Visiting Saudi Arabia with US CDP
 

Hi

I came to this website while searching for Carnet De Passage in the Middle East.

Well, my question is about cars, so hope it's accepted. :)

I am a resident and a citizen of Saudi Arabia and I have a company in the USA. Can I drive my US company car in Saudi Arabia for short periods on US Carnet De Passage? if yes, for how long? do I keep the US registration plates while in Saudi?

The car will be shipped to Saudi Arabia or Bahrain.

I did search for the CDP and Saudi Arabia, but couldn't find any info if it's accepted or not. We have Saudi cars with CDP and they are driven in Europe. I want to know if Saudi accepts US registered cars for tourism.




Thank you very much.
Fahad

No personal experience, just some pointers:

CdP for USA-registered vehicle(s) issued by Canadian Auto Association,
Carnet de Passages en Douane - Canadian Automobile Association | Association canadienne des automobilistes
CAA website does not list KSA as country that requires or accepts CdP; this usually means CAA can/ will not issue a CdP for KSA.

You should confirm this with CAA directly:
Suzanne Danis, contact info on website.

Absent availability or acceptance of CdP for temporary import of USA-registered vehicle, KSA Customs may have its own temporary import requirements and fees for US-registered vehicles. As a Saudi citizen, you should check directly with whichever Ministry is responsible for Customs (?)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
or
Saudi embassy in US
or
Working in Saudi Arabia: Import of vehicles into Saudi Arabia

good luck

It's very hard to get any info in Saudi Arabia, there is no website with info and it's impossible to find anyone who knows. It's strange that the CDP doesn't list Saudi Arabia, but we have cars with Saudi CDP, it could be that Saudi Arabia is no longer part of the CDP? I will check with our local office.

I know for sure that I have seen RHD UK and Aussie cars with their original plates.


Thank you

Yes, it appears the situation in SA is "ambiguous"

The official international org for CdP regulation is
www.aitgv.ch
AIT does not include Saudi Arabia on their list of countries requiring a CdP for vehicle entry into the country.
On the other hand, AIT shows
Saudi Arabia (SATA)
Saudi Automobile & Touring Asssoc (SATA) as issuing CdP (for Saudi-registered vehicles going to another country)

Al Akariah Building
Olayah Street Riyadh

P.O. Box 51880
RIYADH 11553
TELEPHONE:
+966 1 419 1951 (8 Lines)
TELEFAX:
+966 1 419 0577
E-MAIL:
gm@sata-sa.com
INTERNET:
sata-sa.com


That website is no longer functional, and a newer website,
www.sataclub.com.sa
is still under construction.
Because SATA appears to issue CdP for Saudi-registered vehicles, SATA may be able to give you info about foreign-registered vehicles entering SA.
Absent a functioning website/ email, try calling the SATA office in Riyadh.

I would give them a call and ask whether as a Saudi citizen and resident you will be allowed to drive a foreign registered vehicle in your country.

Great, they were called SASCO or something. Suzanne got back to me and confirmed Saudi doesn't require CdP. She will check the requirements and get back to me.



Excellent point, this is exactly what was running into my mind today. I doubt there is any law about it in this country. Not sure how much you know about Saudi, but usually laws will be different from a man to a man. I think it will be very suspicious to see a Saudi citizen with a US car. They would think I want to sell it here.

To clarify the purpose of taking US cars to Saudi, it's for racing. Many European rally teams just pass through the Saudi borders easily with their European registered cars. Our case will be a bit different, as with European teams, they drive few days to reach Saudi, but in our case, we will ship the cars for six weeks. it's usual to see European race cars in Saudi and the mid East, but almost never a US car.

The US cars will be registered under my US company name, so I might just need a permission from the US company to allow me to be responsible of the cars while in the Mid East.

It's so confusing in Saudi Arabia as there are no laws.

I am also planning to import one of those Sand Rails to use and resell in Saudi, and I have no idea if they will allow them or not. No one to speak with and no rules and regulations about such vehicles.


I will wait for Suzanne to reply, and will try to get in touch with SATA, I think they will be responsible for tourist and racing cars.


Thanks a lot for the great help


Fahad

If a reason for temporary import of a US-registered car into Saudi Arabia is to race/ compete there, apparently there is now a separate Saudi organization that regulates car & motorcycle racing in the Kingdom:

Saudi Arabian Moto Federation
:: الات�*آد العربي السعودي للسيارات والدراجات النارية :: [Arabic, English & other languages]
PO. B 87 881 Riyadh 11652

Will look into that too. I just thought, I will be able to pass the car into Saudi with the CdP, without the need for additional documents.

I will wait for Suzanne to respond, then check with SATA and SAMF.

thank you very much.