General Department of Traffic (Moroor)

The usual causes are an expired residence document, an outstanding violation, or a missing prerequisite such as inspection or insurance. Check all three before retrying.

The mobile number must be registered against your own residence identity document. Numbers registered to an employer or a previous holder will not receive the code.

Package prices from driving institutes frequently exclude components billed separately. Ask for a written breakdown before paying.

Availability tightens around public holidays and in the largest cities. Book early and treat a missed appointment as a return to the back of the queue.

Check the delivery address held on your file rather than the one you currently use. A stale address is the most common cause.

The office is generally determined by your registered residence address rather than preference. Use the authority's published centre directory.

The licence fee itself is modest - around SAR 40 per year of validity, so a ten-year licence costs roughly SAR 400. The real cost is the driving school course, which varies by city and provider and is usually several thousand riyals. Confirm current fees with Moroor or your school before paying.

Sources conflict. Some report 35 questions with 22 needed to pass, others 30 with 21, and the format has changed over time. Rather than optimise for a threshold, prepare against the whole published rule set - signs, right of way, speed limits and penalties.

Right of way. The convention at Saudi intersections and roundabouts is inverted relative to much of Europe and South Asia, so candidates driving on instinct rather than on the rule fail without understanding why. It is worth drilling specifically.

You pay again - typically SAR 500 - and wait. The usual gap before you can re-sit is about two weeks, with roughly ten days of booking lead on top. Two failures can cost the better part of a month.

If your licence was issued by a country on the approved list, yes. Conversion is handled through Moroor with a certified Arabic translation and a medical. The list changes, so confirm your eligibility before enrolling in a full course you may not need.

Yes. Women have been able to hold Saudi licences since 2018 and dedicated driving schools operate in the major cities. The process, tests and fees are the same; appointment availability at women's schools is the practical difference.

Yes. An active iqama is required both to open the Absher account everything runs through and to hold the licence. Licence validity is tied to your residence permit and cannot outlast it.

Log in to Absher and open Traffic Services. Saher camera violations and officer-issued fines appear against your record there and can be paid in the same place. Unpaid violations can block other transactions.

Saher is the automated traffic camera and monitoring network. It issues violations electronically against your vehicle and driver record, which then appear in Absher. It is a system, not a separate authority.

For a first licence with no conversion route, budget six to ten weeks: medical, school enrolment, the required training hours, then the two tests, each with its own booking lead. Longer in Riyadh and Jeddah.

It can. Outstanding violations are attached to your record in Absher and commonly block traffic transactions until cleared. Check and settle before you try to renew.

Dallah is the best known, particularly in Riyadh, but each region has its own approved providers. Only a Moroor-approved school can open your file and administer the tests, so confirm approval before paying.

Not automatically as a licence to reside and drive long term. GCC nationals have broader reciprocity than residents. As an expatriate moving between Gulf states you will usually need to convert. See our GCC conversion comparison for the current picture.