Article 19 of the Saudi Traffic Law
المادة 19 من نظام المرور · الباب الثاني: تسجيل المركبات ورخص السير
The article requires public works vehicles to be registered with the competent body so as to ensure their owner is known, to have plates fitted, and leaves transfer procedures and conditions of use and driving to the Regulations.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تسجل مركبات الأشغال العامة لدى الجهة المختصة بما يضمن معرفة مالكها، ووضع لوحات عليها، وتحديد إجراءات نقل ملكيتها، والشروط اللازمة لاستخدامها وقيادتها، وفق ما تحدده اللائحة .
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 19 explained in plain English
This article concerns public works vehicles and subjects them to a registration system serving several purposes that the text states expressly:
- Knowing the owner: registration is with the competent body so as to ensure the owner of the vehicle is known.
- Fitting plates: these vehicles carry plates like any other.
- Setting the procedures for transferring their ownership.
- Setting the conditions required for using and driving them.
All of this is as the Implementing Regulations specify; the article does not itself state the registration conditions, the plate specifications, the ownership transfer procedures or the driving requirements, but sets the framework and leaves the detail to the Regulations.
In practice, someone who owns a public works vehicle may not use it without a registration that establishes his ownership, and the transfer of its ownership, its use and its driving are subject to the conditions the Regulations set out. This is consistent with the Law's approach of keeping track of the owner of a vehicle, as in Article 18, which requires government bodies not to sell their vehicles except after coordinating with the competent department.
It is also linked to Article 20, which allows the Minister of Interior to assign the towing and impounding of vehicles to the private sector, in accordance with the rules and provisions on competition for towing and impounding vehicles, and refers the details to the Regulations. Anyone who owns equipment or machinery of this kind and needs to know the requirements for registering it or transferring its ownership may refer to the Regulations or consult a lawyer who specializes in traffic matters.
Practical example
A contracting company in Riyadh bought an excavator of the public works vehicle type. Under this article it must be registered with the competent body so that its owner is known and plates are fitted, and its driving and later transfer of ownership are subject to the conditions and procedures the Regulations set.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 19 of the Saudi Traffic Law
Do public works vehicles need registration and plates?
Yes. The article requires them to be registered with the competent body so that their owner is known and plates are fitted.
How is ownership of a public works vehicle transferred?
The Implementing Regulations set the procedures for transferring its ownership, as the article states.
Are there conditions for driving public works vehicles?
Yes. The article provides that the conditions required for using and driving them are set as the Regulations specify.
More articles on Vehicle Registration and Operating License
- Article 3
The article requires every vehicle to have its own number registered with the competent department, and makes the vehicle license number the same as the plate number, amended together with it.
أ - يكون لكل مركبة رقم خاص تحمله مسجل لدى الإدارة المختصة، وفق ما تحدده اللائحة . ب - يكون رقم رخصة السير هو رقم لوحة المركبة نفسه، وإذا أجري أي تغيير في رقم ال
- Article 4
The article requires every vehicle, except a motorcycle, a trailer and a semi-trailer, to carry two visible, legible plates at the front and rear, and it may not travel without them.
يجب أن تحمل كل مركبة - فيما عدا الدراجة الآلية و المقطورة ونصف المقطورة - لوحتين ظاهرتين مقروءتين، توضحان رقم تسجيلهما، تكون إحداهما في مقدمة المركبة ، والأخرى
- Article 5Amended (1445 AH)
The article regulates the plates of motorcycles, trailers and semi-trailers, and refers to the Regulations which provisions of the Law apply to trailers in a way that suits their nature.
أ- يجب أن تحمل كل دراجة آلية لوحة واحدة، واضحة، ومقروءة، تثبت على مؤخرتها، ولا يجوز السير دونها. ب- يجب أن تحمل كل مقطورة أو نصف مقطورة رقم لوحة المركبة القاطرة
- Article 6
The article bars any vehicle from carrying plates other than those issued by the competent department (the Traffic Department).
لا يجوز لأي مركبة حمل لوحات غير التي تصدر من الإدارة المختصة.
- Article 9
The article allows vehicle ownership to be transferred after the prescribed fees are paid, keeps the registered owner responsible for the vehicle's fees and obligations with a right of recourse against the new owner, and refers the procedures to the Regulations.
يجوز نقل ملكية المركبات بعد سداد الرسوم المقررة، وتستمر مسئولية المالك المسجلة ملكيته للمركبة عن جميع الرسوم وكل ما يترتب على المركبة من التزامات، ويمكنه العودة
- Article 10
The article allows the field of use of a vehicle to be amended at the request of its owner or his delegate, after its registration is amended, and refers the procedures and conditions to the Regulations.
يجوز تعديل مجال استعمال المركبة بناء على طلب مالكها أو من يفوضه، بعد تعديل تسجيلها. وتحدد اللائحة إجراءات وشروط ذلك.
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.