Vehicle Ownership Cancellation Process in Saudi Arabia

M. AMEENLast Updated: September 23, 2023

Vehicle Ownership Cancellation Service

Vehicle ownership cancellation is no more a complicated process in Saudi Arabia. The Absher platform now offers a “Vehicle Cancellation Service” in cooperation with the General Directorate of Traffic. The service enables citizens and expat residents living in different parts of the kingdom to cancel their vehicle ownership and drop off unwanted and damaged vehicles.

Free Corrective Period

Saudi authorities have launched a free corrective period for vehicle ownership removal that started from 1 March 2022 and continues up to 1 March 2023. During this period, one can cancel their ownership of an unwanted or damaged vehicle without paying any fees or fines.

Conditions for Ownership Cancellation

In order to cancel ownership of a car or any type vehicle, the following requirements need to be satisfied:

A vehicle should not have any outstanding debts, such as prescribed fees or delay fines, unless a statutory exemption is given in reference to this matter.
The vehicle’s registration must be valid unless an exception has been provided by law.
The owner of the vehicle must be alive.
The vehicle must not have a pending waiver request.
The owner of facilities that sell unregistered automobiles (Scrapyards) and steel pressing must agree to return the vehicle’s licence plates to traffic within five business days after the sale’s completion.

Vehicle Dropping Process

Following are the steps of the vehicle dropping-off process

Find out the authorized centres for ownership cancellation on the Absher portal (www.absher.sa/vds).
Go to the authorized centre you have selected to complete the ownership removal process.
Complete the agreement with the scrapyard or steel pressing facility.
Provide the verification code received on your mobile.
Drop off the vehicle.

FAQs

Is it possible to cancel a vehicle’s ownership without plates?

It is not possible to cancel a vehicle’s ownership without plates. You should report lost plates, then go to the Scrapyards or steel pressing facilities to cancel the ownership.