How to renew Vehicle Registration or Istimara in Saudi Arabia

When you buy a car, your ownership proof is the Vehicle Registration card, which is commonly known as “Istimara” in Arabic. It will have certain expiry date mentioned on it. Mind that the date will be in Hijri calendar (something like 1434/04/28) so use any online service to covert this into a Gregorian date that you can easily remember.

Typical Istimara/Vehicle Registration Card for private cars

 

Make sure you renew your Vehicle Registration as soon as it gets expired, or ideally a week or so before its expiry date; in order to avoid any penalty for late renewal. Yes, there is a penalty fee for renewal if expiry date has passed long way back. Also, your Istimara needs to be valid in order for you to sell your car. Buyers do not like cars whose Istimara is going to expire soon.

So, you have made your mind for Istimara renewal. What is next? Your cars MVPI (Motor Vehicle Periodic Inspection) or “Fahas” needs to be renewed also. This is a pre-condition for Istimara renewal. MVPI or Fahas is a sticker on top-right corner of car’s windscreen. It displays in which Hijri month the Fahas will expire. So if your car’s fahas is out of date, you need to get it renewed first. For that you need to drive your car to nearest MVPI inspection center and get the “Passed” certificate and valid Fahas sticker.

Here are some tips for passing the MVPI inspection:-

Fix all visible defects. Mainly following should be checked

• Make sure all lights (headlights, tail/parking lights) are working. Headlight beam is properly focused.
• Indicators are working
• Horn is working
• Wipers are working
• Foot brakes are OK
• Hand-brake is OK
• Any visible broken body part like bumper, lights glass casing etc are fixed
• There is no wheel-alignment issue
• Wind-screen is not broken and has no major cracks. Minor 1-2 inch cracks are OK.
• Back-view side mirrors are not broken
• Exhaust is not releasing too much carbon
• There is no major oil leakage visible from underneath

A day before you go for inspection, take your car for a service and give a complete body wash. Especially from underneath so that any oil leakage hides for while. Despite your best efforts, it is generally rare for 5-6 years or older cars to pass the inspection in first attempt. So if you do not pass the first time, it is OK. Understand the issues they found out (it will be on a paper they will give you) and get them fixed. There will be many workshops just around MVPI center and those mechanics are experts in getting such defects remove (or hide). Even though they charge too much but they know how to “cheat” the MVPI. So if you wish, you can immediately take it to any mechanic outside the center, get the issue fixed, and take your car back for inspection the same day.

Once you have got a fresh MVPI sticker and the “Pass” certificate. You need to pay the fee for Vehicle Registration renewal. It is very easy to do it online using your bank account. The “Sadad Government Payment” section will have a biller name of “Motor Vehicles” and under this there will be an option of “Renew Vehicle Registration”. Note that the system will automatically calculate the amount of renewal fee based upon your car including any fines that you need to pay. You can simply pay it in few clicks.

Alternatively, there are always Saudis around the “Riyad Bank ATM” outside the Traffic Police department who can pay the fee for your, for some “fee” for themselves. The system is all centralized, once you have paid the fee, you need not retain any slip or receipt to add to your application. 

Next, you need to obtain the Istimara Renewal form. It is available in Traffic Police center, or any photocopy/translation shop around the center. As usual, it will be in Arabic language so better take help from an Arab to fill it for you.

You need to take the filled form, along with old Vehicle Registration card and its photocopy, your original Iqama (Residence Permit) and its photocopy, original MVPI certificate and its photocopy, driving license and its photocopy and car’s insurance letter/card and its photocopy; to Traffic Police department (“Maroor” as it is called in Arabic) in your city. There will be a section for issuance and renewals of vehicle registrations, so go there. Take number and wait for your turn. If all goes as expected, you will get a new Vehicle Registration card then and there.

Note: If your car has old Arabic number plate, it will also need to be replaced with new computerized number plate (one in both English and Arabic). So take the old plates off from front and rear of your vehicle and present them to officer along with your application. You will be provided a new set of number plates along with the new registration card.