During the last few years, Saudi Arabia has become a paradise for second-hand cars, which is why more and more people are interested in knowing the exact procedures to be able to acquire their vehicle in the nation. Here, you can get the most interesting information related to these processes.
Second-hand vehicles in Saudi Arabia
In this nation, there are a lot of second-hand vehicle offers, and many people are constantly changing cars so they want to exchange money for their previous vehicle.
This practice has become so popular that the fame of these second-hand vehicles has spread to all regions of the world and has become a topic of interest for different nations.
Whether you are trying to acquire one of the most popular vehicles in the country or a second-hand car that will serve you for a long time, there are certain procedures that you must comply with to obtain your ideal means of transportation in a short period.
Special Considerations
To successfully import a second hand car into Saudi Arabia, you must take certain precautions as there are particular elements to consider.
It is absolutely necessary that you acquire all the information related to the acquisition of an imported car, as Saudi Arabia is strict about certain conditions. One of these is related to the age of the car you wish to acquire.
Checking the age of the car you want to bring into the country is the first step to being able to continue with your process. In this sense, the laws of Saudi Arabia establish that every car must have its insurance, but those that have an age equal to or superior to 7 years old will be very difficult to insure, besides the sum for this would be quite excessive.
All this exists as a preventive measure so that old vehicles cannot circulate in the street, but the real reason for all this is that in the region, the weather is quite relentless, damaging many vehicles in depth. For this reason, is that it has been established as a deadline of 7 years to insure the vehicle because, due to weather conditions a very old vehicle represents virtually a loss for any insurer.
Once you have passed this test, then you can choose with total comfort the vehicle you want to take, and so you can follow all the steps that you will know below.
Steps to buy a used car in Saudi Arabia
By following this series of established steps to get your second hand car in Saudi Arabia, you will quickly be able to enjoy the benefits of this new means of transportation you are acquiring.
Find a reliable place to buy
Scams can be present anywhere worldwide, so Saudi Arabia is no exception. The first thing you should do after deciding to buy a second-hand car is to go to a web platform where you can see the diversity of second-hand cars available.
A large number of websites are available that list all kinds of car makes and models for sale.
When you find the ideal page for your search, you can start with this usually this type of platform has certain classifications so that the search is much faster; for example, you can search for a specific car brand and all the options available for that moment will be displayed giving you the information you need about it.
You can also search by price in case you need to set a limit for your purchase. Another option that is usually available to make a used car purchase is to start the vehicle search by the year of manufacture. And this last option is quite important as you have to remember that in Saudi Arabia, there are restrictions depending on the age of the car you have chosen.
But if you have a specific target in mind, then you can simply put the name of the vehicle in the platform’s search engine and you will be able to see the ones that are for sale.
Through the photograph, you can get a general idea of the condition of the vehicle as well as descriptions of the owner of course, it is important that before finalizing the purchase you can validate this information yourself and also take an expert with you so you can determine if the vehicle really works or if it has certain faults.
Vehicle characteristics and budget
For each specific case there is a vehicle that could satisfy the needs of the buyer that is why it is important to know the characteristics of each one of these since this way you could choose the right one.
For example, if you are looking for a family vehicle then the crucial thing for this would be to find one that is spacious and provides the necessary security that you want to give to all the members of your family, it should also be powerful to support family trips, luggage and other things.
On the other hand, if what you want is a light and fast vehicle then the features you should focus on are its strength and speed.
Another vital aspect when buying a used car in Saudi Arabia is to take into account your actual budget.
Most of the time a large percentage of the cars found in these sales pages are in good condition, so you don’t have to worry about repairing major faults only small details, of course the value of these is higher those cars that need a greater number of repairs.
In this case, if your budget is tight, then the most advisable is that you can buy a vehicle that is operational because if you choose a cheaper one and decide to make repairs you may end up spending a little more than you wanted.
When you find the ideal car and at a price that is within your budget then you can set a meeting with the seller to validate that all the features in the ad are correct, of course this should be done in the company of an expert so you can establish the real state of the vehicle and so you have the security of knowing that you are paying the right value.
It would also be good to take into account that in some ads the sellers inform that they could negotiate the price of the second hand vehicles, so it could be an opportunity for you to save some money.
Documentation and registration
For many this could be the most tedious stage of the whole purchase since it requires such processes to be completed successfully.
But in the case of people who have all their documentation in order, it could make the purchase of their vehicle much faster.
There are two important factors to take into account in this aspect and that is to have a driver’s license issued by Saudi Arabia or an international driver’s license. Of course, in case you are not a citizen of this nation then you will have to possess a visa in case you are acquiring the vehicle physically in this country.
In the case of citizens, it is much simpler to have access to the most economical vehicles available in Saudi Arabia as they save a great deal of import costs.
Once the payment is made and the transaction is completed, the vehicle will then be delivered with a title deed in the new owner’s name and it is that simple to obtain.
In the case of non-citizens of this nation, then the process may vary a little.
Fulfill the legal registration
In this step both the buyer and the seller must go to a certified entity so that it can validate the purchase and sale contract and then they must go to the main instance that will issue the title deed making the change of name of the old owner for the new one. Once this step is completed then officially the vehicle belongs to you and can circulate wherever you want.
Vehicle Import Process
This section is for those who are citizens of Saudi Arabia and want to purchase one of these used vehicles from another country (usually from the United States). There are a number of requirements that citizens must meet in order to be able to bring vehicles from North America, but first you must take into account that you must adjust your budget to cover all the necessary import expenses.
First of all, in order to import a vehicle, for example, from the United States to Saudi Arabia you need to be able to channel the process through an importing company.
There are many websites that offer this type of service so it is necessary to arrange the paperwork and payments so that you can get your vehicle in a very short time.
Once you have found a reliable importer, then you need to have the following documentation at your fingertips.
- Invoice of the purchase of the vehicle or in its absence a notarized contract of sale by a valid authority, this will legalize the process.
- Original title deed with no liens on it.
- In case the imported vehicle is not second hand, it is necessary that the title deed has your name registered on it and this must be in a visible place such as the front of the document.
- It is also important to point out that the information of both the seller and the buyer must be on the back of the title in a place provided for this purpose.
- Another piece of information that must be provided to the importing company will be the registration number of the vehicle to be imported.
- As a special consideration you should know that in Saudi Arabia it is not allowed to import a vehicle that is more than 5 years old so it is important to take this into account for the moment of the vehicle acquisition.
- Another tip for obtaining your vehicle in Saudi Arabia is to start the paperwork as soon as possible as it is likely to take some time.
Costs and fees
You will only be able to establish the total cost of your vehicle once you calculate all the extra fees you need to pay in order to bring it to your home.
- In this case the most common costs for importing a car to Saudi Arabia are as follows.
- Transportation and storage fees, as well as dock fees. These are established after the vehicle arrives in Saudi Arabia.
- At the time of hiring the importing company you will then have to pay a fee for insuring your vehicle and another one for the freight.
- You must also take into account the value of the customs and import taxes of the car, as well as other tariffs specific to the place of issue and the place of destination.
- Fees corresponding to the registration of the vehicle insurance in Saudi Arabia.
- There is also a fee associated with the cleaning of the vehicles once they arrive in the territory.
- You must also consider the payments related to the suppliers of all the logistics services that are involved in the process as well as the import processing and any other unforeseen expenses.
This way you will then be able to fully calculate the value of the vehicle and know how much money you need to have available to complete your purchase process and then receive your car in Saudi Arabia.
Although it may seem a cumbersome process, the truth is that buying a car in Saudi Arabia is quite simple, you just have to take into account all the requirements established to successfully complete the whole purchase.
You should also take care to find a company that is an expert in vehicle transportation and can provide you with a pleasant and safe experience.
When you provide all the necessary information and make all the payments then you must wait for the vehicle to arrive in the territory and usually for most of these companies this can take from 15 days to a month and a half, of course all this time varies exclusively on each of these companies’ own time frame, however this is a quite common time estimate in this market.