Dubai: If you have recently moved to the UAE from a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country, you may be wondering if your GCC driving licence can be converted to a UAE driving licence.
Well, if you are a visitor in the UAE, you can easily drive in the country using your GCC driving licence, as licences issued in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman are accepted. So, if you are renting a car while on a visit to the UAE, your GCC driving licence will be acceptable as a driving licence.
However, once you become a resident, you are required to apply for a UAE driving licence.
Former GCC residents need to take knowledge, road test
In order to apply for a UAE driving licence, you simply need to visit one of the driving schools in the UAE. The good news is that you do not need to take driving classes and can directly take the tests for the driving licence, which include the knowledge or theory test and the road test.
The cost for applying for the licence is also lower, as you would not need to pay for the classes. The charges for opening a traffic file, taking a mock test, and then a theory and road test can vary slightly from one driving school to another, but would normally cost between Dh2,000 to Dh2,500.
Swapping your home country’s driving licence
If you are a GCC national, however, you will be able to swap your GCC licence for a UAE driving licence. In fact, if you have a licence issued from your home country, you may be eligible for this service, if the licence is issued by one of the countries recognised for the licence exchange facility in the UAE. The process can vary slightly, depending on which emirate you are applying in, and you can find the details on which countries’ driving licences are eligible for the service here.
