audi Arabia has issued driving licences to women for the first time in decades just weeks before a ban on female drivers is lifted.
Ten women swapped their foreign licences for Saudi ones on Monday in cities across the country.
However, women's rights activists have complained of a new crackdown - with several being arrested.
A flood of applications is now expected in the run-up to 24 June when the ban will end.
Saudi Arabia's laws require women to seek male permission for various decisions and actions, and that extends to the ban on women driving.