Driving in the UAE on a foreign, GCC or UAE licence

Rules are as of 4 November 2026. Items from Cabinet Resolution 174 of 2026 are labelled from 1 January 2027.

The Decree-Law applies now and Resolution 174 replaces the 1997 rules on 1 January 2027

Federal Decree-Law 14 of 2024 was issued on 30 September 2024, took effect on 29 March 2025 and repealed Federal Law 21 of 1995.¹ u.ae lists it as applied today with Ministerial Resolutions 130 of 1997 and 178 of 2017 and Cabinet Resolution 30 of 2017.²

Cabinet Resolution 174 of 2026 is the Decree-Law’s Executive Regulation. It was issued on 6 October 2026, and takes effect on 1 January 2027. Article 130 repeals Resolution 130 of 1997, the resolutions issued to implement it, and anything that conflicts.³ The text is Arabic only on the portal, so the wording here is our translation. Lexis notes an English version is pending.⁴

Residents exchange or apply, and visitors depend on licence and visa

Article 77 lets holders of valid international or foreign licences or temporary permits, allowed to stay for non-residence purposes, drive light vehicles and motorcycles with no UAE licence, if they are:³

1. Nationals of a state with a bilateral memorandum on mutual recognition of licences.
2. Holders of licences from states exempted by Cabinet decision.
3. Holders of a valid international licence.
4. Holders of a licence issued by a GCC state.

Ask the Ministry of Interior whether a Cabinet decision lists exempted states. Article 77 does not state its effect on someone waiting for residence, so ask RTA.

u.ae’s arrival page says visitors driving in need an international driving permit and valid vehicle insurance.⁶ MOI’s Markhoos initiative lets some visitors drive on a national licence.⁷ These answer different groups.

Sources word the Saudi and GCC licence question differently

RTA on 800 90 90 or the Ministry of Interior can answer for a particular visa and licence.

Exchanging a Saudi licence as a non-Saudi is less clear. RTA has a service type called “Holder of a Licence from an exception country different from my nationality”. Its FAQ refers to holders who are “only eligible for the theory test and Road Test”. It also has a table headed “List of the 20 countries eligible for exchange”, with 20 rows, and a separate country list with 60 entries.⁵ Call RTA on 800 90 90 for a specific case.

Exchange lists differ by source

RTA says licences from Guam, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Monaco, North Mariana, Puerto Rico and Andorra cannot be replaced.⁵

MOI’s exchange conditions are an approved country, age 18 or over, a valid licence, a residence visa in the emirate or a place of residence, work or study there, and an eye test. The original is handed over for some countries.⁸ A GCC national’s GCC licence must be valid and is surrendered. A GCC passport holder with a licence from the same country or an exception country can exchange in Dubai wherever the Emirates ID was issued.⁵

Dubai’s exchange totals AED 1,050

The fees are RTA’s.⁵ The MOI service lists a federal fee of AED 600.⁸ An exchanged licence is valid for 1 year under 21 and 2 years at 21 or older.⁵

RTA lists no NOC for residents with a Dubai visa.⁵ u.ae still mentions a sponsor NOC “if required by the related traffic department” when opening a traffic file.⁹

Age and validity stay close to today’s rules in 2027

Decree-Law Article 10 sets 17 as the general age.¹ For cars, u.ae and Article 54 say 18.

To renew now, u.ae says traffic fines must be settled, and renewal is online in most emirates.⁹ RTA’s renewal page, updated 28 October 2026, lists a medical fitness test as a requirement for professional drivers, and an eye test valid for 3 years.¹⁰ From 1 January 2027, applications go in within 30 days of expiry with fines settled first (Art 73). A licence lapsed for over 10 years needs theory and practical tests (Art 76).³

RTA’s channel uploaded this video on 29 January 2026.

Play: How to Renew Your Driving Licence with RTANothing loads from YouTube until you click. Plays through youtube-nocookie.com.

Driving with no licence or an unrecognised one is a court matter

Other fines are in the traffic fines guide.

Insurance is required by law and the unified text has no nationality rule

Article 19(1) requires a vehicle to be insured by an insurance company holding a UAE licence before it is registered or renewed. Article 19(2) bars conditions that reduce or prevent cover of full civil liability for death, injury or material damage.¹ Driving without insurance, or an unlicensed vehicle, is AED 500, 4 black points and 7 days impound under schedule item 22.¹¹

The unified policy texts have no nationality rule. The question for expatriates is licence validity, above. The choice of comprehensive cover is not set by these laws. See the unified policy guide.

From 1 January 2027, a vehicle must be insured at least against third party liability (Art 102(1)). Insurers may not refuse a vehicle that passed inspection (Art 102(2)). The policy must cover the whole licence period and run to the end of 30 days after it (Art 102(3)).³ Details are in the vehicle registration renewal guide.

A foreign vehicle from 2027 is exempt from registration if it holds a valid licence at home, is insured before entry and throughout, and stays within the visa period (Art 100). The insurance test is met by a policy covering UAE accidents, a Unified Arab policy, or insurance bought at the entry point (Art 103).³

The unified third party policy does not apply outside the UAE (Chapter 1, clause 2).¹² A resident taking a Dubai-plated car abroad needs an RTA tourism certificate, valid for 6 months, after an NOC from the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE; a citizen going to a GCC country needs neither.¹³ From 1 January 2027, Article 80 of Resolution 174 requires anyone leaving the UAE with a vehicle to hold a tourism certificate and a customs carnet, with citizens going to GCC countries exempt.³ See Oman and GCC cover.

Duties listed in Resolution 174 from 2027

• No more than 9 driving hours in 24, which the Federal Traffic Council may change (Art 7).
• Seat belts for all front and rear passengers (Art 7).
• No distraction, including phones (Art 7).
• Right-hand drive vehicles cannot get a licence, except for display (Art 89(3)).

All from Resolution 174, effective 1 January 2027.³ Seat belts and phones are also fined now under schedule items 51 and 32.¹¹ Speed limits, driving rules and child seats are in the road rules and speed limits guide.

Tolls, impound and speed limits differ by emirate

The licensing authority is per emirate and sets speed limits and radar locations.¹⁴ u.ae names Salik and Darb as the toll systems.¹⁵ Limits and radar settings for each emirate are in the road rules and speed limits guide.

Dubai tolls are on the Salik guide. Darb also lists AED 10,000 for manipulating a plate to evade fees and AED 10,000 for damaging gates or payment machines. Total fines on one vehicle may not exceed AED 25,000 in the year from the first violation.¹⁷

From 1 January 2027, rental offices must confirm the renter’s licence is valid (Art 124), and rental drivers must pay traffic violations and fees incurred during the rental (Art 125).³ Check the rental terms for any different rule on visitors.