TL;DR:
- Najm is the official body that reports minor car accidents in Saudi Arabia when at least one driver is insured and nobody is hurt. Call 920000560 or use the Najm app.
- Minor crash, damage under SAR 10,000, no injuries? Use the Najm app's remote review — inform, photograph, and leave the scene without waiting for an officer.
- Injuries, deaths, big damage, a dispute, or an uninsured driver? That is a Muroor (traffic police) case — call 911 and stay put.
- Report within 24 hours. Najm is free for insured drivers and decides fault as an independent assessor.
- The Najm report unlocks your insurance claim: insurer → Taqdeer damage check → approved workshop.
Quick answer: To report a car accident in Saudi Arabia, contact Najm — the official accident-reporting service — by calling 920000560 or using the Najm app. For a minor accident with no injuries and damage under SAR 10,000, the app lets you photograph the scene and leave. For injuries, deaths, large damage, or an uninsured driver, call 911 and wait for the traffic police. Always report within 24 hours.
What to do in the first five minutes
The first minutes after a crash decide how smoothly everything else goes. A car accident in Saudi Arabia is handled by one of two authorities — Najm or the traffic police — and your job at the scene is to stay safe, gather proof, and call the right one.
- Stop and secure the scene. Switch on hazard lights and, if you have one, place a warning triangle.
- Check for injuries. Anyone hurt? Call 911 immediately — that makes it a police matter, not a Najm one.
- Do not argue about fault. Najm, not the drivers, decides who is responsible.
- Photograph everything before cars are moved: both vehicles, all damage, plates, the road position and any signals.
- Exchange details — names, ID/Iqama numbers, plate numbers and insurance information.
- Call Najm on 920000560 or open the Najm app to start the report.
Photograph the scene before moving the cars. Once vehicles are repositioned, the single best piece of evidence for fault is gone.
What Najm is — and who runs it
Najm is the company that documents traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia on behalf of the insurance system. It was established by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) together with the General Department of Traffic (Muroor), and it exists to inspect minor accidents, issue an official report, and assign fault so insurers can settle claims quickly.
In plain terms: Najm handles the insurance side of minor crashes. When at least one driver holds a valid policy and nobody is injured, Najm — not the police — attends, assesses, and reports. The service is free for insured drivers, and its report is the document your insurer needs before paying anything. You can read the official scope on the Najm website.
Najm sits inside the wider system that also governs your car insurance in Saudi Arabia and your traffic fines. Understanding where each authority starts and stops is what keeps an accident from turning into weeks of delay.
Najm or police? The decision rule
The single most useful thing to know is which authority owns your accident. The rule is simple: Najm takes minor, insured, injury-free accidents; Muroor (traffic police) takes everything serious or disputed.
| Situation | Who handles it | How to contact |
|---|---|---|
| Minor crash, no injuries, ≥1 insured, damage under SAR 10,000 | Najm (app remote review) | Najm app |
| Minor crash but a dispute or unclear fault | Najm (officer attends) | 920000560 |
| Injuries or death | Muroor / emergency | 911 |
| Major damage or many vehicles | Muroor | 911 |
| One or both drivers uninsured | Muroor | 911 |
| Hit-and-run or suspected fraud | Muroor | 911 |
If you are ever unsure, call Najm on 920000560 — the operator will either dispatch an inspector or redirect you to the traffic police. Guessing wrong rarely costs you the claim, but it can cost you time.
Report a minor accident with the Najm app
Since 2024 the Traffic Department and Najm have run a remote review service for minor accidents, built around three words: inform, photograph, leave. It clears the road in minutes and removes the wait for an inspector. You qualify when one party is insured, there are no injuries or deaths, the damage is under SAR 10,000, and the accident is inside Najm's coverage area.
- Open the Najm app and choose to report an accident. The app reads your GPS location automatically.
- Enter the other vehicle's details — plate number and, where asked, ID and insurance.
- Photograph the scene as prompted: both cars, the damage, plates and the road position.
- Submit and move your vehicles out of traffic once the app confirms the report is logged.
- Receive the official report — usually within 24 hours by SMS, in the app, or on the Najm website.
This is the fastest legal way to handle a fender-bender in Saudi Arabia. It only works for genuinely minor cases, but most city accidents qualify.
Inform, photograph, leave. For a minor, insured, injury-free accident under SAR 10,000, you no longer have to block a lane waiting for an inspector.
When an officer must attend
Some accidents still need a Najm inspector at the scene. Call 920000560 and stay with your vehicle when the damage is heavier, the other driver disputes what happened, fault is genuinely unclear, or the app cannot complete the report. An inspector uses the GPS location from your call to reach you, photographs the scene, records both drivers' details, and files the report directly.
While you wait, keep the cars where they are if it is safe, keep your hazard lights on, and keep taking photos. On a fast road, your own safety comes first: if leaving the vehicles in place risks a second collision, move people away from traffic and tell the Najm operator what you have done. Do not let the other party pressure you into a private cash settlement — once you leave without a report, your insurer has nothing to act on, and a knock that looked cosmetic can hide bent steering or a cracked radiator worth thousands.
Information and documents you need
A Najm report is only as good as the details behind it. Have these ready before you call or open the app:
- Your ID or Iqama number and the other driver's.
- Both plate numbers and vehicle details.
- Insurance information for at least one vehicle (policy or insurer name).
- Driving licence — yours must be valid in Saudi Arabia.
- Clear photos of damage, plates, road position and any skid marks or signals.
- Vehicle registration (Istimara) details — keep your Istimara current so the report matches the record.
If you are driving a car you do not own, you still report normally; ownership is recorded separately from who was driving. Keep the registration and the owner's consent details handy.
How Najm decides fault — and your premium
Najm acts as an independent assessor. It assigns fault using the physical evidence and Saudi traffic law, not the preferences of either insurer. Fault can be 100% on one driver or split as a percentage between both, and that percentage drives who pays for what.
Fault matters far beyond the single repair. An at-fault accident usually erases your no-claim discount and can raise your next premium, while a not-at-fault record is protected. This is why a fair, evidence-based Najm report is worth far more than a quick roadside deal — and why your scene photos are so valuable.
| Cover type | Pays for your car when you are at fault? | Pays the other car? |
|---|---|---|
| Third-party (TPL) | No | Yes |
| Comprehensive | Yes | Yes |
With third-party liability — the legal minimum — your own repairs are not covered when you cause the crash. Comprehensive cover pays both sides. The full breakdown is in our guide to car insurance in Saudi Arabia.
From Najm report to insurance payout
The Najm report is the start of the claim, not the end. Once it is issued, the process moves through a fixed chain.
- Get the Najm report by SMS, app or website — typically within 24 hours.
- File the claim with the insurer of the at-fault driver, uploading the Najm report and your documents.
- Damage assessment — the case is evaluated, often through a Taqdeer assessment centre, to price the repair.
- Approval — the insurer approves repair or, if the cost is too high, declares a total loss.
- Repair at an approved workshop, or receive a cash settlement for a write-off.
Keep every reference number. If the at-fault driver's insurer is slow, a complaint can be escalated to the Saudi Central Bank, which regulates insurers — see SAMA and the Traffic Department under the Ministry of Interior.
Time limits, fees and mistakes to avoid
Najm is free for insured drivers, but the process punishes a few common errors. Report within 24 hours — wait longer and the report, and your claim, can be refused.
- Do not leave the scene of anything beyond a qualifying minor accident without a report. Leaving an injury accident is a serious offence.
- Do not admit fault or settle in cash. You may accept blame for a crash that the evidence shows was shared.
- Do not file a false or staged report. Insurance fraud carries heavy penalties and a criminal record.
- Do not move the cars in a disputed case until you have photos and, if needed, an inspector.
- Do not drive on an expired licence or registration — it complicates the report and the claim.
No report, no payout. A cash deal at the roadside feels faster, but it leaves you with no proof and no claim if the damage turns out worse than it looked.
Special notes for expats
The process is identical for residents and citizens, with a few extras that matter for expats. Your Iqama is your ID for the report, and your driving licence must be valid in Saudi Arabia — an expired or foreign-only licence weakens both the report and the claim. If you drive a company or sponsor's car, you report as the driver while ownership stays with the registered owner.
Keep your insurance, Istimara and licence current at all times; one expired document at the wrong moment can stall a payout. If you are planning to leave the country, settle any open accident claim first — read what happens to your plate when you leave Saudi Arabia.
Damaged plates and total-loss cars
Accidents often bend or destroy a number plate. A damaged plate must be replaced through the official process, not improvised — our guide on replacing a lost, stolen or damaged plate walks through it. If your car is written off, your distinctive plate can usually be kept and moved to your next vehicle rather than lost with the wreck.
That is worth real money if you hold a sought-after number. For the rules and value behind plates, start with the complete guide to Saudi license plates, and check any number free on the plate value calculator before you transfer it.
Keep your plate when your car can't be saved
A written-off car is replaceable — a rare plate isn't. Value your number free, then list or transfer it on the marketplace built for Saudi plates.
Value my plate List my plateFrequently asked questions
What number do I call to report a car accident in Saudi Arabia?
Is Najm free to use?
Can I leave the scene of a minor accident?
How long do I have to report an accident?
What is the difference between Najm and Muroor?
Who decides who caused the accident?
Will an accident raise my insurance premium?
What if the other driver has no insurance?
Can I report an accident if I don't own the car?
What happens to my number plate if the car is a total loss?
Do I need the Najm report to claim insurance?
Conclusion & next steps
Reporting a car accident in Saudi Arabia comes down to one decision and one habit: pick the right authority — Najm for minor insured crashes, the police for anything serious — and photograph the scene before the cars move. Use the Najm app for qualifying minor accidents, call 920000560 when an inspector is needed, report within 24 hours, and let the Najm report carry your claim through to repair. Keep your insurance, registration and licence current so nothing stalls the payout. And if a crash ever totals your car, protect the one part that holds its value — value your number on the plate calculator and move it to your next vehicle.