Saudi Arabia grants 90-day window to regularize Gulf-registered vehicles

The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior represented by the General Directorate of Traffic, has called on Saudi citizens and non-Gulf residents who own Gulf-registered vehicles in the Kingdom, or are authorized to drive them, to take advantage of a 90-day grace period to regularize their vehicles in accordance with official regulations and requirements.

The grace period will begin on August 26, 2026, and will run until the end of November 23, 2026. It applies to Gulf-registered vehicles present in Saudi Arabia before the new regulations governing their stay come into effect.

The authority clarified that vehicle owners can regularize their status either by removing the vehicle from the Kingdom before the grace period ends, or by registering the vehicle and obtaining Saudi license plates, in line with approved procedures.

Coinciding with the implementation of the new regulations, the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority stated that Gulf-registered vehicles owned by Saudi citizens or non-Gulf residents, or authorized for their use, may remain in the Kingdom for a total of 90 days—consecutive or non-consecutive—within a 365-day period.

This period is calculated from the date the vehicle enters Saudi Arabia through a customs port.

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The authority noted that vehicle registration can be completed by authorizing a customs broker to submit the customs declaration at the nearest port, fulfilling all requirements and paying the necessary customs duties and taxes, without needing to return to the original entry port.

Vehicle owners can also consult the directory of customs brokers available on the authority's website to select a broker.

The regulations also allow owners to apply for an extension of the vehicle's stay before the legal period expires, for up to 30 additional days, counted from the end of the original period. Applications must be submitted in coordination with the General Directorate of Traffic via a service that will be available on the Absher platform.

The authority urged Gulf-registered vehicle owners and authorized drivers to review the regulations for vehicles registered in Gulf Cooperation Council countries within the Kingdom, available on the customs regulations and guidelines page, and to take advantage of the grace period before it ends.