Dubai Forums Dubai Tech Discussions Dubai Auto

hi all,

i would like to know if i can drive in dubai with an international driving permit issued from india.

regards,
thaddeus
India

Technically yes, but with limitations. An International Driving Permit is valid for all countries which have signed the Agreement with the exception of the country in which the permit is issued. Your permit, issued in India, is valid here only as long as you remain a visitor to the country - as soon as you have a resident's permit, your International permit is no longer valid and you have to sit and pass a driving test to gain a national licence.

I think you will also find that for insurance purposes, the only things you can drive legally here on the International permit, are rental cars, so that rules out borrowing something from a mate.

For a thorough clarification, I suggest you get on to either the Police website or contact ATC UAE, who are the International Permit issuers here in UAE - their office is on Maktoum Street in Dubai. The Permit rules should be the same in all countries.

autodrone wrote:I think you will also find that for insurance purposes, the only things you can drive legally here on the International permit, are rental cars, so that rules out borrowing something from a mate.

Yes. And you need your home country driving license - the IDP is not a driving license.

To drive a non-rental car, you need to get a temporary license from the traffic department.

Information from driving license in Dubai

Now I didn't know that!

Usually when I go back to UK, I rent on the International Permit alone - it has always been accepted and I don't recollect ever having to show a further licence. Maybe the rental companies at the airports just assume that if you have the coupon, and are older (!) you MUST have a licence of some sort.

I'll be testing it at the end of the month!

autodrone wrote:Maybe the rental companies at the airports just assume that if you have the coupon, and are older (!) you MUST have a licence of some sort.

Sounds reasonable - you can't get an IDP unless you have a licence.

If you have a UK passport you do not need an international DL if you hire or rent a car. The same goes for USA, Can, Aussie, EU etcetc.

arniegang wrote:If you have a UK passport you do not need an international DL if you hire or rent a car. The same goes for USA, Can, Aussie, EU etcetc.

I tried to get a rental car (AutoPlus on SZR, next to VW showroom) last week with my EU license and it got declined. I received the message that this has changed last month and only International & UK licenses are accepted.

So, I applied for a temp UAE license (valid for 6 month) and got this done in 2 hours, went back to the car rental, now I had to show in addition to the freshly received temp license also my EU license (?) and got the car.

I just hope that I can convert my EU license to a UAE license without trouble. I hear different stories from different ppl. Maybe my UAE temp license will help a bit as well ? We'll see.

Habibi wrote:I just hope that I can convert my EU license to a UAE license without trouble.

Should be fine if your passport is from the same country as your licence, and you have a residency visa. Although since RTA took over Dubai traffic related issues from the police, you never know.