Want a Fraudulent Driving License? It’s Simple

Need an international driving permit allowing holders to drive in more than 118 countries around the world? Need valid ID, making you older or younger or giving a different name? Easy. The permits, similar in appearance to a passport, are issued by most travel agencies in the Kingdom, and an Arab News investigation has revealed that they are being issued with all sorts of inaccurate or entirely wrong and misleading information. With the threat of terrorism, this could have serious implications.

All that is needed for an international driving permit is a valid Saudi Arabian driving license. When submitting the application, applicants must provide two passport-size photographs as well as a photocopy of the Saudi license and pay an SR150 fee. The application consists of six questions, and the license is ready in 10 minutes.

Arab News visited a well-known travel agency and filled out the application form, changing the name as well as the date and place of birth. The travel agent was, however, provided with a valid Saudi driving license, containing correct — though different — information.

Trying to be obvious in the hope that the travel agent would catch the false application, Arab News changed Essam Al-Ghalib’s last name to Al-Mizawiri (“mizawir” means “forger”). In addition, the date of birth was changed to Feb. 30, 1972 — a date that does not exist.

Arab News also asked the travel agent to endorse the international driving permit to allow operation of a heavy goods vehicle exceeding 3,500 kg and a multi-passenger transportation vehicle, despite the fact that the applicant is not licensed to drive such vehicles.

For women who wish to drive abroad, not having a Saudi license is no problem. They can have a license issued based on a valid driver’s license from any other country in the world, a violation of the standards set by the Saudi Automotive and Tourism Association. But since women are not issued driving licenses in Saudi Arabia, this seems to be the only way they can drive in some countries.

Students under the age of 21 have told Arab News that they have been using these driving permits in America for years. Some use them as ID to frequent establishments that require patrons to be at least 21.

One student had been providing his underage friends abroad with the fake permits as a way to supplement his income while in college.

“All I did was scan my license and alter the information on it using my computer. Then I printed it out in black and white and took it to a travel agency along with two pictures of my friend. I then filled out the information on the application to fit my friend’s requirements. Within a few minutes, I had a valid, official, fake identification which I sold for $200. Many of my friends used these fake IDs to buy cigarettes and to get into discos and other adult establishments,” he said.

Fawaz, another student, had his California driver’s license suspended for too many traffic citations. Facing possible arrest for driving on a suspended license, Fawaz went to a travel agent in the Kingdom and had an international driving permit issued in another name.

He told Arab News: “When I went back with the international permit, I was stopped for speeding. I pulled out my international permit and pretended I didn’t speak English. The cop tried to explain that the speed limit was 65 as posted on the road sign. Using hand gestures and Arabic, as well as a couple of words in broken English, I told the policeman that I thought the sign indicating the highway number was actually the speed limit. It was Interstate Highway 101. The cop must have thought I was an uninformed tourist and let me go although I’d been doing 90 miles an hour.”