Saudi Driving License

As it seems to be with everything government related in Saudi Arabia, the wonderful endless source of information called Internet has also plenty of stories, facts and "facts" available about when and how to get a Saudi Arabian driving license. In the end getting a local license proved to be a relatively simply and painless procedure. Again it probably helped that my origins are not in Southeast Asia or Africa.

If you are only visiting Saudi Arabia with a business visa, you are allowed to drive here with an International Driving License. But as soon as you get your residency permit, it is mandatory to obtain a local license. As my iqama (Saudi term for the residency permit) was issued already some time ago, I thought it is probably better stop pushing my luck and finally get a locally acknowledged certificate for lane surfing and speeding. (Depending on the source you need to get a Saudi driving license immediately or within three days or within three months of issuing your iqama... Go figure.)

I had mentally prepared for spending a whole day running from place A to place B to place C back to place A to collect all the needed paperwork, stamps and so forth (very typical in case you need to get some official business done). Eventually the process was nothing like that. Yes, there were plenty of steps, stamps and bureaucracy involved in getting the local driving license but the whole procedure took less than 1.5 hours. I must admit that I was really amazed - positively.

The process involved two specific steps that I want to describe in more detail:

First, as is with all government related payments (e.g. fees for visas, traffic fines etc.), you can pay all those through any branch or ATM (!) of Riyadh Bank or Al Rajhi Bank (major Saudi Arabian banks). Actually with ATMs anybody can do it on your behalf which is really handy for persons like me who don't have a local bank account. Whatever bad things are said about Saudi Arabian bureaucracy, at least their government's payment system works well and kills a lot of unnecessary hassle.

So, instead of maneuvering my way to queue at some nearby bank branch, I just had to find a helpful local soul to pay the fee on my behalf. I handed him an equal amount of cash + a small "service fee". I also right away started to wonder whether I should consider doing some significant career moves: I bet the guy doing making the payments at the ATM next to the driving school's entrance is earning some serious money: He was asking for a fee of 50 SAR per payment and within few minutes I saw him making payments at least for 3-4 persons.

Second, a part of the process of getting a local Saudi driving license included a "driving test": I had to hop in a car, buckle up, put first gear in, drive forward, put second gear in and halas, I had passed the test. The instructor sitting next to me stamped some papers and I was free to run to the next counter to continue the application process.

I sincerely hope that the driving school is enforcing more strict rules for persons who are getting their initial driving licenses and not converting their existing licenses to Saudi Arabian driving licenses (as I was doing). Although I wouldn't be too surprised if that is not the case - at least based on the lack of driving skills and discipline that you witness first hand everyday in Riyadh's traffic.

Abayas – to Love or to Hate

For a lot of western people the abaya is a symbol of oppression, especially in light of the recent media attention given to the face veil ban put in place in France. Whether or not it's a symbol of oppression, it seems that a lot of ladies decide to dislike it from the start. Personally I believe that it's all inside your head. If you choose to hate wearing an abaya, you will. If you choose not to mind it you'll soon stop noticing it altogether. The first time you wear it (which for me was about 15min before getting off the plane in Riyadh) you feel a bit weird. You think that the people around you are looking at you like you're a freak. But in fact no one is looking because all women are wearing one. Gradually, the more times you wear it the less weird it feels and indeed, after a while you'd probably feel more weird not wearing it than wearing it. Not to mention that you would get into trouble with the muttawa if you decided not to wear it.

Westerner do not need to cover their hair here in Saudi. That is, unless they are specifically asked to do so by the muttawa. During the time I've spent in Saudi I've been asked to cover my hair once so far. The guy spoke very good English and was very polite about it. At the same time, I hear stories about Asian women being shouted for not covering their hair. I believe there is a bit of racial profiling going on in this society. Hubster and I are as white as people get so it's clear to any muttawa that we are not locals. And therefore not Moslem either so we probably get off easy. It's harder for those who look like they could be local.