Dubai Driving Licence and Driving Schools

Dubai Driving License

www.dubaifaqs.com

Driver's Licence or License for Dubai and the UAE


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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

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

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.

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.

06 April 2007 - All/most nationalities must now take a driving test

The Khaleej Times (a UAE English language newspaper) carried a report on 06 April 2007 that Shihab Hamad Bu Shihab, Manager of Driving Licences at the RTA (Dubai Roads and Transport Authority) said holders of licences from countries that were previously allowed to simply exchange them for a UAE driving licence, must now do a minimum 21 classes and a driving test. Apparently this rule has been in place since 15 January 2007. Whether or not this will be implemented/enforced is unknown, despite what Mr Shihab says. See Dubai driving licence discussion for article and to comment.

March 2007 update

Dubai Temporary Driving Licences updated with RTA and car rental information

October 2006 update

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.

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).

General notes about getting a Dubai or UAE driving licence

Information below about certain nationalities exchanging licences may not be correct as of 15 January 2007, or 06 April 2007. See Dubai driving licence discussion for Khaleej Times newspaper article and comments.

Certain nationalities have the good fortune to be able to obtain a Dubai driving licence simply by showing their own driving license, and going through a bit of paperwork. The procedure takes an hour or so. If you're not one of the lucky ones, you'll have to pass a driving test first - an annoyingly time-consuming and bewildering procedure. Expats with licences from other GCC countries may or may not - they're supposed to have a license from the country of nationality.

List of countries that can obtain a Dubai driving licences without the driving test from dubai.ae/dubaipolice.gov.ae is below. * means you need to get license translated into Arabic. Canadians need to get a letter from the Canadian Consulate in Dubai to state the license is genuine.

Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Belgium
Canada*
Cyprus*
Czech Republic*
Denmark

Finland
France
Germany
Greece*
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Japan*
South Korea*

Kuwait
Luxembourg
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Oman
Poland*
Portugal*
Qatar

Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Slovakia*
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey*
United Kingdom
United States

Note that your original driving licence is supposed to be from the same country as your passport nationality. If it's not, try to get a Dubai driving licence anyway. People have succeeded before - possibly because they have something like an EU passport with a UK driving licence or vice versa. An Australian/NZ combination might work also. As of 2007 this is less likely to be possible.

If you're on an Asian passport with a non-Asian driver's license, you may find it more difficult as many Asian driving licences are not accepted for a simple conversion - a driving test has to be done before getting a driver's licence for Dubai.

The following 2 paragraphs may be out of date from 01 March 2008, depending on how the new Federal Traffic Law is implemented. See comment above.

Each Emirate issues their own driving licenses and procedures, which, whilst generally the same, occasionally have some odd differences. For example, apparently New Zealanders cannot do an exchange with a Sharjah driving licence (rumour has it that someone important from Sharjah got a traffic ticket while in NZ several years ago - maybe the person concerned has calmed down and NZers can do a simple exchange again).

You will have to get a driving license from the Emirate which you received your residency visa from although if you live in a different Emirate and have a tenancy contract in your name, you may be able to try and get a driving licence from that Emirate (as can be done with car registration).

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

See the list of countries for driving licence exchange in the Dubai Driving licence section above. If you're not in the list, 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.

Procedure for exchange of home country driving licence for a UAE driver's license

Bring your driving license from your home country to show them (you'll get it back) - and a copy.
Bring your passport with resident's visa and a couple of copies.
Bring a couple of hundred dhs and some passport photographs (at least twice as many as you think you need - 4 or 5 should be enough).
Go to Dubai Police Traffic Department in Umm Suqueim on Sheikh Zayed Road interchange 4 near Mall of the Emirates (it's signposted), next to the garden center. You may be able to get a Dubai driver's licence at the other Police Traffic Departments - there's one near Al Mulla Plaza for example. Or you may get sent back to Go.
There's a typing office there where you pay money and get an application form typed out in Arabic. Start there, then take your documents to the Dubai driving license application area. The usual Dubai application procedure applies - get a number from a machine, wonder why you bothered when no one seems to take any notice of it, and eventually hand in your application to someone official looking. Bring a book or magazine to read and don't sweat it.
If you have to wear contact lenses or spectacles, you may do an eye test there. If that's not stated on your own driver's licence, you probably won't have to do an eye test (this changed sometime in 2005 - previously all applicants for a driver's license had to do an eye test there, then it was changed so they had to go to an optician, then it was only those who already wore visual aids so who knows what it'll be next week...).

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

Lessons of about 45 mins will cost you around 50-100 dhs each. Schools will attempt to sell you a course of 30-40 lessons but you can get that reduced if you know how to drive already - ask them to test you (there may be an additional fee).

None of the schools have an excellent reputation - there's stories of appalling driving standards about all of them. The bigger ones may be able to get your repeat test organised more quickly eg within a week instead of a month, which is probably the main advantage. If the rumours of monthly quotas for passing the driving test are true, then it would make sense to try and do a driving test at the beginning of the month. Some driving schools in Dubai will pick you up from and deliver you back to home or office.

There are about 25 driving schools with 3,000 cars in Dubai ready to unleash your pent-up road rage but not at any old time yet since the RTA (Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai) have restricted driving schools to allowing trainee drivers out in public from the hours of 0900-1400 and 1500-1700 on Sat-Thu from November 2006 (previously was 0800-1330 and 1500-1900) which overlaps nicely with the rush-hour traffic generated by those working split shifts in Dubai. Other training hours are Fridays 0700-1100, holidays 0700-1700, Ramadan 1000-1300 and 1500-1700. Restricted areas (no training at any time) are Sheikh Zayed Rd, Sheikh Rashid Rd, Ittihad Rd, Airport Tunnel and within residential areas.

Al Ahli Driving Learning Institute, Chairman is Ali Bujsaim and Managing Partner is Adel Noori..
Belhasa Driving Centre, tel +971-4-3440276. One of the two biggest driving schools in Dubai. Their queues of learners in orange and white cars annoy everyone on the roads. Also called Balhasa Driving Learning Institute. President is Saif Ahmad Balhasa, and Director of Tests Department is Hani Kamal Mohammadi.
Dubai Driving School, tel +971-4-2717654. Cleverly named. Big enough to have their own testing department. Maybe the same as ...
Dubai Driving Learning Institute, director is Ahmad Al Aiyali.
Emirates Driving Institute, tel +971-4-2631100. The other big driving school in Dubai, also called Emirates Driving Learning Institute. Director is Amer Ahmad Balhasa.
Falcon Motor Driving School, tel +971-4-2710192. Nothing to do with Mad Max (Australians and NZers will understand).
Galadari Motor Driving Centre (GMDC), Al Ghusais tel 971-4-2676166, branches in Karama +971-4-3964886, Al Quoz +971-43384567, Lamcy +971-4-3350532. Website says they offer instruction for motorcyle licences too. Licenses issued at their testing center in Al Ghusais / Qusais opposite the cattle market (not for target practice). Also called Galadari Driving Learning Institute. Director is Naser Yousuf.
Speed Line Driving School, tel +971-4-2728285. Hopefully the 'Speed' in the name refers to how quickly you get your licence, rather than a recommended driving technique.

If you can find a private driving instructor, you may have more flexible timings. Money saved will not be much. Finding one through newspaper advertisements is a bit of a lottery though - try asking for recommendations.

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).

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.

Driving lessons at the Dubai Autodrome Race and Driving School

This is an entirely different scenario. A lot more fun but a lot less useful for your daily commuting in Dubai.

The Dubai Autodrome has instructors who will take you for a drive around a race track in one of several different race cars (Audis, Subaru Imprezas) and then you can have a go yourself. It'll cost you between 200 and 1000 dhs depending on what you choose.

This information last updated Monday 10-Mar-2008

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