There are four types of number plates in Saudi Arabia. Have you ever wondered what each colour, letter, Arabic letter, and digit on your number plate means?
The Government Printing Press in Riyadh manufactures Saudi Arabia’s vehicle registration plates. Saudi Arabia has taken steps to ensure that citizens residing within its borders register their cars and display their license plates on the front as well as the rear of their automobiles.
Types of Number Plates in Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia, there are four types of number plates for vehicles. Depending on the purpose or nature of the plate, it can be used to identify a private citizen, a public service vehicle, commercial transport, or a diplomatic vehicle.
Now you know that there are four different types of driver’s licenses, but do you know the different types of driving licenses? There are six different types of driving licenses.
There are six distinct types of driving licenses, each of which serves a different purpose. The most common type is a private driving license, which allows an individual to operate a motor vehicle.
In the event of a damaged or stolen plate, replacing a vehicle’s number plate is a necessary process that must be done. Without the proper registration and identification, any motor vehicle on the road would be deemed illegal and could result in severe repercussions for both the owners and drivers.
The Saudi Arabian number plates come in 4 different colours: white, blue, yellow, and green. The backdrop of all plates is white.
White Number Plates (Private Cars)
Saudi Arabia’s most common number plate is a white one, which is assigned to private cars. The use of private cars for transportation and other commercial purposes is not allowed. It has a circle at the bottom as its symbol.
Yellow Number Plates (Public Transport)
Yellow stripes appear on public transport and taxi license plates. A triangle pointing upward is displayed at the bottom of the strip.
These number plates are also found on cars owned by private transportation companies such as Uber and Careem. Transport of goods in Saudi Arabia is only authorized with vehicles with yellow number plates.
Blue Number Plates (Commercial)
Vehicles marked in blue are commercial vehicles like trucks, pickups, and other heavy mobile equipment. A triangle points down at the bottom of the strip.
Green Number Plates (Diplomatic)
There are fewer green number plates in Saudi Arabia than any other kind of plate. The sticker represents the fact that the vehicle is registered to a consulate or embassy. There is a white rectangle surrounding the Saudi coat of arms. It is not accompanied by any symbols.
Banned Number Plates
The Arabic and Latin translations of some letter combinations are banned. It includes ” ‘S’ ‘E’ ‘X’ “, ” ‘A’ ‘S’ ‘S’ “, and others.
Contents of a Saudi License Plate
The plates include three letters and up to four digits in Arabic. The standard plates always contain four numbers, which are padded with zeroes if necessary. The number on a personalized plate or earlier registration can contain one, two or three numbers, with or without zero padding. While letter translations are done from left to right in the Latin alphabet, Arabic letters are read from right to left. Translations are not always accurate. The registration plates only use 17 Arabic letters.
Arabic to English Translation of The Saudi Plate Number
| Arabic Letter | Translation | Actual transliteration(if different) |
|---|---|---|
| ا | A | |
| ب | B | |
| ح | J | ḥ |
| د | D | |
| ر | R | |
| س | S | |
| ص | X | ṣ |
| ط | T | |
| ع | E | ‘ |
| ق | G | q |
| ك | K | |
| ل | L | |
| م | Z | m |
| ن | N | |
| هـ | H | |
| و | U | |
| ى | V | ā / ỳ |
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Driving without a plate number in Saudi Arabia is a serious offence that can have serious consequences. You could be fined, imprisoned, and have your vehicle impounded.
