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Archive for the ‘Kingdom’ Category
Traffic Rules / Traffic Law in Saudi Arabia
May 6th, 2015, posted in Kingdom
The traffic rules in Saudi Arabia are categorized into four sections starting with the most severe violations category first. The rules are as follows:
First category
Penalties: Impounding of vehicle with fine of SR 500 to SR 900
- Driving the vehicle without obtaining a driver’s license.
- Driving the vehicle without license plates ( impounding of the vehicle until the correction of the violation).
- Driving the vehicle without a rear license plate (The vehicle will be confiscated until the violation is corrected).
- To use different license plates other than those belonging to the vehicle (The vehicle will be confiscated until the violation is corrected).
- To use illegal license plates (The vehicle will be confiscated until the violation is corrected).
- To install equipment in the vehicle, similar to equipment of official vehicles and emergency vehicles (The vehicle will be confiscated until the violation is corrected).
- Obliterate or attempt to blur the definition of special features of the vehicle(The vehicle will be confiscated until the violation is corrected).
- Driving under the influence of intoxicant or narcotic drug or prescription drugs forewarned for about the narcotic influence.
- Bypass the traffic light at the red light.
- Driving the vehicle in the opposite direction of traffic.
- Changing lanes quickly between vehicles on public roads.
- Exceed the speed limit by more than twenty-five kilometers per hour.
- Overtaking in prohibited areas such as bends where overtaking and the highlands.
- Stopping over the railroad.
- Not covering the shell and load transported. (for trucks)
- To carry out works on public roads without prior to coordination with the concerned department.
- Not halting the vehicle completely at “Stop” sign.
- Not to give the advantage of being fully standing at the signal (in front of you preference) in the case of the passage of vehicles on the road given his preference.
- Not giving priority to vehicles coming from right at the intersection of equal access to preferences at the same time and when there is no signal priority.
- Not giving priority to vehicles on the main road in the absence of a signal advantage.
- Not complying with the hand signals given by the security officer who is managing the movement of traffic.
- Not giving priority to vehicles within the roundabout by cars outside the roundabout in the absence of traffic lights or a Police officer.
- Driving a vehicle without necessary accesories such as brakes, lights, etc or putting public safety at risk (The vehicle will be confiscated until the violation is corrected).
- Not using lights when driving in weather conditions where visibility is not clear.
- Driving in tunnels without lights.
Second category
Penalties: Impounding of vehicle with fine of SR 300 to SR 500
- Any modification or addition to the structure or the body of the vehicle without taking the necessary approval from the traffic department. (The vehicle will be confiscated until the violation is corrected).
- Conducting public works or construction on the roads before taking the necessary safety measures to avoid harm, including the development of non-reflective slide on the back side of the vehicle (The vehicle will be confiscated until the violation is corrected).
- Using a vehicle that causes pollution on public roads (The vehicle will be confiscated until the violation is corrected).
- Exceed the speed limit by not more than twenty-five kilometers per hour.
- Tampering with the road or reflectors or signals governing the movement of traffic.
- Not to stand at checkpoints, security patrols or when there is there is a sign to stop vehicle for inspection.
- Non-compliance with traffic at intersections.
- Not using the vehicle for the purpose for which is licensed for.
- A number of passengers more than the number specified in the license.
- Sitting/standing of passenger in location in vehicle which is not for the purpose.
- Refusing to show the documentation for the driver or the vehicle for unauthorized access.
- Non-compliance with the limits of the specific tracks on the road.
- Leaving objects on public roads and thereby putting public safety at risk.
- Not to give preference to Police cars or ambulances.
- Going beyond the school bus when it has stopped to load or unload.
- Driving vehicle with expired driving license.
Third category
Penalties: Fine amount – SR 150-300
- Non-availability of the statutory requirements of the trailer.
- Failure to provide MVPI (fahas) certificate.
- Violation of the rules of the use of indicator lights.
- Failure to take necessary precautions when you stop the vehicle in emergency situations on public roads.
- Barriers inside the vehicle obstruct the driver’s vision.
- Not to carry driver’s license or permit while driving.
- Leaving the vehicle on the road with a slope without taking the necessary precautions.
- Violation of regulations on road.
- Failure to maintain the number plates of the vehicle.
- Failure to terminate the procedures for transfer of vehicle ownership.
- Failure to terminate the procedures for amending the use of the vehicle.
- No seat belt.
- Non-use of safety seats for children.
- Failure to observe the rules of preference.
- Non-directed vehicle for export within the period specified.
- Using mobile phone while driving.
- Stimulant abuse the vehicle.
- Not to wear a helmet when riding a motor bike.
- Leadership in the tracks is dedicated to it.
- The failure of the owners of animals excluded from the roads.
Fourth category
Penalties: Fine amount – SR 100 to SR 150)
- The use of unauthorized devices in the vehicle or put banners or posters are contrary to public morals.
- Leave vehicles on public roads in areas not assigned to them is a necessity.
- Throw any objects outside the vehicle while walking.
- Conduct of vehicle without a front panel.
- Get off or ride during the course of the vehicles.
- Pedestrian crossing of the ways of non-designated areas for them.
- Non-compliance with pedestrian signals of their own.
- Slowdown in traffic in a manner impedes the movement.
- Parking the vehicle in places not intended for parking.
- Stand in the parking places and people with special needs of this category is allowed.
- Concern without the road while driving the vehicle.
- The absence of an insurance policy.
How to Check Originality of Saudi Driving License
April 30th, 2015, posted in KingdomWe have described in our article “How to Get Driving License in Saudi Arabia” the detailed procedures of getting Saudi Driving License. In this article, we shall discuss how we can check that the Saudi Driving License is original.
Pay your driving license fee yourself, never rely upon someone else in this regard. Pay it through your internet banking. As soon as you pay it, check on the ministry of interior website on the following link. It will show you that you have deposited your funds. Ministry of Interior – Available Funds under your Iqama
After paying your fee through internet banking, try to pay your fee for the renewal of license as well. This application will be declined. It means that you do not have any Saudi Driving License under your Iqama.
If someone asks you to pay him fee in advance for driving license, don’t do this. It is almost impossible to recover advance in such cases. Agree to pay full at the time of delivery.
Soon, you will receive call that your driving license is with him. Now you need to check, if the Saudi license is original. There are few ways of checking this.
- Go to the above link of Ministry of Interior website again, if your license is original, it will not show you any funds to your name. Available funds in your name will be Zero. It means your driving license is original.
- Go to the internet banking again and try to pay your Driving license renewal fee again. This time, system will allow you to pay your renewal fee which means your driving license is original.
- Picture on your Driving License will be the same as the picture on your Iqama.
- Try to take new driving license of any of your friend and check different water marks of driving license authorities. Trace them in the drivinglicense handed over to you.
If you have any query regarding this post, please write it down in the comment below. I will try to answer it as soon as possible. Feel free to look on other articles.
Apply for Permanent Family Visa In Saudi Arab
March 29th, 2015, posted in KingdomApply for Permanent Family Visa
The biggest problem expatriates face in Saudi Arabia is bringing their families to the Kingdom. Social environment in Saudi Arabia is very dry and if one does not even have family, it becomes drier. In the below lines, I will be explaining in detail how can one bring his family in Saudi Arabia on permanent visa (Iqama). I will be treating as you are Iqama holder in Saudi Arabia and informing you about the procedure you need to adopt after getting your Iqama. Please keep in mind; it is not a simple process. You need to be patient and read all the requirements very carefully.
Documents Requirement :
- The most important hurdle in bringing family on permanent visa is your profession on Iqama. Visa for family can only be issued if you have a good profession on Iqama. List of professions who are eligible to bring families on permanent visas can be seen by clicking here. “List of Professions”
- If profession on your Iqama is suitable to bring your family to Saudi Arabia on permanent visa, you will have to change your profession. “Change your Iqama Profession”
- If you want to change profession, you will have to send your original degrees to your native country for attestation by Saudi Embassy and Saudi Culture Office. “Attest Degrees for Saudi Arabia”
- If you have a degree issued by Saudi University, there is no need to attest it.
- If you are intending to bring your wife and children here in Saudi Arabia, next step is to get the marriage certificate and birth certificates of children (along with Arabic Translation) attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in your country, then Saudi Culture Office and at the end Saudi Embassy. It is much better to hire some agent in your native country with this regard. They will charge you a little fee like SR 200 per document and you will be able to save a lot of time and effort.
Process in Saudi Arabia :
You need to submit attested degrees along with translation, attested marriage certificate, and attested birth certificates of all your children, copies of passports of all the people applying for the visa, copy of the Iqama and letter from the sponsor stamped by Chamber of Commerce.Take copies of all the original documents and submit them to the window at your turn. Whenever there are some attested documents, make sure you have taken copy of main document as well as attested stamps. He will check the documents and will ask you to wait for a while. After around 30 minutes, you will be called again at the window and if everything goes fine, you will be given a yellow slip. This yellow slip is actually visa for your family. Take the slip and check if the names and other details mentioned on the yellow slip are the same as mentioned on the passport and other formal documents.
Process in Native Country :
- Now, you need to send this Yellow slip to your native country to your family. It is always advisable to take services of some agent in this regard. Overseas employment agents are expert in these kinds of processes and they have relations inside Saudi Embassy. It is easier for them to get it stamped. They will charge you from SR 400 to SR 500 per passport and take care of all the requirements.
- In some countries like Pakistan, Saudi Government has established Eitamad Centers. You do not need to contact agents in case Eitamad Centers are established in your native country. You directly go to them with the report of medical test. They will process the permanent family visa for you. Charges of Eitamad Center are also same as mentioned above. Process you need to carry on in Eitamad Centers is explained by one of our writer Mr. Shaneel Ahmed in this article.
- All your family members will have to go through a medical test before apply for visa to Saudi Embassy. Agent will give a token for every family member and they will have to appear for the test in designated laboratories. If you have Eitmad centers in your country, there is no need to take token. You can directly go to the approved laboratory for test. The report of the test is required to be submitted to Saudi Embassy to stamp the Visa. I have already published an article on this subject, have look at it, “List of Medical Tests for Saudi Visa”
- It is always suggested to go to some private laboratory in your country for the same tests before going to the officially designated laboratory. Private laboratory staff knows very well about the tests required for Saudi Arabia. You can fine tune your diet for temporary basis after the result of private laboratory. When your results are satisfactory, you can go for the official laboratory.
- If there is anything wrong in the result, some people will ask for the bribe to get it clear. Please never give money to them. There will be a test in Saudi Arabia as well and you will be deported if found problematic there.
- Once the Iqama is processed, your family will receive a call from the agent. You can also check it online through your MOI account. As soon as the visa is stamped on your passport, dependents in your MOI system will be updated.
Process after Arrival to Saudi Arabia :
- When your family has reached to Saudi Arabia, you need to apply for their Iqama. Please be noted that the major work has been done. You will have to appear in a medical test in Saudi Arabia. This medical test is not very critical, you will pass it easily. This test is only performed in the designated laboratories of the government.
- Report of the test needs to be given to the Government Relations Officer of your company. He will be responsible for the rest of the official activities. Soon, you will get Iqama!
How to Attest Degrees for Saudi Arabia
December 23rd, 2014, posted in KingdomHow to Attest Degrees for Saudi Arabia
In order to change your profession on the Iqama, you need to attest your degrees from Saudi Arabian Embassy in your respective country. In Saudi Arabia, the profession of your visa can be different from your actual profession. For example, it is possible that the profession in your Iqama is “General Labor” but you are working as Financial Analyst in a company. It is important to note that it is illegal to work in this way and it can lead to several consequences which are described below.
Consequences of having Different Profession
As it is already mentioned, it is illegal to have a different profession on your iqama, you can be detained in the detention center in case of any raid of Jawazat in your office.
- Your application for visa will not be successful if your profession is low profile.
- You cannot get family status in Saudi Arabia. You cannot bring your family to Saudi Arabia on permanent basis.
- You cannot apply for visit visa for your parents, unmarried sisters and others.
Process of Attestation of Degrees
- Please make sure that name on your degrees is same as the name on your Iqama. Profession in the letter should be same as of your Iqama. It happens several times that while writing the name in Arabic on the Iqama, Jawazat people don’t care for this. My application has been rejected once because of inconsistency of name on the Iqama and Degree. In this case, you need to change the name on Iqama.
- First step of attestation of degrees in Saudi Arabia is to get two letters from your company requesting Saudi Cultural Office and Saudi Embassy in your respective country to attest the degrees. Letters should contain your name, your current profession, your desired profession and your date of joining to the company.
- These two letters should be attested by the chamber of commerce of the city where your company is registered. They will charge you SR 25 for each letter.
- To get the degrees attested in Saudi Arabia, you need to go to Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and present these two letters to them. Keep in mind; they only accept letters attested by the chamber of commerce. You need to present your Iqama to them. Here, the employer in your Iqama should be the same company which has generated the above two letters. In case of inconsistency, they will not attest these two letters. They will charge you SR 30 per letter.
- After this, you need to send these letters to Saudi Embassy and Saudi Cultural Office along with degree. Before, Saudi Embassy and Saudi Culture Office, you may have to attest these degrees by some education commission and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in your Native country. However, it is suggested to send original letters, copy of your iqama, copy of your visa, copy of your passport and original degree to someone you know in your country. Assign him to do this work for you.
- If you don’t have any such friend who can do all this for you, you can contact some agents who do the same for some charges. They will charge you around SR 300 for the attestation of documents. According to recent changes in the degree attestation process, some embassies are asking for original passport of the candidate as well.
- If any of the above requirements are not fulfilled, you can ask the same agent to get it confirmed. They have some sources in Embassy and can help you out.
- Get your attested degrees back in Saudi Arabia and hand them over to your Mandoob in your company. He will do the rest of work. However, it is important to decide who will pay the change of profession fee. I think change of profession fee is SR 1,000/- and it is a burden upon you if you have to pay it.
- If you have Saudi Degree, there is no need to attest it to apply for permanent family visa.
- If some agent wants to advertise on this page, he can do it for a minimal cost. Please leave a comment below and I will contact you.