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Just read the following off the website of the Emirates Driving School:

"If a student is holding a valid Original licence of his/her country the following documents are required - Original country's licence (valid) and the affadavit from his/her consulate stating that the licence is valid then he/she can either register for 20 classes without parking test or give a preliminary test(only for gents) to find out the number of classes required for registering which can be 7,10 ,14 or 20."

Since I have an existing driving license, does this mean that I need to get an affidavit from the Indian embassy in the UAE certifying that my license is valid and once this is done, I can take only 20 hours of driving lessons? Has anyone gone through this process? Any idea how long it takes to get such an affidavit from the Indian embassy and the cost involved?

Phone the Driving School and the embassy.

Hi SYIEM,

I came here three months back and went through this painful process.

You need to :

1. Make two/three photocopies of your driving license and then visit the Indian Embassy along with original and photocopies.
2. You need to waste a couple of hours there and get the thing done. Things are a bit chaotic there, but generally you get it on that day itself.
3. Then you need to visit your driving institute, go through the process of eye testing and filling up forms with shall be done quite efficiently.
4. You will be given a registration number for manual or automatic driving whichever you choose and you will have to go for 20 training classes.

Two most important things :

A) Call the driving school every alternative day to speed up beginning of your training classes. Otherwise it will take ages to start.

B) Go for the traffic rule lecture right at the beginning and then apply for a date for the computer signal test. Generally they give you a date after two weeks from the date you apply and if you have finished your classes by then, they make you take more classes and make more money out of you.

Finally : UNLEARN WHATEVER YOU HAVE LEARNED IN INDIA ABOUT DRIVING. THAT WILL MAKE THINGS EASY FOR YOU TO OBTAIN A UAE DRIVING LIC.

Happy driving.

Thanks so much. I will have a Sharjah residence visa. Does that create any issue with getting a driving licence in Dubai?

syiem wrote:Thanks so much. I will have a Sharjah residence visa. Does that create any issue with getting a driving licence in Dubai?

Yes. You can get a Sharjah license only!

Can I drive in Dubai with a Sharjah license? I believe there is some way to tranfer the Sharjah license to Dubai and get a Dubai driving license. Any idea?

syiem wrote:Can I drive in Dubai with a Sharjah license? I believe there is some way to tranfer the Sharjah license to Dubai and get a Dubai driving license. Any idea?

A driving licence issued in Sharjah is valid for the United Arab Emirates, of which their are 7 including Dubai.

syiem wrote:I believe there is some way to tranfer the Sharjah license to Dubai and get a Dubai driving license. Any idea?

Live in Dubai or have a residence visa from Dubai might work.

Thanks folks. Getting a Dubai residence visa is out. I'm stuck with the Sharjah residence visa... How easy/difficult is it to get a Sharjah driving license? Is it the same procedure as Dubai?

I read somewhere that if you have a residence visa of some other Emirate, you can get permssion to take the driving tests in Dubai and get a Dubai driving license. Any thoughts on this one? Anyone know what the exact procedure is?

sharjah is more difficult than Dubai. Even in Dubai all the process is under RTA now, so not easy for a first timer.

wish u all the luck

J

So there is no way of getting a Dubai driving license with a Sharjah work permit?

syiem wrote:So there is no way of getting a Dubai driving license with a Sharjah work permit?

I'm I missing anything? What difference does it make which Emirate issues your license? It is still an UAE license and you have to comply with the traffic laws (well, in theory anyway) wherever you drive.

If I am not mistaken, Babydoll (see other thread) is a resident of Dubai and just got her license in Sharjah (which was easier to obtain - somehow - baksheesh maybe...).

Concord wrote:

syiem wrote:So there is no way of getting a Dubai driving license with a Sharjah work permit?

I'm I missing anything? What difference does it make which Emirate issues your license? It is still an UAE license and you have to comply with the traffic laws (well, in theory anyway) wherever you drive.

If I am not mistaken, Babydoll (see other thread) is a resident of Dubai and just got her license in Sharjah (which was easier to obtain - somehow - baksheesh maybe...).

Maybe her visa is Sharjah? Anyway, the main issue is that he'd have to take lessons and test in Sharjah, which is more difficult in Sharjah, although it seems that doesn't help their driving much.

The license is a UAE license valid across the UAE.

The issuing office is Dubai or Sharjah or Abu Dhabi or wherever, but it covers the whole UAE.

syiem, did you get this done?
care to share how ??

still in the process of gettin git done... have completed a week of theory lessons and cleared the written theory test.. have to start the garage parking lessons this weekend, after which I will finally get a road test (which I may or may not clear in the first attempt, depending on the mood of the person)- all this after driving for 15 years!!!

sharjah is a nightmare.. completely avoidable if one can help it... have resigned myself to sticking with cabs for the time being.. they're bleeding me dry....

syiem wrote:So there is no way of getting a Dubai driving license with a Sharjah work permit?

Maybe if you live in Dubai and have a tenancy agreement in your name.

nah.. checked that out as well.. used to happen earlier but they've changed the rules...

cleared the 'garage parking' test today.. bloody joke.. after 15 years of driving, have to pass a test to reverse a car and park it!!!

anyway, now I can finally get on to the road and start lessons for the road test...

bonk wrote:

syiem wrote:So there is no way of getting a Dubai driving license with a Sharjah work permit?

Maybe if you live in Dubai and have a tenancy agreement in your name.

As above you can only get a license in the emirate your visa is issued in.

As for the driving rules, on the face of it they look ridiculous but given the people who go through all this long process are still often an absolute abomination (from many nations) on the road I can at least understand why they put some controls in place.

these aren't controls. getting a license has less to do with your driving skills than the mood of the person sitting next to you who decides who should get a license and who shouldn't, depending on their mood. It's a joke that anyone on a visit visa with an intn'l license can rent a car and drive, but the moment you get a residence visa, you need to go through the whole license process. I'm all for having controls in place, which can easily be implemented by making it mandatory for everyone with a prior license to take a minimum number of driving "classes", sort of a primer for driving on Dubai roads. Lets face it, just getting a UAE license does not make you a better driver. I'll be happy to forego the license requirement if there was better public transport available.

Dear Friends,

I'm working as an Electrical Engineer, in Abu Dhabi.
I may get transfer to Dubai after 1 year.
The company is going to apply for my Employment Visa. Since they are having branches in Dubai & Abu Dhabi , they can get either Visa from both of these emirates. Also I can tell them, which visa to take.

I have heard that , Taking Driving License in Abu Dhabi is tougher compared to that of Dubai...Is it true ?


Which is more easier to take ? Driving License from Abu Dhabi or from Dubai ?

How many tests will be there in Abu Dhabi ? How long will it take to get a call to go for driving lessons , after opening the file ?

Please share your opinions with me..