How Can an Expat Obtain a Driving License in the UAE?

A growing number of people are relocating to the United Arab Emirates because the country offers attractive conditions for doing business there and high living standards. Immigrants to the UAE may face various issues when settling down in the country and one of such issues is obtaining a valid driving license.

Can a foreigner get a driving license in the UAE? How can he/ she do it? Can foreigners use driving licenses issued in their home countries while in the UAE? We answer these and other related questions below. Before we begin, however, we’d like to share some good news with you: if you are planning to move to Dubai soon, you have a unique chance to get a driving license there within only one day!

The UAE authorities take very good care of their guests and they have made it possible for foreigners to acquire driving licenses instantly without taking any driving lessons. Please read on to find out how this can be done.

Are you planning to relocate to another country with your family? Are you going to apply for foreign citizenship by investment into business or real property? Please request our experts’ assistance in these matters!

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Can foreigners use their existing driving licenses in the UAE?

Can you use the driving license issued in your home country to drive around the Emirates? It depends. Normally, a UAE-issued license is required but there are exceptions from this rule.

Driving in the UAE when visiting the country as a tourist

If you are visiting the UAE for a short period on a tourist visa, you can use an international driving license to drive around the country. You can show this license at the car rental facility and you don’t have to worry if a road policeman stops you. Show him your tourist visa and your international driving license and everything will be fine.

However, things are more complicated for those who are staying in the Emirates for an extended period. Every foreigner holding a long-term visa to the UAE shall obtain a local driving license (if he/ she wants to drive a car, of course).

A tourist cannot buy a car in the UAE: only rent one. If you would like to buy a car, you have to obtain a long-term residence visa and apply for a local driving license.

If you would like to freely travel through Dubai and other emirates, we suggest that you open a foreign bank account with our professional support.

Driving licenses in the UAE for residents of ‘exceptional’ countries

Citizens of some countries can easily exchange their national driving licenses for Emirates licenses without taking any driving lessons nor any driving tests. The lucky foreigners have to come from one of the member states of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf. The countries include the following ones:

• Saudi Arabia;
• Kuwait;
• Bahrain;
• Oman;
• Qatar.

Citizens and legal residents of these countries can simply convert their national driving licenses into UAE driving licenses. The categories of the vehicles that they are entitled to drive are going to remain the same. They have to hand in their existing driving licenses but they will be able to easily regain them when returning home. No translation of the license is required. 

Opportunities for exchanging national driving licenses into UAE licenses for citizens of European countries:

Please note that in some countries, not only local citizens but also citizens of exceptional countries who have acquired driving licenses in the national state can exchange them into UAE driving licenses.

Opportunities for exchanging national driving licenses into UAE licenses for citizens of North American countries:

• USA: no translation nor legalization of the license is required. A legal resident or a citizen of an exceptional country holding a US-issued driving license can exchange it into a UAE license.
• Canada: similar opportunities with one exception. Driving licenses of categories G1 and G2 cannot be exchanged.

Please note that licenses issued in some overseas territories or associated territories of continental countries cannot be exchanged into UAE driving license following the procedures described above. The territories include the following ones: Puerto Rico (USA), Northern Mariana Islands (USA), Guam (USA), Liechtenstein (Switzerland), Monaco (France), and Jersey (UK).

Countries in Eastern Asia, Africa, and Oceania whose driving licenses can be converted into UAE licenses under certain conditions:  

• Singapore;
• Japan;
• New Zealand;
• Australia;
• PRC;
• Hong Kong;
• Azerbaijan;
• Israel;
• South Korea;
• South Africa.

How can you exchange your national driving license into a UAE license in Dubai?

If the expat belongs to the group of people who are entitled to exchange their national driving licenses into UAE licenses without taking driving lessons or tests, he or she has to do the following:

• Supply the driving license issued in one of the countries mentioned above.
• Take an eye exam.
• Supply his/ her Emirates ID.
• Supply the translated version of the driving license (if applicable).

Foreign nationals from other countries (not listed above) have to pass driving tests in order to get a UAE driving license. You can apply for exchanging your license at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) website.

How can a citizen of a non-preferential country acquire a driving license in the UAE?

If you reside in the UAE on a long-term residence visa but you do not come from one of the ‘exceptional’ countries listed above, you have several options to choose from if you would like to get a driving license in the UAE. The options include the following ones:

• Use a ‘golden chance’ to obtain a UAE driving license within one day.
• Use the advantages of the ‘golden visa’ to the UAE.
• Attend a driving school in the UAE and pass the driving tests.

Please learn more about our products and services in the United Arab Emirates.

A UAE driving license within one day: your ‘golden chance’!

Since April 1, 2023, the RTA has made it possible for foreigners to obtain a UAE driving license on a single visit to the office without undergoing any training. This opportunity is available to all experienced drivers no matter what country they come from.

The conditions of the ‘golden chance’ are as follows:

• The foreign applicant shall supply his/ her national driving license (or an international driving license).
• The foreign national shall pass the driving tests: theory and practice (road test).

This can be done in one go. However, if your attempt fails, you won’t have a second ‘golden chance’. In this case, you’ll have to take driving lessons and then take the tests again.

UAE driving licenses for ‘golden visa’ holders

Golden visa holders do not have to take driving lessons in order to get UAE driving licenses. All they have to do is bring their national licenses and take the tests. This method of acquiring a driving license in the UAE also takes one day only. 

Attending a driving school in the UAE

You will have to go through the following stages if you are unable to acquire a driving license in the UAE in a simplified manner:

• Attend driving theory classes – 8 hours. Those who have jobs can attend the classes on weekends: Fridays and Saturdays. Please note that classes usually start early in the UAE, around 7:00 or 7:30 a.m.
• Take a test with 35 questions in it. RTA officials will administer the test. You will have 30 minutes to answer the questions. The questions are divided into two blocks: 17 general questions and 18 questions related to traffic rules and road signs. The total number of mistakes that you can make to pass the test is 12. The test results remain valid for 2 years that you can use to learn how to drive and pass the road test.
• Take driving lessons – from 20 to 40 lessons. Depending on your driving experience, the number of lessons can be reduced. You can choose the time to take the driving lessons and the instructor to work with.
• Take a parking skills test at the driving school.
• Take a final exam – drive along the city roads for not more than 10 minutes.

If you pass all the tests, you will get a UAE driving license. Later, the license can be extended or used when applying for an international driving license.

Please note that they don’t drive on the wrong side of the road in the United Arab Emirates: they drive on the right side.

Documents that need to be submitted to the driving school

The list of application documents will depend on the requirements in a particular emirate. You have to submit the following documents in Dubai to take driving lessons:

• A copy of your passport with a residence visa;
• Your Emirates ID;
• Two photographs;
• An ophthalmologist’s report;
• A letter of consent from your sponsor (if you are a dependent family member).

The following additional documents may or may not be required:

• A letter of consent from your employer in Dubai who has acquired a residence visa for you;
• Your company registration certificate if this is how you have obtained the residence visa;
• A copy of your national driving license.

Cost of attending a driving school in the UAE

The overall cost of training will depend on the type of the driving school that you attend and the number of driving lessons that you take.

Normally, the training will cost you US$ 1,500–2,000. Most schools allow paying in several iterations. The cost of the driving test (to be covered separately) is about US$ 60.

If you want to use the ‘golden chance’ opportunity, be prepared to pay around 2,500 dirhams. If you are a golden visa holder, you will have to pay 200 dirhams for taking the driving test administered by the RTA plus 20 dirhams for the theoretical test.  

Important things to know about driving in the UAE

You have to obey the traffic regulations when driving in the UAE just like you have to obey them anywhere else. Here are a few facts for you about the traffic regulations in the Emirates:

• The speed limits are as follows in the UAE: 40-50 km/h in populated areas, 60-80 km/h in the suburbs, and 100-140 km/h on the highways. Speeding will lead to a fine of US$ 110 to US$ 820.  
• You cannot use your mobile phone when driving in Dubai.
• You have to fasten your seatbelt when driving. 
• Children below 10 shall be seated in the back in a special child seat.
• Driving while intoxicated will lead to a fine of US$ 5,500 and license suspension for up to 3 years.  

The United Arab Emirates has turned into a true gem over the recent years. The country attracts business people from all over the world by the advanced business infrastructure that it offers. If you would like to relocate to the UAE, open a company in Dubai, purchase property there and qualify for a golden visa, please do not hesitate to contact our experts! We will gladly provide professional assistance in all these matters.