nottmbantam

Anyone know how to do this, had experience of it, or knows anyone else who has done it?

We'll probably be leaving KSA next year, and want to exit by land borders. I'm guessing I'll need an export documentation of some description and some type of approval / authorisation, maybe even a change of number plates.

Thanks.

Debowing

They probably would issue export plates. It is possible but complicated I would think. Lots of paper work...

scot47

If you are with a big company that has a competent Saudi "Fixer" (ie guy who gets Iqamas etc) he could do it. I would not try to do it myself and I have reasonable Arabic and had a good network of ex-students to help.

norsk

I wrote up my experience of exporting my car from KSA to UAE a few years ago. I think it was put into an faq or something in some location on here.

I used a fixer through my company PRO. Basically they proper shafted me. Car was never the same after the journey. Anyway. Not all people are dishonest so you may be luckier...

nottmbantam

Thanks for the replies, and I guessed it wasn't going to be easy! Its not for a few months yet, but am starting to investigate the process now.

I do work at a large-ish company, but the brokers here at not that hot to be honest, I'd probably speak to couple of Saudi friends / ex colleagues who have better wasta.

I'd be driving the car , so wouldn't be shipping it - is that what happened to your norsk? Tried a quick search on the Wiki but couldn't find it. Cheers.

FriendlyExpat

Where are you exporting it to? You may have to make a few (or a lot!) of modifications to meet the laws of the destination country - some simple, like making sure it has yellow flashing turn signals (instead of white or red, like some old american cars) and some complex (like meeting stricter emissions standards).

nottmbantam

Intention is to export it back to Blighty. By road.

nottmbantam

Intention is to export it back to Blighty. There is some info on the government / DVLA sites abut exporting it, so will have a read through that in more detail, from what I've seen, it didn't go into as much depth as you've highlighted.

Johnnyboy11

Err... won't the steering wheel be on the wrong side for Blighty? Is it really worth the hassle?

Why not broadside a dozen or so landcruisers on your way to the airport, then dump it?

scot47

If you are a vehicle owner in KSA you have to transfer the ownership or make arrangements for export before you get a Final Exit Visa. The Saudis have come across jokers who try funny stuff before ! No chance that you can just dump a car.

norsk

Yeah. I was told that driving across the border was a hit and miss thing so decided to ship. That may have been a mistake, but difficult to say. Could have been spending days on the border instead. All in all I think I paid something like 15K dirhams including the import duty (and then another 15k to fix the issues the car acquired in the process)..

nottmbantam

As tempting as it is, Scot is correct, you cannot have a vehicle registered in your name when you do the Final Exit. Could do in a rental car though :-)

And yes, the steering wheel would be the wrong side. Just trying to organise a drive home which would be an extended holiday / tour of Europe. Only ending I can see is to drive the car home and then register it there with a view to flogging it eventually.

nottmbantam

Would you be able / willing to re-call the process of getting the export papers sorted? Thanks.

DXBtoDOH

And how would you drive the car through, say, Syria?

Would you have to take a ferry bypassing Syria (Lebanon to Turkey?)

Brains1983

I'd personally be taking the ferry to Egypt / then ferry to Turkey. I'd be giving that whole area up beside Syria a wide berth for the next 20 years or so.