If you are on the lookout to buy/sell a car in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, you need to apply for a Vehicle Registration which will be known as Istimara. Every car owner requires to carry this at all times. If you buy a car, the dealer needs to give it to you without any delay. The Istimara will be the ownership document and the identity of this car. The Istimara helps in buying and selling of a car, and without a valid Istimara you cannot sell your car. So, before buying anything you need to check for a correct Istimara. You also need to check the expiry, as the Istimara expires in 3 years in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To avoid penalty fee, the Istimara should be renewed within a month.
A car Istimara is the vehicle registration card which is issued for 3 years from the date of issuance. The Istimara needs to be renewed for another 3 years before its expiry. To renew the Istimara a renewal fees of SAR 300 is required. It must be paid before initiating the request for Istimara renewal online through Absher system. The Istimara can be renewed if and only if - your current validity is less than 180 days, also you need to have a valid Car Fahas, you need to have a valid car insurance, there must also be no dues under traffic violation. Before proceeding for Istimara renewal, you need to pay all your outstanding fees.
There are many ways to pay the Istimara renewal fees, the renewal fees to pay the Istimara is 300 Saudi Riyal. The renewal fees was 150 Saudi Riyal earlier, but it has increased to 300 Saudi Riyals. This money can be deposited via your bank account, ATM, or through Sadad account. The new vehicle registration cards in Saudi Arabia do not mention any expiry date, and you can check the validity of Istimara with the Absher account easily. The Istimara carries important information like – name of owner, the Iqama number, vehicle number, registration number, vehicle name, model number, etc.
The linguistic translation of the word Istimara means – “a Form”, or a “Questionnaire”, driving a car without a valid Istimara can lead to criminal charges. The Istimara needs to be renewed every three years before its expiry. Failing to produce an updated Istimara is a criminal offence under Saudi law. The latest news is that the Saudi Energy Efficiency Centre (SEEC) has proposed to fix an annual fee based on the fuel consumption, and engine capacity. It will be added to the value of the Istimara renewal fees. The SEEC has categorized vehicles under two segments as part of charging an annual fees. Light Vehicles made in 2016 and later, and Light vehicles made in 2015 and earlier and heavier vehicles.
You can also avail postal delivery of your new Istimara via Absher. You can also receive a new Istimara card by paying a visit to the nearest Muroor/traffic department office. You need to take an appointment before visiting the Muroor.
If you are looking for a used Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, or Ford used car, we have quite a few available at:
https://www.zeaara.com/classifieds/cars.html
You can also try our ’Verify Before Purchase’ service. For a fee of SAR 150, we will verify the condition of the car for you.
https://www.zeaara.com/verifybeforeyoubuy.html/