Can a Chinese driver’s license be used in Saudi Arabia?

When many people plan to travel to Saudi Arabia, they may want to borrow a car locally and drive it themselves. After all, it is much more convenient. However, the question arises at this time: I have a Chinese driver’s license in hand, can the Chinese driver’s license be used in Saudi Arabia? Can I drive in Saudi Arabia with a Chinese driver's license? Can I rent a car in Saudi Arabia? How to use it in Saudi Arabia? Does Saudi Arabia recognize Chinese driver's license?

Chinese driver’s license can be used in Saudi Arabia. Chinese driver’s license can drive and rent cars in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia recognizes Chinese driver’s license. So, how to use it?

To use a Chinese driver’s license in Saudi Arabia, you need any of the following combinations:

1. Chinese driver’s license + certified translation of international driver’s license (recommended). The international driver's license translation certification is a car rental platform for overseas self-driving travel. It is jointly translated and certified by NAATI (Australian Translator Accreditation Authority), NZTA (New Zealand Ministry of Transport), the German High Court, the French Court of Appeal, and the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The United Nations Convention on Road Traffic and strict compliance with international standards translate Chinese driver's licenses into standard driver's license translation documents in 9 languages, allowing Chinese driver's licenses to be recognized and accepted by a wider range of foreign institutions and car rental companies, and can be used in nearly 200 countries and regions. Original Chinese driving license for car rental. In Saudi Arabia, the cities where you can drive with a Chinese driver’s license + international driver’s license translation and certification are: Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Al Khoba, Medina, Medina, Mecca, Abha, Najran , Rabigh, Tabuk, Taif, Khobar, Kharj Oasis, Khamis Mushait, Al-Ahsa, Buraydah, Hail, Hofuf Drive, Jizan, Jubail, Yanbu. (Warm reminder: The translated and certified international driver's license is only suitable for Chinese citizens who are on a short-term business trip in Saudi Arabia to rent a car and drive there. Users who have stayed in Saudi Arabia for more than 6 months should use a local driver's license.) In addition, in Saudi Arabia In Arabia, the car dealers that support the use of certified translations of international driving licenses are: Interrent, Firefly, Dollar, Keddy by Europcar, SIXT, Enterprise, Budget, Europcar ( Onopka, National, Hertz, Alamo, Thrifty, AVIS. Special note: There is a difference between the translated and certified international driver's license and the international driver's license, but both are auxiliary translated and certified documents for the driver's license, and they must be used together with the original driver's license when used. Many years ago, the United Nations promulgated the "CONVENTION ON ROAD TRAFFIC", which stipulates that any country that has signed a contract to join the treaty and whose citizens have obtained a driver's license from their country can apply for an International Driving Permit with their driver's license. (referred to as IDP). It is actually just a permission and translation document. It does not require a test to obtain like a driver's license, but it must be used together with the driver's license of the country to be valid. Due to historical reasons, mainland China has not joined the United Nations Convention on Roads, so mainland citizens cannot obtain an "International Driving Permit (IDP)". However, in addition to the "International Driver's License IDP", various countries and regions also support the use of other translation certification methods with Chinese driver's licenses for local use. The international driver's license translation certification is launched on this basis to ensure that users have worry-free use. Currently, international Translated and certified driving licenses have helped more than 10 million Chinese tourists successfully rent cars and drive themselves in nearly 200 countries and regions around the world.

2. Chinese driver’s license + car dealer translation. The car company translation refers to a paper document that translates the content of the Mainland China driver's license into English and prints it out according to the translated driver's license template provided by the car rental company. It is mainly used to help the staff of the Saudi Arabian car rental company understand your personal information and driving qualifications. It can be used to show the legality of driving when you pick up the car smoothly, or when the Saudi Arabian police inspect the car. The car dealer's translation must be presented together with your original valid Chinese driver's license in order to successfully pick up the car at a car rental store in Saudi Arabia. Both are indispensable. In addition, car agency translations are only applicable to Chinese citizens who rent cars for short-term tourism in Saudi Arabia. It is not applicable to users who live in Saudi Arabia for a long time, such as overseas Chinese and international students. The document combination of Chinese driver's license + car dealer translation has some limitations: 1. You need to go online to find the translation template of the corresponding car dealer; 2. The car dealer's translation can only be used by the corresponding car dealer. For example, translations from Alamo can only be used at Alamo and not at other dealerships; 3. Translations from the same car rental company may not be available in different regions. Universal. For example, UCAUTO (Ucar Rental Car Rental)'s car dealership translations may be available in one country but not in another.

3. Chinese driver’s license + notarized driver’s license.

The notarized driver's license is a notarized translation of the driver's license issued by a Chinese notary office, which is recognized by Saudi Arabia. It is an auxiliary certificate for the Chinese driver's license abroad and does not have universal legal effect. The use of a notarized driver's license is that when Chinese citizens need to rent a car or drive in Saudi Arabia, because Saudi Arabians (police, car rental company staff, etc.) cannot read Chinese, they must go to the notary office to get a driver's license translation in the local language. Notarized documents. When renting a car in Saudi Arabia, this notarized document must be presented together with the original driving license, otherwise the car will be refused and the rent will not be refunded. The same is true when the traffic police in Saudi Arabia inspect the car. The notarized document and the original driving license must be presented together, otherwise you will be considered to be driving without a license and be sanctioned by local laws. As for the notarized driver's license, also in Saudi Arabia, some of the different car rental company stores accept it, and some do not. This situation is very common. Even well-known large car rental companies rarely inform users in advance whether the car rental store accepts notarized driver's licenses. It often happens that the car is refused and no refund is given when picking up the car. This is the troublesome part of notarizing driver's licenses. The notarized copy of the driver's license can be obtained at the notary office in the place where the Chinese driver's license is issued or the place of residence. The driver's license translation and notarization are usually translated into English and stamped with the official seal of the notary office. If you have special needs (for example, if you want to use it in a non-English speaking country), you can ask the notary office to make an additional translation and notarization in that country's language. Generally, the translation fee for a non-English driver's license notarization is more expensive than the English notarization. The total cost of translation and notarization is usually about 200 to 300 yuan. Please consult the local notary office for details. The time to complete the process will vary from place to place, ranging from 2 to 3 working days to 5 to 10 working days. When applying, you need to bring the original and copy of your Chinese driver's license, the original and copy of the household registration book, the original and copy of the Chinese resident ID card. If you entrust someone else to handle it on your behalf, you also need to bring the "power of attorney" and the agent's resident status. certificate. Generally speaking, a Chinese driver's license can be used in Saudi Arabia. The above is how to use a Chinese driver's license to drive, rent a car, or drive yourself in Saudi Arabia.