Getting IDP (International Driving Permit) in Riyadh

The International Driving Permit (IDP) is generally issued by an officially recognized Automobile Association in each nation. Doubt highly any online sites would have anything valid.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

wjwoodward wrote:

The International Driving Permit (IDP) is generally issued by an officially recognized Automobile Association in each nation. Doubt highly any online sites would have anything valid.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

Exactly William,

Wikipedia wrote:

In the United States, the Department of State has authorized two private entities, the American Automobile Association and the American Automobile Touring Alliance's National Automobile Club as the only entities in the United States to issue IDPs. They advise against purchasing IDPs from unauthorized outlets, as these are sometimes fraudulent.

wjwoodward wrote:

The International Driving Permit (IDP) is generally issued by an officially recognized Automobile Association in each nation. Doubt highly any online sites would have anything valid.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

International Driving License nowadays should be possible for the traffic police to verify online through this website. [link moderated]
I have issued many IDL around Qatar and Oman. Our company made it possible for the traffic police internationally to verify the validity and authenticity of our clients licenses.
If you can't verify it online, then there's no way the traffic police will acknowledge the authenticity of your existing IDL. Licenses issued by our company are accepted by any rent a car abroad.

Hi,I study in China and im from Saudi Arabia "Riyadh"
I'm looking for IDP International driving permit or license, Please help me out, Thank you...

Please email [email protected] for further assistance. Thanks!

Thank you :-)
But I'm originally from Pakistan,
And I live in saudi arabia riyadh,
And I study in China,
So is [email protected] gonna help ??? 

Thank you.

Yes! but let me know if you have an existing driving license from Pakistan or China then its possible.

I don't have chinese license but I do have saudi driving license..!!!

So long as you have an existing VALID driving license from all the country that IDL is valid,that's all we need to provide you an IDL.  Cheers!

Thanks Kan832 for obtaining IDL. Have a safe flight and drive safely in China.

Hello

Indeed that took me long research, finally i have found that similar to Turkey and other European countries, saudi arabia recognized and accepts the international traffic control association ITCA IDP. I have driven using ITCA IDP in Ryaidh for three years with no problem

You can get this IDP by applying online on e-itca.org, they deliver internationally. It takes a week

let me know how it goes!

I have reservations about the validity of IDP /IDL. Did a little search and found a very helpful post on this same website. I am quoting it below:

Trapezius wrote:

An international driving permit (IDP) is not a driving license, it is just a translation of the local driver's license, and based on the treaty (Convention on Road Traffic of 8 November 1968) you referred to, you can drive using it, but actually, you are driving using your local license, accompanied by the translation, which is called as the IDP.  So, you have to understand that it is not a stand-alone document.  The IDP in my hand right now even says "Issued according to Saudi Arabian Driving License No. so and so Valid Till so and so".

When I travelled in the past few summers to the UK, Cyprus, and Mauritius, I rented cars there using the IDP which I got from Jeddah.  If I had been stopped in any of those countries there by the police, I would have showed them the IDP, but all the IDP is, is a translation of my Saudi license into English, and so it says I am allowed to drive in my home country, and by extension of the Convention, allowed to drive in the country I am visiting.  The IDP is valid for one year only for categories of vehicles indicated in the license, and is valid in all 165 countries listed in the IDP.  So, the convention was agreed upon to make things easy for travelers around the world.  Imagine if every tourist or businessperson was required to get a local license before driving in a country they are visiting for a short time!  So the convention basically says "To make it easy for everybody, yes, we will let you drive in a country you are visiting, but only based on your local home license, and to prove that you have a valid license in your home country, you have to get the IDP."

Sorry if you knew all that, but I just wanted to state all that because I have encountered many people over the years who think the IDP is a driving license and that anybody can get it from any country.  You can get it only if you have a valid driving license in your country of residence, and as far as I know, you have to get it from your country of residence.  So for example, when I traveled to Cyprus last year, I could not have just landed there and tried to get an IDP there, because to get get an IDP there, I would need to show a local, i.e., Cypriot license.  If I had presented them with my Saudi license, they would have said "Sorry, we don't recognize this document and we have no way of knowing if it is real or not."  Which mean, had I not got the IDP from Jeddah and traveled with it, I would not have been able to drive there.

So now, you are saying you want to get an IDP in Jeddah, based on your US license?  As far as I know, that will not be possible.  The IDP is given by the local automobile association (not really a 'business') in a given country.  As you said, in the US it is the AAA, and here, it is the Saudi version, called as the Saudi Automobile and Touring Association (SATA).  If you asked them to issue you an IDP based on your US license, they will give you the answer I gave in quotes in the previous paragraph.  But, I hope I am wrong!  Try it out.

As for where, I don't even know where SATA is located, neither do most people.  Google can tell you, however, everybody here who gets an IDP before traveling gets it from any travel agency.  They provide this service, by taking your documents and then handing them over to SATA who issue the IDP and give it back to the travel agency.  The one I use, Caravan Travel, opposite the Saudi Airlines office inside Heraa Mall, charges 200.  I am sure others charge the same.  I have no idea how much is the actual IDP, and how much the travel agency charges for their service.  If you can find a SATA office, go for it.  You need to take a copy of your iqama, copy of Saudi driver's license, and 2 pictures.  In your case, you don't have a Saudi driver's license, so take your US license.  By the way, if you are going to be here for any reasonable amount of time, why not get the Saudi license?