Article 9 of the Saudi Traffic Law
المادة 9 من نظام المرور · الباب الثاني: تسجيل المركبات ورخص السير
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
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 بما دفع على المالك الجديد. وتحدد اللائحة الإجراءات والشروط التي تنظم ذلك.
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 9 explained in plain English
This article deals with a very common matter: selling a car and transferring its ownership. It sets three rules:
- Ownership may be transferred after the prescribed fees are paid: the transfer of ownership in the traffic records is tied to payment of the fees.
- The registered owner's responsibility continues: the owner in whose name ownership of the vehicle is registered remains responsible for all fees and for all obligations arising from the vehicle. What counts for this responsibility is who is registered as owner, not merely an agreement to sell.
- Right of recourse against the new owner: the registered owner may recover from the new owner what he paid.
In practice this means a seller who handed over his car without completing the transfer of ownership may be asked, as the registered owner, to pay the fees and obligations arising from it, and may then recover what he paid from the buyer. It is therefore in the interest of both seller and buyer to complete the transfer formally.
The article does not detail the procedures and conditions for transferring ownership but refers to the Implementing Regulations. It is linked to Article 8, which provides that vehicles may not be put into service before they are registered, the prescribed fees paid, the vehicle license issued and the plates fitted, and that traffic fines arising from earlier violations must be paid before starting the vehicle license procedures. Article 10 also allows the field of use of a vehicle to be amended after its registration is amended.
If a dispute arises between seller and buyer over what was paid or over completing the transfer, it is advisable to consult a lawyer who specializes in traffic matters or civil claims.
Practical example
Abdullah sold his car to a person in Riyadh and received the price, but the buyer did not complete the transfer of ownership. Months later Abdullah was asked to pay fees and obligations arising from the car because he was still the registered owner. Under this article Abdullah remains responsible for them, and he may recover what he paid from the new owner.
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 9 of the Saudi Traffic Law
Am I still responsible for my car after selling it if ownership was not transferred?
The article provides that the owner in whose name ownership of the vehicle is registered remains responsible for all fees and all obligations arising from the vehicle.
May the seller recover from the buyer what he paid?
Yes. The article provides that the registered owner may recover what he paid from the new owner.
When may ownership of a car be transferred?
Ownership may be transferred after the prescribed fees are paid, and the Regulations set the procedures and conditions that govern this.
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 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.
- Article 11
The article requires the vehicle license to be in the vehicle while it travels, lets a security officer ask to see it, and bars him from retaining it.
يجب أن تكون رخصة سير المركبة موجودة بها أثناء سيرها، ولرجل الأمن حق طلب إبرازها للاطلاع عليها، وليس له حجزها.
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.