Driving in Albania with a Saudi Arabia Driving Licence: IDP Requirements and Rules
A valid Saudi driving licence can be used in Albania. A bilateral agreement expressly recognises valid, non-temporary licences issued for citizens of the two countries, while the Albanian Road Code also provides a general foreign-licence rule. For the bilateral visitor case, a Saudi citizen may drive a private vehicle for up to one year from entry, subject to earlier licence or residence-permit expiry. An International Driving Permit (IDP) is not a legal requirement for that bilateral case.
Quick answer
For a Saudi citizen with a valid, non-temporary Saudi licence, the national licence is enough for the bilateral recognition rule. Translation can still matter under the general Albanian rule or for resident conversion, and rental companies may impose their own IDP conditions.
Legal treatment of a Saudi Arabia licence in Albania
Albania approved a bilateral agreement with Saudi Arabia in Decision No. 301 of 11 May 2022. The agreement provides mutual recognition of valid, non-temporary driving licences issued by the competent authorities for citizens of the two countries, including use and exchange. Its visitor provision allows a Saudi citizen in the covered entry-visa case to drive private vehicles in Albania with the Saudi licence. The driver may operate only vehicle categories authorised by the issuing authority.
Albania Road Code Article 133 separately allows drivers holding a foreign driving licence or an international driving permit to drive the vehicles covered by that document while they have not been resident in Albania for more than one year. If a foreign licence does not conform to models prescribed by international agreements binding Albania, the Road Code requires an official Albanian translation or equivalent document, subject to special international agreements.
IDP requirement, recommendation and model
An IDP is not legally required for a Saudi citizen relying on the bilateral agreement with a valid, non-temporary Saudi licence. The checked sources did not state a pair-specific government recommendation to carry an IDP. Where a traveller chooses to obtain one, the applicable international format is the 1968 Vienna Convention IDP. Both Albania and Saudi Arabia are parties to the 1968 Convention, and Saudi issuing information is based on that convention.
Rental policy is separate from law. A company may require an IDP even when Albanian law does not.
Visitor and resident rules
Under the bilateral visitor provision, the Saudi licence may be used for no more than one year from the date of entry, and only until the earlier expiry of the driving licence or residence permit. Because the rule is expressed as one year with earlier-expiry conditions, no fixed day count is stored for this page.
For residents, Article 133 of the Albanian Road Code stops the foreign-licence entitlement once residence in Albania exceeds one year. DPSHTRR currently lists Saudi Arabia among states with bilateral licence-recognition and conversion agreements. Its conversion procedure for eligible residents requires, among other documents, a valid foreign licence accompanied by a certified translation.
Rental-car requirements
Rental-company conditions can be stricter than the legal driving rule. SIXT Albania states that licences printed in a non-Roman alphabet, including Arabic, must be accompanied by a valid IDP, while the original national licence is still required. This is a SIXT policy and should not be treated as a rule for every rental company.
Police, driving documents and insurance
Article 178 of the Albanian Road Code requires a driver to carry the vehicle registration document, a valid licence for the vehicle category, the technical-inspection document, the certificate of compulsory insurance and applicable authorisations or identity documents connected with the vehicle. The checked sources do not establish a Saudi-licence-specific insurance exception.
Relevant exceptions
The bilateral agreement is written for citizens of Saudi Arabia and Albania, so a non-Saudi citizen who merely holds a Saudi licence should rely on the general foreign-licence rule rather than assuming the citizenship-based bilateral provision applies. Temporary licences are excluded from the bilateral agreement. The visitor clause concerns private vehicles, and drivers may use only categories covered by their licence. Special vehicles may require additional professional qualification documents under Article 133.
Official sources used
- Albanian General Directorate of Road Transport Services, Road Code of the Republic of Albania, Articles 133 and 178, checked 2026-09-29: Road Code PDF.
- Albanian Official Gazette, Decision No. 301 of 11 May 2022 and the Saudi-Albanian driving-licence agreement, checked 2026-09-29: Official Gazette PDF.
- DPSHTRR, foreign driving-licence conversion guidance and current bilateral-agreement list, checked 2026-09-29: Conversion guidance.
- United Nations Treaty Collection, Convention on Road Traffic 1968 status for Albania and Saudi Arabia, checked 2026-09-29: Treaty status.
- Saudi Automobile and Touring Association, International Driving Permit information, checked 2026-09-29: Saudi IDP information.
- SIXT Albania, country rental terms for driving-licence documents, checked 2026-09-29: SIXT Albania terms.
Practical recommendation
A Saudi citizen visiting Albania with a valid, non-temporary Saudi licence can use the national licence under the bilateral rule without an IDP. Carry the original licence and required vehicle documents. A 1968 Vienna Convention IDP is still useful where a rental firm or document-language issue makes it relevant, and SIXT requires one for a licence printed in Arabic or another non-Roman alphabet. Residents should arrange conversion before the foreign-licence entitlement ends.
Last verified date
This information was checked against the listed sources on 2026-09-29. Driving-licence, residence and rental rules can change, so recheck the responsible authority or rental company before travel if your circumstances differ from the cases described above.