A Complete Guide on Applying for International Driving Licence in Dubai

An international driving licence is for all the residents of Dubai who travel to other countries frequently for leisure or work purposes. A major part of your budget is spent on taxi fares and paying for local rides to get from one place to another. Therefore, with your international driving licence, you can easily rent a car and drive around without any trouble.

Let’s learn how to apply for an international driving licence in Dubai to minimise commuting costs and avoid the hassle of finding a ride in other countries. 

WHAT IS AN INTERNATIONAL DRIVING LICENCE (IDL)?

UAE residents need to apply for an International Driving Permit (IDP) if they want to drive a vehicle in any other country outside the United Arab Emirates. Essentially, the IDL is a legal requirement and United Nations convention that permits UAE residents to drive cars without any test or applications. An IDP is proof that you hold a valid driving licence in your country of residence. 

HOW IS AN INTERNATIONAL DRIVING LICENCE HELPFUL?

Getting an international driving licence in Dubai allows you to rent a car and drive when you’re abroad. Other advantages of an international driving licence include:

1. Acts as your supplementary identification document abroad
2. Acts as proof that you have a valid driving licence in Dubai onto which you have received an international driving licence
3. Shatters language barriers for law enforcement agencies because the driving licence can be printed in the following ten languages:

• Arabic
• Chinese
• English
• French
• German 
• Spanish
• Russian
• Italian
• Scandinavian
• Portuguese 

IN WHICH COUNTRIES IS AN INTERNATIONAL DRIVING LICENCE REQUIRED?

An international driving licence in Dubai allows you to drive legally in numerous countries. Here’s the Dubai international driving licence valid countries list, arranged in alphabetical order, all accept and permit you to drive a vehicle contingent on the display of IDL. 

• Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Aguila, Angola, Antigua, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria
• Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso
• Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde Islands, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Congo Dem Rep., Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic
• Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic
• Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia
• Fiji, Finland, France & French Overseas Deptartment, French Polynesia
• Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gabon
• Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong (People’s Republic of China), Hungary
• Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy
• Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Jordan
• Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea (Rep.), Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan,
• Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho (1), Liberia, Libya, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg
• Macao (People’s Republic of China), Macedonia (FYROM), Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar
• Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Norway
• Oman
• Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal (inc Madeira; the Azores)
• Qatar
• Russia, Romania, Rwanda
• San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, St Kitts & Nevis, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria
• Taiwan (People’s Republic of China), Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey
• Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay
• Vatican City, Venezuela
• Windward Islands
• Zambia, Zimbabwe

WHAT DOCUMENTS ARE REQUIRED?

To obtain an international driving licence in Dubai, you have to have the following documents ready and valid at the time of submission:

1.       The IDL request form, downloaded from ATCUAE website and filled in carefully

2.       Copy of your valid passport

3.       Two passport size, coloured photographs

4.       Copy of your Emirates ID

5.       A copy of your valid Dubai driving licence

WHAT IS THE COST OF INTERNATIONAL DRIVING LICENCE IN DUBAI AND VALIDITY?

The preparation and acquisition cost of international driving licence in Dubai is AED 170 + VAT. The validity period is 1 year.

INTERNATIONAL DRIVING LICENCE IN DUBAI: HOW TO APPLY?

Fortunately, obtaining an international driving licence in Dubai is unlike the procedure of getting a local driving licence, enabled by online registration or visiting one of the designated offices. To make things easy for you, we have detailed each method below:

APPLY FOR AN INTERNATIONAL DRIVING LICENCE IN DUBAI ONLINE

Those who wish to apply for an international driving licence in Dubai online need to follow this procedure:

• Visit the ATCUAE website
• Fill the IDL request form
• Complete the request form with true and relevant information available on the portal
• Attach the required documents in PDF or JPG format, not more than 2MB
• Pay the fees online with card
• Press on ‘Submit’

The given time for processing online applications is 3 days. You can wait for 5 days to have it delivered to your entered address.

Besides, you can also apply via the Ministry of Interior through the MOI UAE app (iOS | Android).

APPLY FOR AN INTERNATIONAL DRIVING LICENCE IN DUBAI DESIGNATED OFFICES

To get an international driving licence manually, here is the process detailed:

1. Gather all required documents and visit the nearest branch or office of one of the following:
   • Automobile & Touring Club of UAE (ATCUAE)
   • Affiliate members of ATCUAE
   • Emirates Post Offices
   • DNATA Office on Sheikh Zayed Road (E11)
2. Submit all your documents. Double-check the facts and figures.
3. Pay the fees at the office
4. Receive your international driving licence at your provided address.

Keep in mind that manual applications are much quicker than online ones. If there are no anomalies in your documents, your IDL will be printed within 30 minutes, the same day, and handed over to you.

Golden Chance (Direct Test) Driving Licence For Non-exempt Countries

If you are a national of the aforementioned countries, and have a driving licence issued by the country, you are eligible to get a Golden Chance driving licence in Dubai.

Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) has recently launched the “Golden Chance” initiative, which allows expatriates to take a driving test without the need to attend driving lessons. In the past, if your license was not eligible for automatic conversion, you had to complete the driving lessons before taking the test. The Golden Chance driving licence only includes a knowledge test and only a one-time road test service.

According to the RTA, the estimated cost of the Golden Chance driving licence is AED 2,134. However, the final fee varies considering the driving school.

With that, we conclude our guide to applying for an international driving licence in Dubai. We hope you found it resourceful and helpful. Bear in mind that a valid Dubai driving licence is mandatory not only for IDL but also for buying a new or used car in Dubai.

Stay tuned to UAE’s top auto blogs for more information related to driving licences in the Emirates, traffic laws and more.