Driving licence in Dubai

Once you have a Dubai residence visa and an Emirates ID, you can exchange a valid licence from a country on the RTA list for a Dubai licence, with no lessons and no test. A UK licence and a licence from any US state except Texas qualify for all vehicle categories, whatever your nationality, and you keep the original. RTA lists the cost as 1,050 AED. If your licence is not on the list, you need lessons and tests at a Dubai driving institute, with fewer lessons if you have driven for years.

Source: Roads and Transport Authority Dubai (RTA), Apply for a New Driving Licence or a New Category Based on Exchanging Licences, updated 8 October 2026, Important to Know and Fees. Checked October 2026.

General information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change, so confirm with the authority named in each source before you rely on a figure.

1. UK, US and EU licences
2. The full RTA list
3. Steps and documents
4. Fees
5. If your licence is not listed
6. Visitors and residents
7. Salik tolls
8. Questions

UK, US and EU licences

• United Kingdom. RTA lists Britain for holders of any nationality, all categories, no translation, and the British licence is not withdrawn.
• United States. Licences from every state except Texas: any nationality, all categories, no translation, not withdrawn. Texas licences: US nationals only, light vehicle only.
• EU, any nationality, all categories. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain and Sweden.
• EU, own nationals only. Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia and Slovenia. Most of these allow light vehicles, or light vehicles and motorcycles, and many need a legalised translation or the licence to be handed in. Ireland allows all categories with no translation. See the table below.
• EU, not on the list. the Czech Republic. Holders follow the route for licences that are not listed.
• Elsewhere in Europe. Norway and Switzerland: any nationality, all categories. Iceland: own nationals only.
• Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Own nationals only. Canadian G1 and G2 licences and restricted New Zealand licences cannot be exchanged.

If you hold a GCC passport and a licence from the same country or a listed country, you can exchange it in Dubai wherever your Emirates ID was issued. If you have two passports and entered on one from a country that is not listed, RTA says you must open a new traffic file and apply for a new licence instead.

Source: Roads and Transport Authority Dubai (RTA), Apply for a New Driving Licence or a New Category Based on Exchanging Licences, updated 8 October 2026, list of countries eligible for exchange and FAQs. Checked October 2026.

The full RTA exchange list

RTA lists 60 licence origins, 20 of them open to holders of any nationality. RTA says licences issued in Andorra, Guam, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico cannot be replaced.

Source: Roads and Transport Authority Dubai (RTA), Apply for a New Driving Licence or a New Category Based on Exchanging Licences, updated 8 October 2026, list of countries eligible for exchange, updated 8 October 2026. Checked October 2026.

Steps and documents

For a resident with a Dubai visa, RTA asks for a valid Emirates ID, a valid electronic eye test and the original licence, plus a legalised translation where the table says so. The licence must be valid. If it has no security features, you also need a certificate from the issuing country embassy or consulate confirming its details.

1. Apply on the RTA website with your Emirates ID, passport or UAE Pass details, or at an RTA Customer Happiness Centre or a vehicle registration and inspection centre.
2. Enter your details and upload a copy of the licence and any translation.
3. Take an eye test at an accredited eye test centre. It is also offered at Customer Happiness Centres and driving institutes, and is valid for 3 years.
4. Show the original licence at a Customer Happiness Centre, and hand it in if your row says so.
5. Pay the fees when RTA sends the SMS, and receive a digital licence in the RTA Dubai app. RTA lists the service time as instant.

The new licence is valid for 2 years if you are 21 or older, and 1 year if younger. If your residence visa is from another emirate, you also need your company trade licence for the Dubai branch and the branch that issued the visa, and a letter confirming you work at the Dubai branch.

Sources: Roads and Transport Authority Dubai (RTA), Apply for a New Driving Licence or a New Category Based on Exchanging Licences, updated 8 October 2026, steps, output and service requirements; RTA, New Driving Licence, updated 8 October 2026, Important to Know. Checked October 2026.

Fees

RTA says the eye test costs between 140 and 180 AED depending on the centre. Delivery of a printed licence is extra, from 20 AED. Buying the handbook is compulsory for an exchange.

Sources: Roads and Transport Authority Dubai (RTA), Apply for a New Driving Licence or a New Category Based on Exchanging Licences, updated 8 October 2026, Fees and steps; RTA, New Driving Licence, updated 8 October 2026, FAQs. Checked October 2026.

If your licence is not on the list

You apply for a new licence through a Dubai driving institute: a learning permit, training sessions, an eye test, then the RTA knowledge, yard and road tests. The institute agrees the training package with you, and its price is separate from the RTA fees. If you hold a valid light vehicle licence from another country that cannot be exchanged, RTA cuts the training:

• The golden chance. With a previous licence that cannot be exchanged, you can take the knowledge and road tests once without training. If you fail the road test, you take the training without the theory part.
• Golden Visa holders with a valid licence from any country need no training courses, can take the theory and road tests on the same day, and get the licence faster. After a failed road test they complete a 4-hour course before retaking it.
• RTA fees for a new licence include a learning permit of 100 AED for a light vehicle, a traffic file of 200 AED, the handbook at 50 AED, an eye test of 140 to 180 AED, and the licence at 300 AED if you are 21 or older, or 100 AED if younger, each with 20 AED in knowledge and innovation fees.

Source: RTA, New Driving Licence, updated 8 October 2026, steps, Important to Know, fees and FAQs. Checked October 2026.

Driving as a visitor and as a resident

RTA says a person on a visit visa can drive in Dubai with a valid licence from a GCC country or a country on the exchange list, for light vehicles and motorcycles only. A visitor with a UK or US licence can therefore drive a car in Dubai on that licence. RTA also says a visitor can drive in Dubai only with such a licence. This guide does not cover international driving permits for visitors from other countries, so check with RTA.

Once you live or work in the UAE, your home licence no longer lets you drive in Dubai. RTA gives the example of a US national on an investment visa, who has to exchange the licence to drive. Plan the exchange for when your Emirates ID arrives, and do it before you rent or buy a car as a resident.

Sources: Roads and Transport Authority Dubai (RTA), Apply for a New Driving Licence or a New Category Based on Exchanging Licences, updated 8 October 2026, FAQs; u.ae, the UAE government portal, Get a driving licence. Checked October 2026.

Salik road tolls

Dubai charges a toll each time you pass a Salik gate. Salik announced these prices, which apply at all gates, from 31 January 2025:

Sunday prices do not apply on public holidays and during events, and the hours change in Ramadan. Passing Al Safa North and South, or Al Mamzar North and South, in one direction within an hour is charged once. The hidden costs guide works out what a daily commute through a gate costs a month, along with car registration.

Source: Salik Company, filed with the Dubai Financial Market, General Disclosure by Salik Company on variable pricing, 17 January 2025. Checked October 2026.

Questions about driving in Dubai

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Sources

1. Apply for a New Driving Licence or a New Category Based on Exchanging Licences, updated 8 October 2026. Roads and Transport Authority Dubai (RTA). Checked October 2026.https://www.rta.ae/wps/portal/rta/ae/home/rta-services/service-details?serviceId=120
2. New Driving Licence, updated 8 October 2026. RTA. Checked October 2026.https://www.rta.ae/wps/portal/rta/ae/home/rta-services/service-details?serviceId=617
3. Get a driving licence. u.ae, the UAE government portal. Checked October 2026.https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/transportation/Driving-and-licensing/get-a-driving-licence
4. General Disclosure by Salik Company on variable pricing, 17 January 2025. Salik Company, filed with the Dubai Financial Market. Checked October 2026.https://feeds.dfm.ae/documents/2025/Jan/17/9906c2f1-e48d-4ab1-afd3-1b59b4f7b252/General%20Disclosure%20F.pdf

Last checked October 2026. Rules change, so confirm with RTA before you act. General information, not legal advice.