Driving in Andorra with a Saudi Arabia Driving Licence: IDP Requirements and Rules
A Saudi Arabia licence holder has a verified route to drive in Andorra under the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. Both countries are parties to that Convention. Carrying a valid Saudi licence with a compliant 1968 Convention International Driving Permit (IDP) provides the clearest documented basis for recognition. Whether the Saudi national licence alone meets every Convention condition was not verified, and no fixed visitor driving period was established from the checked sources.
Quick answer
Saudi Arabia and Andorra are both contracting parties to the 1968 Vienna Convention. Saudi Arabia's official IDP issuer, the Saudi Automobile and Touring Association, issues an IDP under that Convention and states that it is used with the national driving licence for driving in contracting countries. For this pair, carrying both documents is the practical recommendation.
Legal treatment of a Saudi Arabia licence in Andorra
The United Nations Treaty Collection records Saudi Arabia's accession to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, effective 12 May 2017, and Andorra's accession, effective 25 September 2025. Article 41 provides recognition rules for qualifying domestic permits and Convention-compliant international permits. Recognition remains limited to vehicle categories for which the holder is validly licensed.
IDP requirement, recommendation and applicable model
The applicable verified international framework is the 1968 Vienna Convention. The Convention recognises a compliant international permit when presented with the corresponding domestic permit. It also provides recognition for domestic permits satisfying its requirements, so the evidence checked does not support saying that every Saudi visitor is legally required to hold an IDP regardless of licence format. Because conformity of the current Saudi national licence alone with all Annex 6 requirements was not independently established, carrying the Saudi-issued 1968 Convention IDP with the original licence is recommended.
Visitor and resident rules
No authoritative source checked established a fixed maximum visitor-driving period that can safely be stored as a number of days for this pair. For residents, Andorran government material states that a foreign driving licence must be homologated. The Andorran homologation procedure requires additional authenticity and category-equivalence documentation for licences outside Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, the EU and European microstates. A specific homologation deadline for this Saudi licence was not verified.
Rental-car requirements
No named rental-company policy was verified for this pair. A rental company may impose documentation, age or licence-holding-period conditions separate from Andorran law. Confirm the Saudi licence and IDP requirements with the company supplying the vehicle before collection.
Police documents and insurance
A specific Andorran official rule listing every document a Saudi visitor must produce during a roadside check was not verified. The Convention-based recognition route relies on the international permit being presented with the corresponding domestic permit, so both originals should be carried when relying on the IDP. Specific insurance consequences or additional insurance documentation for a Saudi licence holder were not verified.
Relevant exceptions
The IDP does not replace the Saudi national driving licence and only covers the vehicle categories for which the holder is licensed. Resident homologation is a separate process. Andorra's published homologation documentation also states that documents require a sworn translation when the language used is not French, English or Spanish and the document is not in the specified European format.
Official sources used
- United Nations Treaty Collection, Convention on Road Traffic, Vienna 1968, used to verify participation and entry into force for Saudi Arabia and Andorra: https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetailsIII.aspx?chapter=11&clang=_en&mtdsg_no=XI-B-19&src=TREATY, checked 3 October 2026
- United Nations depositary notification C.N.397.2016.TREATIES-XI.B.19, used to verify Saudi Arabia's accession and entry into force: https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/CN/2016/CN.397.2016-Eng.pdf, checked 3 October 2026
- Government of Andorra, announcement on accession to the Vienna Conventions, used to verify Andorra's stated purpose for joining the road-traffic convention: https://www.govern.ad/ca/w/el-govern-aprova-l-adhesio-als-convenis-de-viena-per-facilitar-el-reconeixement-dels-permisos-de-conduir-1, checked 3 October 2026
- Saudi Automobile and Touring Association, IDP information, used to verify issuance under the 1968 Vienna Convention and the relationship between the IDP and national licence: https://www.sataclub.com.sa/en/idp/, checked 3 October 2026
- Government of Andorra, foreign driving-licence homologation form, used to verify resident homologation documentation and translation conditions: https://tramits.govern.ad/tramits/R3T005.pdf, checked 3 October 2026
Practical recommendation
Obtain the Saudi-issued 1968 Vienna Convention IDP before travelling and carry it together with the original valid Saudi driving licence. This provides a clearly documented Convention recognition route without depending on an assumption about whether the national licence alone satisfies every Annex 6 condition. If renting, check the chosen company's terms separately.
Last verified
This information was checked against the listed sources on 3 October 2026. Driving-licence, residency and rental requirements can change, so material requirements should be reconfirmed before travel.