Recently, my 17-year-old son got his Saudi driving license for the first time in Saudi Arabia. He was thrilled. To obtain the licence, he had to take lessons, theory and practical assessments, get a health check, and take a final practical driving test. Gladly, the experience was fairly straightforward and pain-free.
So, How Do Teenage Sons and Daughters Get Their First Saudi Driving License?
In Abshir, a teen (17) makes an appointment at a driving school. Then, they do a practical driving assessment. Skilled instructors set them 6, 15 or 30 hours of driver training. After online theoretical lessons, a computer and practical driving test, and a medical exam, they get the new license.
Honestly, at first, I was very hesitant. When my son turned 17, he asked for a Saudi Driving License. He wanted to drive on these dangerously fast Saudi roads. Gulp! I did not know the application process, and anyway, I wrongly believed that getting his licence would be like pulling out teeth.
However, my experience was a positive one. Unlike in previous years, learning to drive and obtaining a Saudi Drivers License for a teen son or daughter is straightforward. Today, the whole process is well organized and efficient.
Here are the steps.
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- Make sure your son or daughter is at least 17 years of age.
- Make an appointment in Abshir at the nearest driving school.
- Attend the driving school appointment for a preliminary driving assessment.
- Book driver training and pay for the recommended driving lessons at the school.
- Complete the theoretical training online.
- Sit the computer-based theoretical exam at the driving school.
- Do practical driving lessons with an instructor.
- Book a Final Driving Exam date.
- Prepare for the Final Driving test.
- Go For the Driving test on the set test date & time.
- Pass or fail the driving test
- Get a health check (blood & eyes) and a stamped medical certificate
- Visit the local Traffic Police Office to print your new Driving Licence.
- Celebrate with cake.
Saudi Model Driving School Policies and Guidelines
1. Make Sure Your Son or Daughter is at Least 17 Years of Age
Your son or daughter must be at least 17 to get a driving school appointment. However, long before he reached that age, I used to take my son out to remote locations to practice driving.
First, I would sit him on my lap, go forward and let him practice turning the steering wheel left and right. Months later, he sat alone in the driver’s seat and learned to press the gas with his foot, inching it forward and braking.
Later, I took him on a small off-road circuit, speeding up the car, and have him brake, and turn right and left. Later, I allowed him to drive with me.
After regular driving sessions, my son felt confident and was ready to drive an automatic vehicle.
2. Make an Appointment in Abshir at the Nearest Driving School
First, your son or daughter should set up their Abshir accounts, not use yours. They have to use theirs. Then, they should go to their ‘Services’ and check for available dates at any driving school.
Finally, they can book a date for the preliminary driving test at the driving school.
Unless it is only for women, like the Princess Noura school in Riyadh, a typical small town Saudi model driving school will offer lessons and tests for women ONLY in the mornings until 3 pm and for men ONLY in the evenings until about 9 pm.
3.Attend the Driving School Appointment for a Preliminary Driving Assessment
You wait at the gate for the test supervisor to call your name. Then, you enter a small vehicle. It is often a KIA or Toyota, and you drive a few circuits with a skilled driving instructor assessing your performance.
The circuit has painted roads with markings, mock traffic lights, road signs, a small humped bridge and road bends to measure your skills.
You spend about 10 – 15 minutes doing circuits, stopping at traffic lights, parking, reversing and emergency braking. Then, after you finish, the instructor will recommend 6, 15, or 30 hours of driver training according to your skill level.
- Advanced – 6 hours of classes – SR690 + VAT
- Intermediate – 15 hours of classes SR 1,466 + VAT
- Beginner – 30 hours of classes SR2,760 + VAT
Prices may change over time. The hours include both theoretical and practical classes.
INSIDER TIP
Get lots of driving practice months BEFORE making a driving appointment with a trusted friend or family member. You will have some solid experience and the instructor will give you only the required 6 minimum of driving lessons that includes tests thus saving you a lot of money.
4. Book Driver Training and Pay for the Recommended Driving Lessons
After the preliminary test on the driving circuit, you return to the booking office to book and pay for driver training.
You have to wait 15 minutes in the waiting area for a message to come to your phone before showing it to the desk clerk.
The desk clerk will read the message on your phone and then accept payment for 6, 15 or 30 hours of driving lessons. After making payment, (you can pay in cash, Mada or credit card) or you will receive a link to the driving school website showing several available slots for:
- Online Theoretical Lessons (to be completed 2 scheduled days only)
- Compter- Based Theoretical Test (scheduled 2 days after theoretical lessons at the driving school)
- Practical Lessons (beginning 2 days after the Theoretical Computer exam)
Now, choose a day to begin the theoretical training (available online for 2 days only) and practical driving lessons. If the school instructors have allocated you 15 or 30 hours of training, you will have to choose additional dates and times to attend to complete all the practical driving lessons.
INSIDER TIP
If a driving instructor approves you for 15 or 30 hours of driving lessons and you do not wish to pay for lessons, you can wait for one month and make a fresh application. After one month, your orginal application for lessons and tests is removed. In the meantime, you can practice driving, reapply and retest and hope for only the minium of 6 hours of practical driving lessons to save yourself a lot of money.
5.Complete the Online Theoretical Training
After logging into the driving school website, (the driving school will provide the link) start the theoretical lessons consisting of 6 units and multiple-choice quizzes. Each unit comprises instructional videos either in Arabic or English.
Instructional information contains everything you need to learn about driving, the highway code, rights of way in various situations, how to switch lanes correctly, signs and signals, etc.
You can rewatch the videos until you feel happy you understand and have learned everything. Do the multiple-choice quizzes to test yourself. Online access to the training modules is for two full days ONLY and no longer available thereafter.
Two days AFTER completing the online theoretical lessons and quizzes, you MUST attend the driving school to complete the theoretical computer-based test.
INSIDER TIP
Watch the videos multiple times and reinforce your knowledge by repeatedly doing the online multiple-choice quzzies. Remember to block out two days (about 2-3 hours) for the training.
6. Sit the Computer Based Theoretical Test in The Lab At the Driving School
A theoretical computer-based exam tests all the information you learn in the online lessons. On the PC, answer all the questions before submitting the answers for scoring. Submission generates a result. You should get 70% or above to pass. Anything less, and you will have failed.
You must pass the theoretical test before you can attend the driving school for the practical driving lessons.
INSIDER TIP
Leave home early enough to avoid arriving late for the tests. A bar code will appear on your mobile phone and will disappear 19 minutes after the test time. You will not be able to do the test and will have to pay a further SR 173 the second and subsequent times you are late.
The first time is free of charge.
7. Do Practical Driving Lessons with an Instructor
On lesson days, the driving school will assign you an instructor. Note that only male instructors teach male learner drivers and female instructors teach female learner drivers. There is NO mixing of sexes in the classroom or cars.
Depending on your skill levels, the instructor will inform you about everything you should know about managing and operating a small vehicle and driving on Saudi roads to pass the final driving test.
Typical lessons involve operating a small motor vehicle, (automatic Kia or Toyota) using roads and negotiating obstacles.
INSIDER TIP
Find out the set driving manouvres and practice these at home with a trusted friend or family member BEFORE attending practical driving training.
8. Book a Final Driving Test Date and Time
After completing all the lessons, you will likely be ready for the Final (practical) driving test. On the driving school website, you should book a day and time for the Final driving test.
Select available test day/time slots at your convenience.
9. Prepare for the Final Driving Test
Your final practical driving test should take place as soon as possible, provided you have chosen a day and time for the test after completing all the practical driving lessons.
Practice what you have learned in the practical lessons before the test date with an experienced driving friend or family member. This will involve drivingin in lanes, reverse parking, turning left and right, stopping at traffic lights, emergency braking and going around obstacles.
Make sure you feel confident, are mentally prepared and ready for the test.
10. Go For the Driving Test on the Set Test Date & Time
An experienced examiner will conduct your final (practical) driving test and NOT your previous instructor. On the test day, you must wait at the circuit gate for them to call your name.
Follow the examiner’s instructions as you enter the vehicle to begin the test. You will have you perform a series of driving manoeuvres depending on your skill level and the level of confidence they have in you.
For example, one Indian gentleman (Abdul Basheer) had been driving for 40 years in the UAE and only needed to retest to renew his driver’s license. His final driving test lasted only one or two minutes.
My son is a confident new driver. The examiner saw this, and it also only lasted a few minutes more.
11. Pass or Fail the Final Driving Test
If you are successful, the examiner hands you a signed and photocopied paper to take to the driving school desk clerk. It indicates you have passed the driving test and are now eligible to apply for the new Saudi driving license at the traffic police office.
The school desk clerk registers your results on the driving school computer system and provides you with a stamped medical health check form to complete.
If you fail the test, you take another signed form to the desk clerk. You will have to repeat the driving lessons and go through the entire process all over again.
12. Get a Health Check (blood & eyes) and a Stamped Medical Form
You can perform a medical check at ANY time during the process. The medical forms are freely available in the driving school waiting area.
Present the medical form and two passport-size photographs in colour to a hospital or clinic that provides a health certification service for the Saudi driving licence.
At the medical centre, a technician will test your blood to know your blood group and a doctor will examine your eyesight (each eye) with or without glasses.
You will read two pages of a large book of coloured numbers to test colour blindness. The doctor will also ask you to read a Snellen chart by one eye then another.
Blood test results are available immediately within seconds. A doctor will certify that your eyes are good, and that you are fit and healthy enough to operate a motor vehicle by signing and stamping the medical form.
If the medical centre is electronically connected to the Saudi government traffic police system, your medical test results are automatically available on the traffic police system. So, there is no need to complete the medical form.
We did it anyway.
Prices for medical tests vary. I found one hospital charging SR235 + VAT, another SR170 + VAT and the cheapest at SR80 + VAT.
13. Visit the Nearest Traffic Police Office to Have Them Print your New Driving Licence
Check opening hours, then at the traffic police office, (Muroor) wait in line with your Saudi Resident’s Permit (Iqama). Be sure you have previously paid the new driving licence fee via your online banking (SR100) app.
Show the police officer your Saudi Resident’s Permit (Iqama), the stamped and completed medical form or any other documents he may request.
In one or two minutes, your new Saudi Driving License is ready. They issue, print and give it to you there and then.
14. Celebrate with Cake
Now, you should buy your son or daughter a lovely cake to celebrate. Bear in mind the new Saudi Driving License is temporary. He or she cannot buy or own a private vehicle until they become 18 years of age.
At 18, they should do another medical and apply for a permanent Saudi Driving license. Thankfully, no driving test is required for this.
Model Driving School Policies and Guidelines
Welcome to the Model Driving School. We are delighted to provide you with our services and would like to inform you of the school’s key regulations.
Please carefully review the following rules:
- Punctuality for Practical Training
If you arrive late for practical training, you will be marked absent. Absence is recorded after 19 minutes from the session’s start time.
- Absences from Practical Training
Your first absence is excused without a fee.
For a second absence, a fee of 172.50 SAR will be charged.
Arrive at least 5 minutes before your appointment and present your attendance QR code to the staff.
- Absences from Theoretical Test
If you are absent or arrive more than 19 minutes late for your theoretical test, you will be marked absent and must pay a fee of 86.25 SAR.
- Failing the Theoretical Test
If you fail the theoretical test, a fee of 86.25 SAR must be paid to retake it.
- Failing the Practical Test
If you fail the practical test, you will be required to pay a fee of 431.25 SAR. Additionally, you will need to complete two days of training, totaling four hours.
- Training Time Management
Utilize the full duration of your training.
You must scan your barcode to confirm attendance.
Training must start within the first 19 minutes and end within the last 20 minutes of the session. Failure to comply will result in being marked absent.
- Fee Refund Policy
Fees can be refunded if requested at least two days before the start of the training course.
- Refund Process
Refunds will be processed to your bank account within 90 days.
Note: By providing your information and signing this document, you acknowledge and agree to abide by the school’s regulations.
Name:
Phone Number:
Signature:
Related Questions
Will my son or daughter need to learn how to drive a manual or automatic car at the model driving school? All vehicles at the Saudi model driving school are fully automatic. There is no requirement to learn how to operate a manual geared vehicle in Saudi Arabia.
Does a parent need to accompany a teenage son or daughter to obtain a Saudi Driving Licence? No, parents are not legally obliged to attend lessons or tests with their children. However, I went each time with my son to support and encourage him.
Are there any traffic police at the driving school? Some uniformed police offer practical workshops and classes in the classrooms.However, civilian driving instructors teach and administrative staff run the driving school.
May my son or daughter drive a vehicle after the traffic police issue them a new licence? Yes, they can legally drive and you can include them on your car insurance as a second driver or purchase their own insurance. However, they cannot own, buy or sell vehicles.
If my son or daughter already has a driving license from another country do they need driving lessons and tests in Saudi Arabia? If the license is still valid, they can request a license transfer. For this, you pay a fee and provide a medical certificate. If it has expired, they must do the driving lessons and tests as outlined above.
What happens if my son or daughter fails the theoretical or practical tests? If they fail the theoretical test, a fee of 86.25 SAR must be paid to retake it. If they fail the practical test, they will be required to pay a fee of 431.25 SAR. Additionally, they will need to complete two days of training, totalling four hours.
References and Useful Links
How You Do A Car Inspection (Fahas) In Saudi Arabia insidesaudi.com
