01Two different routes
The equipment operator licence is a service of the Heavy Equipment Regulatory Center in the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization. Among the Center’s competences in its regulatory arrangements are “accrediting the training bodies for heavy equipment operators” and “setting the rules needed for the qualification and licensing of heavy equipment operators”.
The Traffic Law, for its part, defines public works vehicles as “equipment and machines that move by self-propulsion, including agricultural equipment”, and sets conditions for their driving licence in its Article Thirty-Six.
02The equipment operator licence
This service enables the beneficiary to issue or renew a heavy equipment operator licence after passing training at the bodies accredited by the Center, and the beneficiary categories are individuals and establishments. Its conditions, as stated on the service page:
- The beneficiary must be not less than 18 years old and not more than 60.
- Attaching the national ID card or a valid residence permit.
- The beneficiary must be medically fit under a valid government medical examination certificate proving sound mind and eyesight in terms of visual acuity and colour discrimination, and including hearing and vision tests.
- Freedom from diseases that prevent operating the equipment the holder is licensed to use.
- Passing the training programme.
- The licence applicant must not have been convicted by a court judgment of using, manufacturing, smuggling, promoting or possessing narcotics, unless rehabilitated.
- Payment of the service fee, and the declaration and undertaking.
| Item | What the service page states |
|---|---|
| Fee | SAR 210 |
| Licence validity | 3 years |
| Processing time | Immediate |
| Beneficiary categories | Individuals and establishments |
The operator licence is a condition in other services of the Center: delegating a machine to a person requires that they hold a valid equipment operator licence, together with a valid operating permit for the machine itself.
03The public works vehicle driving licence
Article Thirty-Six of the Traffic Law, as amended by Royal Decree (M/115) of 1439 AH, states conditions including:
- Having completed the age of twenty for the general driving licence and for driving public works vehicles.
- The licence applicant must not have previously been sentenced by a court for a crime of assault on a person, honour or property.
- The licence applicant, of whatever type of licence, must not have been convicted by a court judgment of using narcotics.
- Lawful residence for non-Saudis.
- Freedom from diseases and disabilities that prevent driving the vehicle the holder is licensed to drive.
- Passing the driving test, and the regulation defines the test for each licence and the conditions for taking it.
- Paying the prescribed fees, and settling the traffic fines arising from previous violations.
Accordingly a non-Saudi can apply for both licences: the equipment operator licence accepts a valid residence permit, and the Traffic Law requires lawful residence for non-Saudis.
04How to apply
- 1
Pass the training
Pass the training programme at a training body accredited by the Heavy Equipment Regulatory Center.
- 2
Sign in to the portal
Sign in to the Center’s portal through Unified National Access.
- 3
Choose the service
Choose the “Equipment Operator Licence” service.
- 4
Choose the programme
Choose the training programme you passed from the list.
- 5
Issuance
The equipment operator licence is issued automatically.
05Official source
- Authority
- Heavy Equipment Regulatory Center (HERC) — Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO)
- Service
- Equipment Operator Licence
- Last reviewed
06Frequently asked questions
The equipment operator licence is issued from the Heavy Equipment Regulatory Center portal after passing a training programme at a body accredited by the Center: you choose the service, then the training programme you passed, and the licence is issued automatically.
According to the official service page, SAR 210 for 3 years, and issuance is immediate.
The equipment operator licence requires an age of not less than 18 years and not more than 60. The public works vehicle driving licence in the Traffic Law requires having completed the age of twenty.
Yes. The equipment operator licence accepts a valid residence permit, and the Traffic Law requires lawful residence for non-Saudis.
Yes. The equipment operator licence requires a valid government medical examination certificate proving sound mind and eyesight, and including hearing and vision tests.
The service page states that the training programme passed is chosen at issuance, and as of the date this guide was reviewed the available official texts do not publish the list of training programmes for each equipment type.
They are two separate routes under two different texts, and as of the date this guide was reviewed the available official texts do not publish a text that explains the relationship between them for a particular machine.
