New to DubaiGetting a UAE driving licence: convert yours or learn at one of the driving schools in the UAE
Yes, you can convert your licence in Dubai if it was issued in one of the 57 or so countries on the RTA's exchange list. You swap it for a UAE licence with no lessons and no test. If your country isn't on the list, you go through one of the driving schools in the UAE. That means theory classes and a theory test, then practical lessons, a parking test and a road test with an RTA examiner.
The RTA (Roads and Transport Authority) is the Dubai government body that runs licences, roads and public transport. This guide covers both routes and what to bring. It also covers the road test, which is the part almost everyone on the NTD Team warns newcomers about.
First, check whether your licence is on the exchange list
In January 2026 the RTA confirmed that licences from 57 countries can be exchanged directly. The list covers the other Gulf states, most of Europe and a smaller group of countries elsewhere.
What counts is the country that issued your licence, not the passport you hold. The RTA asks for the original licence issued in an eligible country, so a British passport holder with a licence from a country that isn't on the list doesn't qualify.
Countries get added when governments sign new agreements, so check the current list on the RTA website or app when you're ready to apply. A forum post from a few years ago won't tell you what applies today.
Converting your licence: what you need
You need a valid Emirates ID to apply, so your residence visa and Emirates ID come first. If you're still waiting for yours, read how to get your Emirates ID.
You can apply online through the RTA's channels or in person at an RTA Customer Happiness Centre. To finish, you may be asked to bring your original licence to a centre and hand it in, so don't plan on keeping it.
Check that the name on your licence matches your Emirates ID before you start. If it doesn't, ask the RTA what they need from you first. That's better than finding out at the counter. In the team's experience the process is smooth, and you're guided through each step.
- Your valid Emirates ID
- Your original foreign licence, which must still be valid
- An electronic eye test. You can take it at an accredited eye test centre, an RTA Customer Happiness Centre or a driving school
- A legal translation of your licence if it isn't in English or Arabic
Driving before you've converted
Visitors from some countries can drive on their home licence. Others need an International Driving Permit as well. Rental companies will tell you which applies to you, and our guide to renting a car in Dubai covers what else they check.
Once your residence visa is issued, don't assume your home licence still covers you. Check with the RTA directly, and get your UAE licence sorted early rather than leaving it until last.
Learning at a driving school: how it works
If your country isn't on the list, or you've never driven, you sign up with an RTA-approved driving school. The minimum age for a car licence in the UAE has been 17 since March 2025.
Your training and test results are saved under your file in the RTA's system. That means you can move your file to another school, or another emirate, if you need to. The usual order runs like this:
- Register with the school using your Emirates ID and get your learner's permit.
- Take the eye test.
- Finish your theory classes, online or at the school, then pass the theory test. You need that pass before practical lessons start.
- Take your practical lessons. How many depends on your driving experience.
- Pass the school's own internal assessment, then the remaining highway and city road classes.
- Pass the parking test in the school's yard. It's automated and covers hill parking, emergency braking, angle parking, garage parking and parallel parking.
- The school books your RTA road test. Once you pass, the RTA can issue your licence electronically in the RTA Dubai app.
Already drive? Ask about the Golden Chance
If your licence comes from a country that isn't on the exchange list, ask your school about the Golden Chance. You take the theory test and the road test straight away, with no training hours first.
You only get one try. Fail the road test and you go back to training, though based on your experience you can skip the theory part.
Expect to fail the road test
The team's honest advice: expect to fail your first road test, and if you pass, be pleasantly surprised. Failing is close to a rite of passage here. In our experience, examiners will find a reason to fail you even when you feel you did nothing wrong.
One team member needed three attempts. They felt they'd driven well on the two they failed, and they made a couple of mistakes on the one they passed. Their view is that it comes down to consistency, so don't take a fail personally.
Don't argue with the examiner. Raising your voice won't change the result. Accept it, ask your school whether you need more lessons and book the next test.
What decides how long it takes and what you'll pay
There's no single answer, and prices change, so we don't quote any here. A separate budgeting guide will cover costs. For now, these are the things that make it longer or more expensive:
- Whether you convert (an eye test and an exchange) or learn (a full course and several tests)
- How many lessons the school says you need, based on your experience
- Whether you pass each test first time. Every fail adds a retest and sometimes extra lessons
- Your package. Many schools sell VIP packages that book lessons two at a time, which gets you through faster
- Manual or automatic. An automatic licence only lets you drive automatics. You can upgrade later by passing a road test in a manual
Choosing a school
Find a school you trust and ask them for the fastest route to your licence. Get a full written breakdown before you sign, including what a failed test adds.
When you compare schools, compare like with like: the same gearbox, the same class times and the same number of lessons. Ask how soon they can book your tests, too, because a short course isn't much use if you then wait weeks for a test slot.
If you live in another emirate
Each emirate runs its own licensing. Dubai's is the RTA. Outside Dubai you apply through that emirate's own licensing authority or through Ministry of Interior services. There is one exception that The National has reported on: if your visa is from another emirate but your employer has a Dubai branch, you can apply through the RTA. You'd need a company letter confirming you work in Dubai, plus trade licence copies for both branches. Confirm this with the RTA before you rely on it.
If you're thinking of living in Sharjah and working in Dubai, think hard about the commute. The team finds that drive very frustrating, and we don't recommend it.
Ask around, then check it yourself
Anyone who's lived here a while has a licence story, and some of it will help you. Listen, but don't treat it as fact. Rules here change quickly, and what worked for a friend two years ago may not work now.
Before you act on anything, check it with the RTA app, the RTA website or your school.
Once you've got your licence
Fines are easy to pick up and easy to miss, so learn early where to look for them. Our guide to checking and paying fines shows you how.
Thinking about getting your own car? Start with buying a car in Dubai, which covers new or used, finance and registration.
Next step
Look up your licence on the RTA exchange list today. Then read the rest of our cars and driving guides on renting, buying and fines.