If you plan to live in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a little longer than you have expected, you need a car and a driving license to make your stay economical yet comfortable. If you are a family, it is always a better idea to own an automobile rather than wasting time and money on public transport.
Whereas getting a driving license in Saudi Arabia is not a piece of cake. It is entirely an extensive and costly process, but your life will be at ease if you once get a license. So, it is worth having. If you are driving for a while and are familiar with its basics and stuff, you don’t have to face difficulty, and getting your license is a matter of time.
However, if you are a novice, we will guide you through the entire process, which you must know beforehand to save yourself from any unexpected event. But first, there are few things that you should know and remember to have an excellent understanding of driving in Saudi Arabia.
Develop Road Skills
Yes! You need to develop road skills. Driving etiquette and signal knowledge should be at your fingertips. Roads of Saudi Arabia are the most reckless, and you may face rough driving, resulting in accidents. So if you are a beginner or a foreign driver, you need a lot of practice and a good knowledge of driving before touching the roads.
Related : Check iqama expiry online
How to Get Driving License in Saudi Arabia
If you are holding a driving license of another state, you must convert it to the Saudi Arabian driving license. The validity of the Saudi License is ten years, and the applying procedure is consists of a few steps. The mandatory documents for applying the driving license are:
- Your valid passport (original and a copy)
- You Iqama visa (original and a copy)
- Your official driver’s license in Arabic translation
- Your blood group test. It should be from any dispensary or clinic in Saudi Arabia.
- Your eye test report from any dispensary or driving school of Saudi Arabia
- Your four recent passport-sized pictures
- The Application form in green color (you can download it from the website of the Saudi Ministry of Transport office), or you can get the form from any driving school
- You must have a payment receipt of 435 Riyals issued by a bank.
It is a complete list of required documents, and after it is completed, you will be asked to perform a physical test to examine your driving skills. The first assessment will only take a few minutes, and after passing it, you have to attend a 3-hour class in which you get to learn more about driving in Saudi Arabia, followed by a computerized test exam.
The central concept of tests and driving classes is to have a fair idea of the road signs because of the challenging nature of driving in Saudi Arabia. However, it is for the citizens’ safety, which one should not avoid at any cost.