As a UAE expat, you know how hard it is to get a driving license here. The process is made stringent for the safety of the drivers themselves as well as others on the road. However, if you are an expat with a driving license from 17 certain countries, you do not have to get a license here.
Recently, Ministry of Foreign Affairs has included 13 more countries to the list of license-holders who do not have to get a UAE driving license for driving here. These include:
- Austria
2. Slovakia
3. Luxembourg
4. China
5. Portugal
6. Finland
7. Romania
8. Denmark
9. Serbia
10. Poland
11. Netherlands
12. Latvia
13. Lithuania
In order to convert your driving license in Dubai, you need following documents:
- A valid original driving license
- Valid residence visa issued by Dubai
- A completed form of replacement of license
- No objection letter from sponsor to replace license and optometry form accredited by the health authority in the emirate.
Below is the list of all 30 countries who can convert their driving licenses in the UAE:
- United Kingdom
2. United States of America
3. France
4. Japan
5. Germany
6. Italy
7. Belgium
8. Netherland
9. Switzerland
10. Denmark
11. Greece
12. Spain
13. Sweden
14. Ireland
15. Norway
16. Turkey
17. Canada
18. Poland
19. South Korea
20. Finland
21. South Africa
22. Australia
23. Romania
24. New Zealand
25. Singapore
26. Hong Kong
27. Austria
28. Slovakia
29. Luxembourg
30. Serbia
Please bear in mind, this list of 30 countries is taken from Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, which is dissimilar to the one posted on Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
According to RTA Dubai, license holders from the following countries do not need to apply for a new license in Dubai: Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States.