Dubai driving licence

Dubai Driving License

Thursday 28 August 2008 (UAE)

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24 August 2008 - Dubai driving licences valid only 1 year

New driving licenses in Dubai will only be valid for 1 year (renewable), at least for the first 3 years, according to the RTA. On the fourth renewal, drivers will get a licence that is valid for 10 years (same as the current validity), as long as they have a relatively clean record. If, during the 1 year period, they have clocked up a bad driving record, they'll have to go back to Go and do another driving test. Exactly where the line is drawn between bad driving and not too bad, has not yet been detailed. Lucky residents with driving licenses from one of the countries that can do a Dubai licence exchange, will be exempt from this new rule. As the RTA governs traffic in Dubai only, it's unclear at the time of the news if other emirates will continue with new licences for 10 years, or make a similar change. No date seen for implementation of the new rule.

The Gulf News reported: "A driving licence will be issued with one-year validity and will be renewed twice for one year each time before a driver is given a 10-year validity licence," said Engineer Ali Mohammad Al Jasem, Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Licensing Agency at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

In the past there have been conflicting or incorrect media reports about RTA announcements, sometimes exacerbated by RTA officials themselves contradicting each other, so a wait and see attitude might be the order of the day.

01 March 2008 - Points system to be implemented in the UAE

The new Unified Federal Traffic Law comes into effect across all the emirates of the UAE on 01 March 2008. Penalties for various driving offences will become harsher, and a black points system will be implemented (not an entirely new thing - the deduction of points has been around but rarely or never implemented). The cut off is 24 points in a year, after which a driver loses a licence based on the following:

First time 24 points collected, lose driving licence for 3 months (if driver is over 21)
Second time 24 points collected, lose driving licence for 6 months (or first time if driver is under 21)
Third time 24 points collected, lose driving license for 12 months, and pass a driving test before it's returned

Points will expire after a year so it's only the total you collect within a 12 month period that you have to worry about. If a vehicle is spotted doing a point collecting activity, the owner is assumed to be the driver, and gets the points. If someone else was driving, they need to be sent to the cop shop to get their points, within a month of the offence, otherwise the vehicle may be impounded.

Apparently Government owned vehicles are exempt from the points system. Read that again. Isn't it the driver that gets points, not the vehicle?

19 February 2008 - UAE driving licences from any emirate

According to the Gulf News, a police official who did not want to be identified said that UAE residents could apply for their UAE driving license an any emirate, it doesn't matter which emirate their residence visa is from. This is apparently part of the new Federal Traffic Law that takes effect from 01 March 2008. How that works in practice remains to be seen. In Dubai, the RTA is in charge of issuing licences, not the police.

March 2007 update

Dubai Temporary Driving Licences updated with RTA and car rental information

October 2006 - Sponsor NOC now needed

Drivers who need to go to a driving school in Dubai now need to get a no-objection certificate (NOC) from their employer/sponsor before signing up. Learners in Abu Dhabi are apparently required to have lessons at Emirates Driving School according to new rules announced by the Drivers Licensing and Motor Vehicles Department of Abu Dhabi Police.

Countries that can exchange driving licenses in the UAE

Information moved to page with the list of driving licence exchange countries and procedure.

Getting a Dubai driving license with a driving test

In Dubai, since the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) took over the driver testing from the police in 2006, it sounds like it has become more difficult to pass a driving test, not that it was easy previously. Don't expect to pass first time round. Stories of people having to repeat the driving test 10-20 times are common. An additional irritation is that you may need to another 1-2 weeks of driving lessons which will cost you a few hundred dirhams.

03 February 2008 update: The RTA says, contrary to earlier reports, they are not increasing the number of lessons that learners need to do. It will remain at 40 lessons (there were earlier reports it would be increased to 120 lessons).

Usually you'll need to go to a driving school in Dubai for driving lessons. It is also possible to arrange these privately but make sure they're from someone qualified/registered and they have a proper learner's car - easy to recognise because they have dual control systems and are painted an awful color.

In early October 2006, the rule requiring an NOC (No Objection Certificate or letter) from your sponsor was reinstated. You need this before you can start taking driving lessons.

After the driving school has decided you're a good enough driver (that may depend more on how much cash they've received as lesson fees, than on your actual driving skills), they'll make an appointment for you to do a driving test with the Dubai Traffic Department.

You could try making an appointment directly with the Dubai Traffic Department but it would make sense to do a couple of lessons first. Not because you don't know how to drive (there are many licenced drivers in Dubai who obviously fit that category) but because the driving school will, in theory, prepare you for the driving test (as opposed to teaching you how to drive safely).

The Dubai driving test involves answering some multi-choice questions on theory and then a short drive around the block. A surprise for many will be that the driving test car will contain several applicants at once, and you take turns. The tester may be obnoxious and/or inconsistent but remain calm and polite. If you get failed the first time, you might get the same person next time round. Note also that you do the test in a different car than what you had driving lessons in, so the brakes, transmission, controls will be different. Try and practice short drives in different cars, especially if you're being tested in a manual car . The clutch always seems to be difficult for beginners to get used to.

When you do the test, make it obvious that you are adjusting seat and mirrors before starting, checking mirrors and over your shoulder before changing lanes, checking the rear view mirror, etc (same anywhere really).

The driving test results are notoriously random - anyone who's attempted it is bound to have a story. Most people take more than one try before succeding. There was supposedly a wait of six days before you could do a re-test. The RTA changed this to one month late in 2006. It may be reduced according to comments in Mar 2007 from the RTA (see the Dubai driving license discussion). Check also if there is an extra fee for urgent applications to speed it up.

Although it's true that many people complain that it's impossible to pass the driving test in Dubai, you'll find it interesting while doing the test that some of your fellow examinees obviously have no idea how to drive in Dubai and should not be let anywhere near a car. Ever. Unless tied up, enclosed in a large bag and deposited in the trunk. You may have less sympathy for those who tell you stories of making their 20th attempt at getting a driving licence in Dubai after being in the car with one of them while they do their driving test in Dubai.

If you pass the driving test, then you'll get your Dubai driving license there and then - you'll need all the documentation listed in the previous section though.

Automatic vs Manual cars

In Dubai, if you do the driving test in an automatic car, your driving license will only allow you to drive automatic cars. If you do the driving test in a manual car, your Dubai driving licence will allow you to drive both automatic and manual cars.

Dubai Driving Schools

Information moved to Dubai driving schools page.

International Driving permits (licences) in Dubai

The correct term is International Driving Permit (IDP) rather than International Driving License. If you have one and want to drive in Dubai, then you can but you'll need to rent a car or go to a police station to get a temporary driving licence for Dubai (if you want to drive a private car). If you have a residency visa then you cannot use an international driving license. You have to get a Dubai driving licence.

If you are in Dubai and want to get an International Driving Licence for use overseas, then you'll need your Dubai driving licence, a copy, a couple of passport photos and 100 dhs (but bring an extra hundred just in case, and your passport).

You can get one from several locations:

Emirates Post (tel 600599999, www.emiratespost.co.ae) for 140 dhs, bring application form, 2 passport photos, UAE driving licence and copy, passport with residence visa and copy.
ATC UAE (Automobile & Touring Club for UAE) in Deira, tel +971-4-2284019
Dubai Police Traffic Department on Sheikh Zayed road near Mall of the Emirates.
Dubai Police Traffic Department on Dubai-Sharjah road near Al Mulla Plaza (possibly).
Online with Sharjah based southtravels.com (no information about reliability of service).

Temporary Driving Licenses

Unconfirmed reports surfaced in December 2006 that the issuance of Temporary Driving Licenses was suspended, but this appears to have been due to confusion arising over changes in rules, or interpretation of rules. The relevant authority is the RTA (Dubai Road & Transport Authority) instead of the Dubai Police now and they appear to be implementing rules more strictly than the Dubai Police, and/or adding new rules. Confusion arises because of the different interpretations of rules and combinations of UAE visa, original nationality, original country of residence, country from which original driving license was issued.

Note that this means there is quite possibly variation in the way rules are implemented in different Emirates as the RTA is a Dubai organisation, not a federal UAE organisation.

A temporary driving license is issued if you want to drive a private car in Dubai but don't have a residency visa to be able to obtain a full UAE driving license eg visitors on visit visas, expats waiting for residence visa processing. You obtain it from a traffic police station (there's one next to Mall of the Emirates in Al Barsha) and it's valid for six months. Bring:

Your home country passport, driving license and copies - your licence and passport are supposed to be from the same country.
Copy of whatever visa you have for the UAE (or passport if it's stamped, or e-gate card if not) - if you have a residence visa you are not supposed to be able to obtain a temporary driving licence.
International Driving Permit from the same country as your licence. As of early 2007 this appears to be more necessary than previously but you never know if/when rules or interpretations of them change.

Note that if you want to drive a rental car in Dubai, you don't need to apply for a temporary licence but you do need to bring an IDP - International Driving Permit (required as of January 2007) and your home country driving licence (from same country as your passport).

Driving licence in RAK (Ras Al Khaimah)

You will need the following:

Two passport photos in color with white background
Residence visa and copy
Passport and copy
Labour card and copy of letter from company confirming employment
AED 250 fee

If you're not in the list of countries which allow you to change driving licence, you'll have to do 20 hours of lessons and then sit a driving test. Whether or not you're in the list, you will have to do a blood and eye test.

Driving without a UAE driving license in Dubai

Don't drive if you have no driving license. The car may not be insured if you crash, and it seems to be one of those traffic offences in Dubai which are treated quite harshly (as opposed to driving with no seatbelt which seems to be ignored or punished with a smallish fine). Chances are your car will be impounded if caught driving without a driving license.

This information last updated Sunday 24-Aug-2008

See an error? Have suggestions or comments? Visit the Dubai driving license discussion or International Driving Permit in Dubai discussion.