Article 39 of the Saudi Traffic Law

المادة 39 من نظام المرور · الباب الرابع: رخص القيادة

The article allows, as an exception to paragraph (1) of Article 36 and under controls set by the Regulations, a temporary license of no more than one year for those who have reached age 17.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

استثناء من الفقرة (1) من المادة (السادسة والثلاثين) من هذا النظام، يجوز - وفق ضوابط تحددها اللائحة - منح ترخيص مؤقت لا تزيد مدته على سنة لمن أتم سن السابعة عشرة من العمر.

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 39 explained in plain English

This article makes an exception to paragraph (1) of Article 36 of the Law, allowing a temporary license on conditions set out in the text:

Age: for someone who has reached age seventeen (17).
Duration: the license may not last more than one year.
Nature: a temporary license, not a permanent one.
Controls: set by the Implementing Regulations.

Note that the text uses the word "may": granting this license is permitted, not obligatory, so reaching 17 does not give a person an automatic right to it; its grant is subject to the controls the Regulations set. The exception is also limited to what is stated in paragraph (1) of Article 36, and the text does not touch the other provisions.

The article does not state the controls under which the temporary license is granted, the types of vehicles it permits to be driven, or what happens when it expires; all of that is left to the Regulations.

In context, the article is linked to Article 38, which makes the competent department, in coordination with the other bodies concerned, responsible for organizing the automobile clubs that issue international licenses, and to Article 40, which provides that the conditions for members of diplomatic and consular missions and regional and international bodies accredited in the Kingdom to obtain a driving license are prepared by agreement between the Minister of Interior and the Minister of Foreign Affairs; these articles deal with special cases in granting driving licenses.

Anyone who wants to know the controls for a temporary license for a son or daughter may refer to the Regulations or the competent department, or consult a lawyer who specializes in traffic matters.

Practical example

Reem in Riyadh has reached age seventeen, and her family wants her to start driving before the usual age. Under this article she may be granted a temporary license lasting no more than one year, if she meets the controls 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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