Saudi Arabia on GuideMeet

Rules for overlanding in Saudi Arabia

Updated October 2026

Our summary of the country advice published by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Viaggiare Sicuri) on 20 September 2026.

🌐 Italiano · Français · Español

Which driving licence do I need in Saudi Arabia?

• All vehicles — To drive in Saudi Arabia you need an International Driving Permit under the 1949 Geneva convention, valid for one year, and it is also required to rent a vehicle. Check what applies to the licence you hold.

An International Driving Permit states the categories it covers: check yours covers what you will actually drive. A car licence does not cover a motorcycle, and a heavy camper or a truck can need a higher category.

At the wheel

• Women can drive — Since 24 June 2018 women are allowed to drive if they hold a valid licence. There are no driving restrictions for women.
• Roads and signs — The road network and its infrastructure are good, and the main links between towns are at Western standards, with road links to neighbouring countries. Outside the main metropolitan areas the signage follows international conventions but is mostly in Arabic.
• Speed cameras — The big cities have speed cameras, and fines for offenders are heavy.
• After a crash — Road accidents are extremely frequent. Vehicles must not be moved until the police arrive, and everyone involved who is not taken to hospital is normally brought to the police station to establish responsibility and settle payment for the damage. Ask the police to contact your consulate immediately.
• Vehicle security — Never leave the vehicle unlocked or unattended, and check the inside, the outside and underneath before getting in. Once on board, keep doors and windows closed.
• In traffic — Avoid getting boxed in between other vehicles: watch your mirrors, leave space between you and the car in front, and work out an escape route whenever you are forced to stop in traffic or at lights.

What catches travellers out

• Alcohol, drugs and banned conduct — Importing, producing, possessing and drinking alcohol is prohibited and severely punished, as are the use and trafficking of drugs, possession of pornographic material, homosexuality, sexual harassment, promiscuity and paedophilia. Penalties are particularly grave and can include mutilation, public flogging, expulsion and the death penalty (in particular for drug trafficking, homosexuality and sexual harassment). During investigations suspects are most often held without legal assistance and with limited consular access.
• What customs seizes — Customs keep rigorous control on prohibited imports: alcohol, weapons, pork and anything considered contrary to Islam, including pornographic material — and ordinary Western magazines or commercial catalogues are treated as such, so they can be confiscated and you fined. Religious symbols such as crucifixes and Bibles are considered illegal in public and border officials generally block them at import, though private worship is tolerated in practice. Currency, monetary instruments, gold bars, precious metals, stones and jewellery must be declared above 60,000 Saudi riyals, around 13,500 euros.
• Conduct and speech — Keep a sober manner and sober dress. Foreigners may dress freely, but respectful clothing is required — the advice is to cover shoulders and knees and avoid very tight clothes — and you should abstain from anything that offends local sensibility, public displays of affection included. Criticism of Islam, of the religious establishment and of the Royal House is not allowed, and publishing anything, online included, that harms the reputation of religious authorities or national interests is prohibited. Practising a non-Muslim faith in public and proselytising are offences pursued severely.
• Medicines and insurance — Bringing medicines in is regulated by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, whose clearance procedure for controlled medicines carried by incoming travellers has been compulsory since 1 November 2025. Take particular care with psychotropic medicines, some of which are treated as narcotics. Health insurance is required for entry alongside the visa, and the cover offered with the visa application may not stretch to hospital costs, so check your policy.
• Passport and visa — Your passport needs at least six months' remaining validity. The tourist visa has to be requested online at visa.visitsaudi.com, and no sponsor is needed for it. A visa on arrival can be requested at the dedicated terminals in the Riyadh and Jeddah airports by people legally resident in the United States, the United Kingdom and the Schengen countries, but the ministry advises getting an e-visa through the site before the trip. On arrival you must be able to show the required supporting documents, in particular proof of health cover. Check the visa expiry date carefully: it is written in Arabic numerals and by the Islamic calendar, which invites mistakes, and if you miss it you cannot leave Saudi territory until you have paid a fine and received authorisation from the Saudi Interior Ministry.

Before you rely on this

This is our summary of advice written by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Italian travellers, published on 20 September 2026. We summarise in good faith, but we cannot guarantee it is accurate, current or complete, and we take no responsibility for decisions made on the basis of it. Rules change without notice and are applied by officials at the border, not by websites. Always read the original source and the travel advice your own government publishes for Saudi Arabia before you travel. Where a guide's profile shows “Licence verified”, we found that licence in the official public register; otherwise GuideMeet has no way of checking whether an individual guide meets any standard mentioned here — ask them directly.

Source: Viaggiare Sicuri — Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, updated 20 September 2026. Last checked by GuideMeet on 7 October 2026.