Data from the Ministry of Interior’s “Markhoos” service shows that UAE citizens can exchange their UAE driving licence for a local licence in 34 international destinations upon obtaining residency. They can also drive using their UAE license when visiting 33 of these destinations for tourism or short-term stays.
Through the Markhoos initiative, the Ministry of Interior provides a driving license recognition and exchange service that allows UAE citizens to drive with their national license in various countries and exchange it for a local license when residing abroad.
The initiative also enables visitors from these destinations to the UAE to drive using their national licenses and exchange them for an Emirati license if they become residents.
The Ministry explained on its website that “recognition” refers to the acceptance of national driving licenses for UAE nationals while residing abroad, as well as the acceptance of national driving licenses for visitors residing in the UAE.
“Replacement” refers to the exchange of national driving licenses for UAE nationals residing abroad and the exchange of visitors’ national driving licenses for an Emirati driving license upon obtaining residency in the UAE.
The list of destinations where UAE citizens can drive using a UAE license and/or exchange it for a local license upon residency includes: Estonia, Albania, Portugal, China, Hungary, Greece, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Malta, Iceland, Montenegro, Israel, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, the United Kingdom, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland, Finland, Croatia, the U.S. state of Texas, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Kyrgyzstan. South Korea permits the exchange of a UAE driving license only in the case of residency.
Data from the Markhoos service also shows that citizens of 53 countries can exchange their national driving licenses for an Emirati license upon residency without the need to take practical or theoretical driving tests.
Holders of 52 nationalities from these countries are also permitted to drive in the UAE using their national licenses during visits (without residency). South Korean citizens, however, may exchange their license only upon residency.
The conditions for exchanging a foreign driving license include:
- The license must be issued by a country eligible for license exchange.
- The applicant must meet the legal driving age requirements.
- The license must be valid.
- The applicant must hold residency issued by the relevant emirate or have a residence, work, or study address in the emirate.
- The applicant must pass an eye test.
- The original license must be surrendered in cases required under applicable memorandums of understanding.
Required documents for license exchange include:
- A legal translation of the original foreign license.
- A copy of the original license.
- The license exchange fee is AED 600.
Through its smart application and website, the Ministry of Interior provides the recognition and exchange service under the Markhoos initiative, allowing visitors to the UAE to drive using their national licenses or exchange them for an Emirati license upon obtaining residency.