ﺍﻟﻌﺭﺒﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﺨﻠﻴﺞ ﻟﺩﻭل ﺍﻟﺘﻌﺎﻭﻥ ﻤﺠﻠﺱ ﻟﺩﻭل ﺍﻟﺘﻘﻴﻴﺱ  ﻫﻴﺌﺔ  
GCC STANDARDIZATION ORGANIZATION (GSO) 
 
    
 ﻤﺸﺭﻭﻉ : ﻨﻬﺎﺌﻲ 
 
 
 
GSO2/1/FDS/ :2009  
Update GSO 1780/2006 
  
  
  
 
  
 
 
   
  
 
  
ﺇﻋﺩﺍﺩ 
ﺍﻟﺨﻠﻴﺠﻴﺔ  ﺍﻟﻔﻨﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﻴﻜﺎﻨﻴﻜﻴﺔﺍﻟﻠﺠﻨﺔ  ﺍﻟﻤﻨﺘﺠﺎﺕ  ﻟﻘﻁﺎﻉ  
 
 
  
  
    
 
 ﺍﻟﺴﻴﺎﺭﺍﺕ – ﺍﻟﻤﻤﻴﺯ ﻟﻠﻤﺭﻜﺒﺔﺍﻟﺭﻗﻡ -  ﺍﻟﻤﺘﻁﻠﺒﺎﺕ    
MOTOR VEHICLE 
VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN) 
REQUIREMENTS 
 
 GULF STANDARD GSO 1780/…..
  
 ٢  
  
  
 
  
Foreword 
 
GCC Standardization Orga nization (GSO) is a regi onal Organization which 
consists of the National Standards Bodi es of GCC member States. One of 
GSO main functions is to issue Gulf  Standards through specialized technical 
committees (TCs). 
 
GSO through the technical program of  committee TC No.:2-1 " The Gulf 
technical Subcommittee for vehicles a nd tyres standards " has updated the 
GSO Standard No. : 1780/2006 " MOTOR VEHICLES – VEHICLE 
IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN) - REQUIREMENTS  " .  
The Draft Standard has been prep ared by Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.   
  
This standard has been approved as Gulf Technical Regulation by GSO Board 
of Directors in its meeting No..../....  …….hel d on    /    /   /  H ,  /    /  The 
approved standard will replace  and supersede the standard No. (     /      ).GULF STANDARD GSO 1780/…..
  
  ١MOTOR VEHICLE 
VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN) 
REQUIREMENTS 
 
 
 
1- SCOPE AND FIELD OF APPLICATION 
 This standard is concerned with the vehicle identification number (VIN) 
requirements.  It applies to passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles,  
multi-purpose goods vehicles, trucks, buses, tractors, trailers, incomplete vehicles, and motorcycles.  
 
2- COMPLEMENTARY REFERENCES 
2.1 GSO 1781./2006  “Motor Vehicle - World  Manufacturer Identifier”.  
2.2 GSO 1782/2006 “Motor Vehicle - Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) - 
Location and Attachment”.  
2.3 GSO 591/1995 “Road Vehicles - Types - Terms and Definitions”.  
 
3- DEFINITIONS 
3.1 Vehicle Identification Number (VIN):   A structured combination of 
characters assigned to a vehicle by the manufacturer for identification purposes.  
3.2 World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI):   The first section of the VIN, 
designating the manufacturer of the vehicle.  The code is assigned to a vehicle 
manufacturer in order to allow identification of the said manufacturer and, 
when used in conjunction with the remaining sections of the VIN, ensures uniqueness of the VIN for all vehicles manufactured in the world for a period of 30 years.  
3.3 Vehicle Attributes [Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS)]:   The second section 
of the VIN.  It provides information describing the general attributes of the 
vehicle. 
3.4 Check Digit:   The third section of the VIN.  It is a single number or the letter 
X used to verify the accuracy of the tr anscription of the vehicle identification 
number.  
3.5 Body type:   The general configuration or shape of a vehicle distinguished by 
such characteristics as the number of doors or windows, cargo-carrying 
features and the roofline (e.g. sedan, hatchback).  
3.6 Engine type:   A power source with defined characteristics such as fuel 
utilized, number of cylinders, displacement, and net brake horse-power.  GULF STANDARD GSO 1780/…..
  
  ٢3.7 Incomplete vehicle:   An assemblage consisting as a minimum of frame and 
chassis structure, power train, steerin g system, suspension system and braking 
system.  
3.8 Line:   A name that a manufacturer applies to a family of vehicles within a 
make which have a degree of commonality in construction, such as body, 
chassis or cab type.  
3.9 Manufacturer:   The organization responsible for the manufacture of the 
vehicle.  
3.10 High volume manufacturer: means a manufacturer of 1000 or more vehicles 
of a given type each year. 
3.11 Low volume manufacturer:  means a manufacturer of fewer than 1000 
vehicles of a given type each year. 
3.12 Model year:   The period starting with the first production of the new model 
and lasting until the following model is introduced.  This period shall not exceed 24 months terminating by the end of the last month of the calendar year by which the model is designated.  
3.13 Plant of manufacture:   The plant where the manufacturer affixes the VIN.  
3.14 Type:   A class of vehicle distinguished by common traits including design and 
purpose.  Passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, 
trailers, incomplete vehicles and motor cycles are separate types. 
 
4- REQUIREMENTS 
4.1 General 
4.1.1  Each vehicle manufactured in one stage shall have a VIN assigned by the 
manufacturer.  
4.1.2  Each vehicle manufactured in more than one stage shall have a VIN assigned 
by the incomplete vehicle manufacturer.  
4.1.3  Each VIN shall consist of seventeen (17) characters.  
4.1.4  A check digit shall be a part of each VIN.  
4.1.5  The check digit shall appear in position nine (9) of the VIN.  
4.1.6  The VINs of any two vehicles manufactured within a 30 year period shall not 
be identical.  
4.1.7 Characters 
 Only the following Arabic numerals and capital roman letters shall be used in 
the VIN:   
 0123456789.  ABCDEFGHJKLMNPRSTUVWXYZ.  
4.1.8  All spaces provided for in the VIN must be occupied by a character specified in 
item 4.1.7.  GULF STANDARD GSO 1780/…..
  
  ٣4.2 VIN Content 
 The VIN shall consist of four (4) sections (see Appendix A). 
4.2.1 First Section (World Manufacturer Identifier)  
4.2.1.1  This section shall consist of three (3) characters that occupy positions one 
through three (1 - 3) in the VIN.  
4.2.1.2  This section shall identify the world manufacturer and type of motor vehicle if 
its manufacturer produces 1000 or more vehicles of its type annually.  
 If the manufacturer produces less than 1000 vehicles of its type annually, those 
three characters along with the third, four th and fifth characters of the fourth 
section shall identify the manufacturer. 
4.2.1.3  These characters are specified in this standard.  
4.2.1.4  These characters are preassigned by organizations other than the manufacturer.  
4.2.2  Second Section [Vehicle Descriptor Section  (VDS)]  
4.2.2.1  This section shall consist of five (5) characters that occupy positions four 
through eight (4 - 8) in the VIN.  
4.2.2.2  This section shall identify the general at tributes of the vehicle as specified in 
table (1).  
4.2.2.3  For passenger cars, multipurpose passe nger vehicles and trucks with GVW 
4536 kg or less, the fourth character shall be alphabetic. 
 The other characters may be either alphabetic or numeric. 
4.2.2.4  The characters utilized and their placement within the section may be 
determined by the manufacturer but the attributes supplied by the manufacturer shall be in accordance with item 4.2.2.2. GULF STANDARD GSO 1780/…..
  
  ٤TABLE (1) 
TYPE OF VEHICLE AND ITS ATTRIBUTES (VDS) 
Type of Vehicle Attributes 
Passenger car Line, series, body type, make, engine type and 
restraint system type 
  
Multipurpose passenger vehicle Line, seri es, body type, make, engine type, gross 
vehicle weight rating  
  
Truck Model or line, make, series, chassis cab type, engine 
type, brake system and gross vehicle weight rating 
  
Bus Model or line, make, series, body type, engine type 
and brake system 
  
Trailer Type of trailer, make, body type length and axle 
configuration 
  
Incomplete vehicle Model or line, make, series, cab type, engine type and 
brake system 
  
Motorcycle Type of motorcycle, make, line, engine type and net 
brake horse power 
 
4.2.3 Third Section 
4.2.3.1  This section shall consist of one (1) character that occupies position nine (9) in 
the VIN.  
4.2.3.2  This section shall be the check digit whose purpose is to provide a means for 
verifying the accuracy of any VIN transcription. 
4.2.3.3  The check digit shall be calculated by carrying out the mathematical 
computation specified below after all other characters in VIN have been 
determined by the manufacturer. 
4.2.3.3.1  Assign to each number in the VIN its actual mathematical value and assign to 
each letter the value specified below: GULF STANDARD GSO 1780/…..
  
  ٥ 
ASSIGNED VALUES  
A  =  1 N  =  5 
B  =  2 P  =  7 
C   =  3 R  =  9 D   =  4 S  =  2 E   =   5 T  =  3 
F   =   6 U  =  4 
G   =  7 V  =  5 H   =  8 W  =  6 
J    =  1 X  =  7 
K   =  2 Y  =  8 L    =  3 Z  =  9 
M   =  4  
4.2.3.3.2  Multiply the assigned value for each character in the VIN by the position 
weight factor specified below: 
Character
 Weight Factor  
1 st 8 
2 nd 7 
3 rd 6 
4 th 5 
5 th 4 
6 th 3 
7 th 2 
8 th 10 
9 th Check digit 
10 th 9 
11 th 8 
12 th 7 
13 th 6 
14 th 5 
15 th 4 
16 th 3 
17th 2 GULF STANDARD GSO 1780/…..
  
  ٦4.2.3.3.3  Add the resulting products and then divide the total by 11. 
4.2.3.3.4  The numerical remainder shall be the check digit (0 - 9) except the remainder 
ten (10). 
4.2.3.3.5  If the remainder is 10 the letter “X” shall be used to designate the check digit. 
4.2.3.4  A sample check digit calculation is shown in Appendix (B). 
4.2.4 Fourth Section [Vehicle Indicator Section (VIS)] 
4.2.4.1  This section shall consist of eight characters that occupy positions ten through 
seventeen (10 - 17) of the VIN. 
4.2.4.2  The last five (5) characters of this section shall be numeric for passenger cars 
and for multipurpose passenger vehicles and trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4536 Kg or less. 
4.2.4.3  The last four (4) characters of this section shall be numeric for all other 
vehicles. 
4.2.4.4  The first character of this section shall represent the vehicle model year. 
4.2.4.5  The model year shall be designated as indicated in table (2) 
 
TABLE (2) 
Model year Code 
  
2005 5 
2006 6 
2007 7 
2008 8 
2009 9 
2010 A 
2011 B 
2012 C 
2013 D 
2014 E 
2015 F 
2016 G 
2017 H GULF STANDARD GSO 1780/…..
  
  ٧ 
2018 J 
2019 K 
2020 L 
2021 M 
2022 N 
2023 P 
2024 R 
2025 S 
2026 T 
2027 V 
2028 W 
2029 X 
2030 Y 
2031 1 
2032 2 
2033 3 
2034 4 
2035 5 
2036 6 
2037 7 
2038 8 
  
4.2.4.6  The second character of this section shall represent the plant of manufacture.  
4.2.4.7  The third through the eight characters (3 - 8) of this section shall represent the 
number sequentially assigned by the manufacturer if the manufacturer produces 1000 or more vehicles of its type annually.  
4.2.4.8  If the manufacturer produces less than 1000 motor vehicles of its type annually, 
the third, fourth and fifth characters (3 - 5) of this section combined with the three characters of the first section (4.2.1) shall uniquely identify the 
manufacturer, make and type of the motor vehicle and the sixth, seventh and eight characters of the fourth section shall represent the number sequentially 
assigned by the manufacturer in the production process. 
4.3 Vehicles with VIN assigned in compliance with ISO standard is deemed to 
comply with the requirements of this standard. 
 GULF STANDARD GSO 1780/…..
  
  ٨5- REPORTING OF VIN 
5.1 Sixty days at least before dispatching the first consignment of any type of 
vehicles, in each year, the manufacturer shall send to the concerned authority 
the unique identifier for each make and type of vehicle it manufacturers with 
the list of VIN using the identifier. 
5.2 The list of vehicles to be exported for the entire year with the specific VIN list 
shall be send to the concerned authority for each model year.  This may be sent just before the end of each model year, if not possible at the start of the model year.  
     
  ٩ 
APPENDIX  (A)  
 
SAMPLE  VIN  
 
 
1 F A  B P 2 8 A  4  T F 1 4 3 8 9 0  
(1st Section)  (2nd Section) (3rd Section)  (4rd Section) 
  
VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION 
SECTION (VIS) 
 
 
CHECK 
DIGIT 
 
 
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION 
SECTION (VDS) 
 
 
WORLD MANUFACTURER 
IDENTIFICATION (WMI) 
 GULF STANDARD GSO 1780/…..
 
  ٠١ 
Appendix (B)  
 
VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER  
 
(VIN - 17 CHARACTERS)  
 
  E.g. American vehicle produced by Chrysler - Model year 1996. 
 
                - IB3 BR 65E5 TV 100027.  
WMI VDS CHECK DIGIT VIS 
    
IB3 BR65E 5 TV 100027 
    
3 Characters 5 Characters 1 Character 8 Characters 
    
  
  
  ١١ 
 
 
GULF STANDARD GSO 1780/…..
 
   
Appendix (C)
 
 
CHECK  DIGIT  CALCULATION  
 
 
 VIN position  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17   Sample VIN   1  G  4  A  H  5  9  H   5  G  1  1  8  3  4  1  
 Assigned value   1  7  4  1  8  5  9  8   5  7  1  1  8  3  4  1   Weight factor   8  7  6  5  4  3  2  10    9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  
 Multiply assigned value   8  49  24  5  32  15  18  80   45  56  7  6  40  12  12  2  
 Add all products      8   +   49  +   24   +    5   +  32   +   15   +  18   +   80   +   0   +   45   +   56   +   7    +   6    +   40   +  12   +   12  +    2  
 Divide the total by 11          4 11/11   =  37 4/11  
 
The remainder is 4; this is the check digit to be inserted in position nine (9) of the VIN.