come back to room # 2 and deposit SR 100. He will take your file and ask you to attend a class. This will be a three hour class in which you will be taught the basics and after that there will be a computer test. Attend the class very carefully and also read all the things written on front and backside of the chart they give you during the class.

The questions will be mainly Identification of different signals and general driving rules. Signals & Traffic Rules can be viewed from Riyadh Traffic Site.

The questions that are going to be asked for the touch screen computer test, will be mentioned during the class by the training instructor. After class they will take you to a room where you will wait for the test to start.

There would be 20 questions and you have to answer them in 30 minutes. If you make any mistake in the first ten questions, then you are failed. In next 10 questions you have to give only five correct answers.

If you clear the computer test then they will test your driving. Congratulations, if you clear the test. By the way, it is very easy test. You just have to drive the car for some meters or you might have to do some simple reverse etc. Cars are of model "Cadillac Custom/Camry 2006". Cars are with gears; not automatic.

Go to room number 1 (main room) and just on your left there is a place where "License Delivery" is written. Get your counter number from here and the go to the counter. Now wait until they deliver you the New Driving License.

Congratulations!!! You can drive the car in Kingdom for the next 5 years from Now.

Total Expenses

Taxi fare (1 day) = SR 30
Photo Pictures = SR 15
Blood Group Test = SR 15
File Cover, Application form filling = SR 8
Photocopies = SR 2
Training Fee = SR 100
License Fee = SR 400 (Increased from SR 75)

Indian License Translation = SR 20
-------------------------------------------
Total License Expenses = SR 550
===========================================
Your license is valid for 10 years



Miscellania:

http://www.wbitt.com/social-talk-and-miscellaneous-topics/74-the-adventure-of-getting-a-driving-license-in-saudi-arabia.html

http://americanbedu.com/2010/07/07/saudi-arabia-challenges-of-drivers-license/



And in conclusion, the English for this government website is Sorry, this page is underconstruction. http://www.rt.gov.sa/

The blue-green-aqua box near the bottom is google translated as To inquire about the documents and papers required for any of the transactions and traffic procedures, as well as choose the treatment or procedure that you want from the following list: There is a drop-down menu which MIGHT have the info you require, or access to it.

The form you MIGHT require is here ttp://www.rt.gov.sa/applications.php on the top left, all four forms here illustrated google translated as:

Model of driver's licenses.....Application for vehicle registration

Driving a vehicle mandate.....Address update form

WHICH I now discover 6 hours later in a Comment box mentioned in info above. Thus Edit #4 for this post! No more, folks!

[egyptfan]

Thanks Sheikher,

It looked like good news but I went online and tried to pay for a renewal using my old iqama number (dummy run) and it wanted 400 SR for renewal and fine of 100 SR late fee (which I expected) I have spoken to a few people here, including taxi drivers, and most seem to think it's 75SR. Yet the online banking system still wants 400 +100. To be honest, after a week or two of taxis, I'd gladly pay the 500 to get behind the wheel again!

[sheikher]

Yes, well, it is not all that uncommon for a government ministry to issue an edict, trumpet it to the media, yet take years to exhaustively and comprehensively disseminate that information even to its own divisions and departments, which may or may not under certain convenient conditions neglect its enforcement in the public arena.

Unless, of course, it involves terrorism!

There is, after all, no income tax in Saudi Arabia.

[Bebsi]

Arab Times Headline:

"Panic as license applicants must now prove ability to drive"

Don't laugh, folks; if someone were to make holding a license in KSA dependent on driving ability, how many new licences would actually be issued?

The only thing worse (or better), would be making all existing license holders come in for a re-test, a real one! The streets would be deserted.

[sheikher]

Saudi Gazette Headline [edited]:

"Panic as license applicants must now prove computer literacy"

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009102652642&archiveissuedate=26/10/2009


Saudis paying drivers who are not allowed to drive

By Nouf Hassan Ghaznawi and Naif Masrahi

JEDDAH � Employers of private drivers are finding themselves in a fix as their employees are consistently failing the Kingdom�s driving test which requires computer skills many of them do not have, leaving sponsors the burden of wages for work which is not begin done. �I paid over 7,000 riyals to the employment office to get a driver before the start of the school year, and ended up paying the wages of someone who can�t drive because he couldn�t get a license,� says Ghada Hassan, a mother of five, who may now have to find a �local driver�.

The application for a driver�s visa requires no technological abilities on the part of the prospective employee, but once in the Kingdom the newly-arrived driver has to pass a test which involves using computer screens and touch-pad technology many persons of impoverished or rural backgrounds are unfamiliar with. �I came from a village in the Philippines and we didn�t have any computers,� says Momar, who has been in the Kingdom for just a few months. �I passed the practical driving test first time, but I�m finding the computer part of the exam tough.�

Once arrived on Saudi soil, however, the driver is still entitled to his monthly pay whether or not he passes the diving test.

�I got my visa, but now I�m having real trouble getting a driving license because of the touch screen,� says Mohammad Al-Sayed, who came to Jeddah from a small village in Egypt only one month ago. �I�m also in a bit of a position with my employer, as I know how to drive but I�m not allowed to, and he has to pay me. I wish I�d known about all this before I left Egypt.�

At the Dallah Driving School in Jeddah, senior instructor Mahmoud Ibrahim explains why the Traffic Sign Language Test is flummoxing license applicants.

�The Traffic Sign test is a system made by Saudi General Security which guides the examinee in a choice of 11 languages through 20 questions on the touch screen which requires examinees to select the right options and proceed. The first ten questions must all be answered correctly and at least five out of the remaining ten in order to pass,� Ibrahim said.
The Dallah Driving School, Ibrahim added, provides training courses for persons unable to fully cope with the touch screen, but for the moment employers are the ones left shortchanged.

�I think the new system is a good thing, as I want the driver of my children to know all the traffic laws and stick to them, and the thought of employing someone who can�t pass the test is a bit scary,� says Fahad Tunisi. �But what also concerns us is that we are still paying for work which is not being done.� � Okaz/SG __



Panic as aspiring license applicant must now pay fines [edited]:

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2010110186546&archiveissuedate=01/11/2010


SR155,000 in driving fines leaves student�s life in limbo

HANI BAHASSAN

JEDDAH: Student Naif Al-Khusaifi, like any other young man in Saudi Arabia, dreams of earning qualifications to embark on a career followed by marriage and a family, but all his plans are being held up by the small matter of 155,000-riyals-worth of traffic fines.

�When my parents split up and I was 16 the family needed someone to earn some extra money, as my father was only making 2,000 riyals a month at the time,� Al-Khusaifi said. �I said we should hire a car so I could work as a taxi driver and help him out.�

Al-Khusaifi, however, did not have driving license, but he insists he had no option.

�All other avenues were closed to me,� he said. �When I applied for jobs they either said I was too young or that I had no relevant skills.�

In his pursuit of a living on the streets of Jeddah he began to accumulate one fine after another when police caught him driving without a license and transporting passengers in the city and sometimes to Makkah, and occasionally as far away as Madina.

He wouldn�t hear of his mother going to ask people for money, determined as he was to bring in enough himself, his time divided between his studies at the Institute of Optics and giving rides to passengers.

�I�m sure if I graduate I�ll be able to find a decent job because there are openings in the market for those sorts of qualifications, but unfortunately I can�t get married or move on in my life because of this mountain of fines,� he said, unfolding a seemingly interminable scroll of traffic offenses.

With the fines left unpaid, Al-Khusaifi is unable to proceed with any bureaucratic operation, from acquiring a passport to renewing his identity card or obtaining a bank loan.

Zaid Al-Hamzi, the spokesman for Jeddah Traffic Department, was unable to provide words of hope for Al-Khusaifi. �There is no leniency with rule breakers,� Al-Hamzi said. �The law applies to the little man and the big shot equally.�

According to Al-Hamzi, Al-Khusaifi will have to pay up before he can even obtain a driving license.

�Put simply, if he doesn�t pay up,� Al-Hamzi frowned, �he won�t be able to avail himself of any other services from any government departments.�

� Okaz/Saudi Gazette

[Bebsi]

Hmmm...he could consider himself lucky he's not in jail, as would be the case in many countries.

Ad, uh, didn't he...er...get the message after about maybe 20,000 SR? I mean, why did he allow it to get to that level?

All joking aside, the law is the law, of course.

However, in fairness to him, he doesn't seem to have caused any accidents or been a danger to anyone. There are probably quite a few people in the K of SA with huge accumulations of fines - and for behaviour far more dangerous to life and limb - but who have the requisite wasta to get away with it.

I say, make some kind of conditional deal with this guy, and let him become a productive member of society, whereby he pays his fines, or at least an agreed proportion of them over time.

Who agrees?

[sheikher]

All joking aside, the law is the law. And, portrayed as an ass, its aberrations are legion. Often the comic writer must source media external to Saudi Arabia to make that discovery.


http://www.emirates247.com/offbeat/crazy-world/woman-without-car-asked-to-pay-traffic-fine-2010-11-07-1.314338

Woman without car asked to pay traffic fine

Husband burst into laughter at news as women are not allowed to drive in Saudi

When a Saudi husband was told his wife would not get her passport back before paying a traffic fine, instead of getting upset, he just burst into laughter. For women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to drive.

His wife Hania Al Barkati had told her husband about her surprise when she received a letter from the Passports Department in the western Red Sea port of Jeddah saying that she must first pay a fine for not renewing her driving licence.

�Hania�s husband expressed great surprise over the alleged violation - because women are not allowed to drive in the Kingdom,� the Saudi Arabic language Okaz newspaper reported on Sunday.

�He said he burst into laughter when a Passport Department officer in Jeddah told him about it. He was perplexed by the seriousness of the officer who asked him to pay the fine immediately and thought he was joking.�

The paper said the officer in charge told him to pay the fine, so the passport application could proceed.

�When Al-Barkati received a copy of the violation slip, she discovered that it was registered nine years ago in Rabigh, a city she has never visited, and that it has doubled since then, to SR600, because it was not paid.�



About transferring an overseas license, and traffic violation penalty payments:

http://www.abroadindians.com/saudi_arabia-guide/driving/procedure-for-obtaining-driving-license-in-saudi/id49

You can drive in Saudi on an International Driving License and some national licenses for up to three months, after this you need a Saudi license. Some licences, including those from the UK and US, are convertible to a Saudi licence without a driving test.

Women are not allowed to drive cars in Saudi Arabia, and a woman can only travel by car if accompanied by her husband, male relative or male driver.

Most expatriates working in Saudi Arabia would have at some point of time faced a peculiar situation - getting a traffic violation ticket without even knowing what it is all about. Expatriate car drivers / owners dread the so-called yellow ticket. Everything would be in Arabic, so you will have to make a guess or take the help of a person who can read Arabic. Thankfully, those days are now gone. You can get to know the fine pending against your name sitting in the comfort of your home. If you are having a SAWA mobile phone (as most expats do), just type your iqama number and sms it to 88993. It would cost you SR1.5 and you will get a reply back in your mobile about the pending fine. If you are a Mobily subscriber, just type your iqama number and send an sms to 625555. You can also call 01-2928888 through your landline to know the status of your fine. Just follow the instructions after dialing this number.

Once you know the fine amount, you have to go to either Al Rajhi Bank or Riyad Bank and pay the same. You can also do it online if you have an account in either of these two banks.



Lately there has been debate on whether late-payment penalties constitute usury. Harram!

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article15620.ece

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article16563.ece



And, to return to the topic of license applications and renewals, it has yet to be conclusively confirmed that Driving license duration will be your choice! http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article59390.ece is applicable Kingdom-wide.


By MUHAMMAD AL-SULAMI | ARAB NEWS
Published: May 31, 2010 01:04 Updated: Oct 21, 2010 00:29

JEDDAH: The Directorate General of Traffic will soon introduce a new system that will give people the right to decide the validity of their driving licenses whether they want them to be valid for two, five or 10 years at a cost of SR40 for every year, sources close to the directorate said.

They also said the programs, financial systems and mechanisms of payment are currently being revamped to take into account the new changes.

They said the duration to pay the traffic violation will be 30 days after the violation has been registered in the system of traffic violations at the Interior Ministry...

[scot47]

Renounce the Infernal Combustion Engine which is a creation of the Evil One. Embrace the BICYCLE !