Cairo: Saudi Arabia’s traffic authorities said people hired from abroad to serve as drivers can temporarily use driving licenses issued in their home countries.
The Saudi General Traffic Department explained that such foreign drivers can use their local licences for a maximum of three months provided the licence is translated by an accredited agency and its type must be commensurate with the driven vehicle.
Saudi Arabia, a country of around 32.2 million people, is home to a large community of expatriates.
The kingdom has recently sought to regulate its domestic labour market and make it attractive.
Last month, Saudi traffic authorities said a visitor is allowed to use a foreign driving licence for one year in the kingdom, which is seeking to attract more tourists as part of efforts to diversify its oil-reliant economy.
The visitor can use the international driving licence or a valid foreign licence for one year from the date of entering the kingdom or the expiry date.
In recent years, the kingdom has offered a set of facilities designed to draw more foreign tourists to the country. They include the issuance of tourist visas on arrival or online for citizens of several nationalities.
In July, Saudi Arabia launched a business visit electronic visa, dubbed the “visiting investor visa”, aimed to facilitate a foreigner’s trip to the kingdom to explore investment opportunities there.
The kingdom aims to receive 25 million foreign tourists this year.
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