Driving License UAE and KSA

Hi Yousf84,
Were you able to convert your UAE license before without any exam?
I am having a valid Dubai exam and planning to get Saudi license once i got my Iqama. Thanks.

Hey Noeli,

You have 2 options :

1. Either you surrender your UAE Driving License , and they will take one test for you , i heard from my colleagues its a very simple preliminarily test ( hardly 1 min).. and if you pass they ask you to come other day and take license. Obviously you should have an original Iqama.
What i have also heard that if you go back to dubai/uae, you need to produce it and they will give you a new company of driving license  ( Again this what i have heard).

2. Other option you have, which i did was that , I didn't surrender my uae license , I showed them my Indian driving license, and opted for the preliminary test, i passed it, and then i had a final test ( next)  i passed followed by online test which i passed, and i got driving license next day. Note that if you dont pass preliminary test, they can ask you to come for 5 Classes  or 30 Classes 

So do whichever option you think suits best for you.

Hope it helps.

I was a similar situation in Bahrain.  I converted my UAE driving licence and handed it over to them. 

However, before going there, I had gone to the traffic department in the UAE and gotten a duplicate one issued.  So now, I have both driving licences.

I don't think it's an issue as you can always get a UAE driving licence if you ever go back to the UAE.  All it requires is a valid residence visa and a copy of your previous licence / traffic file number.  The only reason people don't get it is because their licence has expired while they were out.  You can't renew a licence once it's expired without a road test.  You can renew it if its expiring AND you are resident in the UAE.

What i know is since uae and ksa are both GCC countries, they honor each other's driving license...they have several multi-lateral agreements, i visited dxb last month and rent myself a car...and they honor my ksa license....

i might be wrong though.

Renting is a different story; if you are not a resident that is.  Non residents can rent on their GCC licences and drive, no issue.

If you get a UAE work permit and residency, you have to have a UAE licence.

@xtang.

You mentioned "The only reason people don't get it is because their licence has expired while they were out.  You can't renew a licence once it's expired without a road test.  You can renew it if its expiring AND you are resident in the UAE."

If i understood it correctly :

1. If my license is expiring and I'm outside UAE and not holding UAE Visa, My License will get cancelled . and if i need license again i need to give driving test ( Off course after having residence visa).

2. If my license is expiring and I'm inside UAE, I can get License renewed without any driving test.

Are you sure about it ? I don't see any logic in the First case.

Correct.

1) In the first case, the problem is that you cannot renew the driving licence unless you have a valid residence visa and Emirates ID.  They check for that whether you renew or get a duplicate licence (and you have to go in person).  Now the information is different from where you hear it; some people have been told by RTA that if you have an expired driving licence of the UAE within 2 years of expiry; you can get a new one after paying a fine but no road test (Eye test only). Others have been told that you can get a new one only within 6 months of expiry after which you have to give a road test.  Either way, what's for sure is that you cannot renew an expiring driving licence without valid residence visa and Emirates ID.  The test is again dependent on the mood of the RTA people when you show up in their offices with expired licence and a big smile
2) Yes, you only need to do an eye test and have them update it on the RTA system.  Then you go to the RTA offices, they will take a picture and print out the new one

Thanks for informing.

GCC agree on common driving licence system

Abu Dhabi: The GCC countries have agreed to a common driving licence system at a conference that took place Sunday in Abu Dhabi.
The three-day conference of directors of traffic departments from the GCC countries is being held to address common challenges, policies and procedures related to traffic issues.
"The UAE presented a proposal for a unified driving licence system. An agreement was reached to implement the suggestion of having a common driving licence for vehicles, including motorcycles, construction vehicles and private cars," Gaith Al Za'abi, director-general of traffic coordination at the Ministry of Interior, said.
"Further discussions will address other types of vehicles, including age and other relevant issues," Al Za'abi added.
The conference will also talk about the possibility of implementing a suggestion made by Oman for a unified form for driving licences containing sufficient background and security information to minimise fraud. "The agreed to procedures will be sent to the ministries of interior for a final approval," he said.
The UAE has also presented a proposal for an electronic web service or an electronic gate that links traffic data across the GCC countries.
Related Links
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GCC mulls integrating medical histories, ID card
"Some 70 per cent of the traffic exchange data among the GCC countries is related to fines. The e-gate will make this data exchange easier and accessible to the public. GCC residents can check online and pay traffic fines committed in any other country," Al Za'abi said.
Success rate
The directors agreed to hold the "GCC Traffic Week" at the same time yearly. They also assessed the success rate of previous traffic campaigns and agreed to maintain the successful ones. In the UAE the Emirates ID will soon be linked to the traffic department as well as the immigration and naturalisation department.
"With this linkage renewing residency means having to pay all outstanding fines or vehicle related fees such as registration, insurance, renting etc," Brigadier Hussain Al Harthy, director of traffic and patrols at Abu Dhabi Police, said.
Enforcing the speed limit helped reduce traffic accidents, according to Al Harthy. "Our procedures have helped reduce fatalities to 10 per 100,000 residents," Al Harthy said.

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/gcc-a … m-1.814655

@Mystical.
Article dates back to May30, 2011. We haven't seen anything implemented till now in this regards. Rather things have gone back. Earlier a KSA license could have be easily changed in to Dubai License without any driving test. Now it requires a driving test .

Well in my husband case, he worked in Kuwait for 1 year started his GCC driving license and that is the only driving test he had, Bahrain for 3 years, in Oman for 6 years, AlKhobar for 5 1/2 years, Qatar for 3 years and now here in Riyadh for more than 4 years now. All of his GCC driving licenses has been changed without any driving test and he use it to travel across Bahrain and Dubai without any problem.
When he moves from one country to the other he still use the previous license while his iqama is on going process and all they ask is if he has an existing GCC license and voila! They change even his expired Bahraini driving to their local driving license. Of course he need to be there to process all the papers and eye test but it only took him a day to have it done. I guessed he is just lucky because it happen twice in Qatar and here in Riyadh while he is in a long queue the Captain called him and ask "do you need a driving license my friend?" Then he assisted him and practise his English talking to my  husband.
Me on the other-hand had my driving license from Doha and now being moved here in Riyadh I only drive inside the compound using my International driving license

MysticaUK2009, thats true for ALL countries in the GCC except UAE.  If you move anywhere within the GCC as an expat i.e. Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi; your driving licence will be converted without any issue. EXCEPT In the UAE as they do not allow you do that without taking tests and / or classes. The only licences they convert are either GCC licences issued to GCC nationals or licences from some countries (like UK, USA etc).  And for this conversion, you need to be a resident in UAE as well as hold a valid licence (not expired).  If you move to UAE, unfortunately, both you and your husband will find this out the hard way (assuming if you don't have a convertible licence e.g. UK with a passport to match which btw is another rule i.e. licence & passport must match for conversion).

That is why the original poster was reluctant to surrender his UAE licence and why I followed the approach to get a duplicate. The UAE licence as a result of the above has much more value than any other licence in the GCC (it can be converted into any but none can be converted back into it).

The UAE licence as a result of the above has much more value than any other licence in the GCC (it can be converted into any but none can be converted back into it).

NOT QUITE RIGHT! My Auntie used to work in Oman for 10 years and went to move to U.A.E. she did not have problem changing her Omani Driving license. GCC is GCC they have associations.

MysticaUK2009 wrote:

The UAE licence as a result of the above has much more value than any other licence in the GCC (it can be converted into any but none can be converted back into it).

NOT QUITE RIGHT! My Auntie used to work in Oman for 10 years and went to move to U.A.E. she did not have problem changing her Omani Driving license. GCC is GCC they have associations.

I beg to differ; I am 100% right.  I am not quoting you anecdotal information from relatives or friends; rather actual facts and laws in the UAE.

I don't know the background on your aunt but that is the exception, not the norm. Having lived in the UAE for 4 years and seeing a lot of our company transporters go to the RTA offices for licence conversion, I do happen to know the rules and the process inside out.   

If you don't believe me; below is the link for the website of the RTA (Road and Transport Authority) of the UAE where you can check conversion eligibility online.  As an example, I put Indian / Pakistani passport holder with Omani licence and the website advised 30 classes and a test, NOT conversion.  Which by the way, was the nationality of the original poster who started the thread.

Only for nationals of certain countries (as per the list on the site) it says you are eligible for conversion.  And like I said before, that is NOT on the basis of a GCC licence; its on the basis of your US, UK, European etc etc licence and passport.

If the link doesnt work; go to the RTA site and under popular links look for transfer-ability of driving licence.

https://www.rta.ae/wps/portal/!ut/p/c5/ … ocale=true

Convert a foreign driving license to drive in Dubai   

Transfer of Existing Driving License
You may be eligible to transfer your existing driving license, without having to take a driving test or going to a driving school, if you have a valid driving license from some countries. You have to be a citizen of the country given below with current resident status in UAE. This means that former residents from these countries who may be holding permanent driver licenses are not eligible and you will have to follow all the steps to get a new license as given here.

The countries from which citizens can transfer their driving licenses are given below:

Australia, Austria, BAHRAIN, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, KUWAIT, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, OMAN, Poland, Portugal, QATAR, Romania, SAUDI ARABIA, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States. (Please call RTA on 8009090 for any changes to this list)

Please note: Driving license holders of some countries in the above list will require translations or consulate letters. These countries include:
Canada: A letter from the Canadian Consulate in Dubai to verify that the license is genuine is required, before transferring your license.
Driving license holders from Greece, Canada, Cyprus, Poland, Turkey, Japan & South Korea will require a translation of their driving license from their respective consulates.

http://dubai.ae/en/Lists/HowToGuide/DispForm.aspx?ID=11

MysticaUK2009 wrote:

http://dubai.ae/en/Lists/HowToGuide/DispForm.aspx?ID=11

The countries from which citizens can transfer their driving licenses are given below:

AND

You have to be a citizen of the country given below with current resident status in UAE. This means that former residents from these countries who may be holding permanent driver licenses are not eligible

MysticaUK2009; please read what you posted carefully.  It says CITIZENS and then it clarifies the point clearly i.e. former residents (Expats) who have permanent driving licences from those countries are not eligible (if you dont have a passport from those countries, tough luck).  That means for converting Oman / Qatar etc licence to UAE, you have to be a CITIZEN of those countries (GCC National) AND have a licence from those countries.  Which means Omani passport holder with Omani licence CAN convert. It also means that a Pakistan / Indian (or any national who is not on that list) who holds an Omani licence CANNOT convert.  It states that clearly if you read it properly.  Furthermore, you can also check and confirm it with the RTA link I pasted above. 

We are talking about expats and the article you posted, has already been covered in all of my replies to you above (i.e. who can convert and cannot).   You are reiterating the same point which I have already made but that is again not what we are debating.

As the original poster said, please don't respond to information on which you are not 100% sure as you will provide wrong information to people.

Why don't you stop pasting google searched articles and just go to the RTA link and see for yourself?  That is the official licencing authority site and the final word on this issue.

We're back to zero again! My husband is British with British passport but does not have UK license when he went to Kuwait after obtaining Kuwait license, moved to Bahrain, Oman, AlKhobar, Qatar then here in Riyadh. How come his license has been change from one country to the other when he has British passport without UK driving license?

Now this is my husband's real experience and not based on other peoples story or some link that are not even updated, people do search for answers and we share what we know! This is not a competition who has live longer and who has more experience in the Middle East! We just share what we know and what épée experienced.

Sometimes people read some blog to find some encouragement but if it say for example "how difficult can it be to live in the Middle East!" Do you think it's encouraging to them to even try? And yet they find out later on that it's not that difficult and we as an Expat who have lived in different part of GCC are truly greatful for all the benefits we have and the standard of living! Otherwise, why on earth people would chose to live in the Middle East?

U.A.E. Is not that difficult to get a driving license I said it because I do attend coffee morning with ladies here from different compound women who used to live in U.A.E. They do say it's not difficult to get a driving license in U.A.E. and they have been in a different part of GCC as well! So we women do talk more than you talking to other men I believe! We don't copy and paste from websites without a source and we do talk about our experiences here in the Middle East! I am telling you only here in Saudi Arabia women cannot get or convert our bloody driving license!

Mystica, you are digressing.

1) You pasted what I said. It's from an official site which means it's UAE traffic law
2) I pasted link from official site which allows you to check 1 above in real time
3) You have never lived in UAE. I have.
4) Your husbands example is irrelevant. I already told you that you CAN convert among any GCC country just not to UAE. Your husband took a test first time and got a licence. He then kept converting it. He can convert this to any gcc licence except UAE. For UAE he has to take a test if he doesn't have British licence

We are not at zero. I have put facts in front of you evidenced by OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT sites and information. If you choose to ignore and not read them and rely on coffee morning lady party hearsay.... That's your call. I am sure those ladies having coffee know the laws much better than the UAE government which is saying wrong things to people in its communication

Just don't get in the mindset of wanting to be right. Everything you are saying, I have already explained. You are just choosing not to read it properly.

To tell you frankly I may not have live in U.A.E. But my brother in-law lived there for 2 decades. He also don't have UK driving license when he moved to GCC! His driving license is from Iraq when he was assigned there in a Military base. And never had a problem moving around GCC and changing his driving license.

How can it be irrelevant when this board is for sharing experiences? You're not even a citizen of U.A.E. To tell such thing here. Your from Pakistan if you were origin of U.A.E. I may rest my case!

Mystica, it doesn't matter.

I am telling you what the situation is Today. And as per law and process. Not anecdotal second hand information.

Go to the site, most government dealings are online. You will know in one second if it's possible or not.

Quoting anecdotal information is useless. The traffic law is what is applied in the UAE today.

MysticaUK2009 wrote:

How can it be irrelevant when this board is for sharing experiences? You're not even a citizen of U.A.E. To tell such thing here. Your from Pakistan if you were origin of U.A.E. I may rest my case!

I can see that I am dealing with someone who simply cannot think.

My citizenship is irrelevant.  My comments are based on UAE law which you can verify by talking to RTA.

This is the last post from my side on this topic. I don't want to keep discussing something which is clear to everyone except you.

Probably you also believe that the earth is flat.... Because they say it at those coffee parties

Well! I just verified form the link you gave that My British passport and Qatari driving license can be changed to a U.A.E. Driving licenseI rest my case!
Will paste the screen shot later when I find out how.

Ha ha that's what I said exactly. Read above.

It is taking your British passport and Qatari licence and saying it can be converted. To actually convert, they will ask for British licence. By the way, it happened to me. I have a British passport (as well)  but had a us licence, they didn't convert as licence must match passport. Which was stupid as us licence is eligible. I had checked on site before going and asked them about site info and they said that logic it uses is approved nationality and approved licence. Not linking the two together.

I gave you example of Pakistani passport holder who asked question. Which was the topic we were debating

Excuse me! You originally said "The U.A.E. licence as a result of the above has much more value than any other licence in the GCC (it can be converted into any but none can be converted back into it)."

WHICH WE KNOW ITS NOT TRUE!

And you also said that whatever passport you have should be the same as your driving license for them to change your driving license to U.A.E. one.

AND HERE's THE PROOF MY UK PASSPORT WITH QATAR DRIVING LICENSE CAN BE CHANGE TO U.A.E. As per your official website says!

Put Pakistan nationality and Qatari licence.  You will see different result. The site is reading approved field for both drop down.  This means that Qatari licence is not convertible straight off.

Secondly,  the passport and licence must match. The site gives you conversion criteria like this :

Nationality = approved = yes
Licence = approved = yes
Total = yes
Matching = not checked

Go in person and you will find out about match. The article you pasted also says this. This has happened to me as I mentioned..... First hand experience.

And on converting back, the guy who started this thread was a Pakistani who wanted to know about this. He cannot convert it back.

XTang wrote:

Ha ha that's what I said exactly. Read above.

It is taking your British passport and Qatari licence and saying it can be converted. To actually convert, they will ask for British licence.

"By the way, it happened to me. I have a British passport (as well)  but had a us licence, they didn't convert as licence must match passport.

Which was stupid as us licence is eligible. "
I had checked on site before going and asked them about site info and they said that logic it uses is approved nationality and approved licence. Not linking the two together.

I gave you example of Pakistani passport holder who asked question. Which was the topic we were debating

NOW WHO GAVE HERE THIS OFFICIAL LINK THAT HE CANNOT EVEN PROVE ITS 100% ACCURATE?

The topic we are debating here is about GCC's in General as you said

"The U.A.E. licence as a result of the above has much more value than any other licence in the GCC (it can be converted into any but none can be converted back into it)."

Here's the result of British passport with Amercian driving license you said they did not change! When it clearly says "your license can be replaced!



BOLLOCKS! BOLLOCKS! BOLLOCKS!

Of course most Western driving license can be changed! I am not saying anything about your Pakistan driving license as it is definitely not on the list of exemptions!
GCC is GCC Do not imply here that U.A.E. lead the whole GCC!
END THE STORY!

Can you use proper grammar and not curse please?

I don't think you have a brain. You have been saying all along that a gcc licence can be converted, right?

Go on the same site,  put your Qatari licence and change nationality away from British to any which is not on the list and it will show you no. This means the licence is NOT convertible. If it was, nationality shouldn't matter, right? Any nationality should be able to convert gcc licence, right?  Then why is it showing you can't?

Secondly, read what I wrote. I have a British passport and US licence which I tried to convert and they refused saying passport and licence must match. This is from RTA themselves. Nowhere did I say I tried to convert Pakistan licence. 

You can either look at the logic and explain to me why gcc licence is not converted for nationalities not on the list (implying it's not the licence which is deciding factor) or believe what you want. Entirely up to you.

And read what the original poster said, he has a UAE licence converted to KSA and Pakistani passport. He wanted to convert it back. The site says he can't.

I am done from my side

Cool Down everyone.

RUBBISH!!!

FYI! The proof I posted is a screen shot of the link you gave in the first place!

AND IT DOES NOT SAY!!!

Nationality = approved = yes
Licence = approved = yes
Total = yes
Matching = not checked

https://www.rta.ae/wps/portal/!ut/p/c5/ … ocale=true

THIS IS WHAT IT SAY;

Inquiry on possibility of exchange driving license.

This service enables you to enquire on the possibility of exchanging a valid driving license issued from countries other than UAE, with a driving license issued by RTA. The service information is based on the nationality and country of issue

It only say a result as

" Your License can be replaced. please visit one of our customer services to process your transaction"
* License must be valid

You claim to have brain??? Duh! You can't back up your statement and kept editing it trying to invent all sort of RUBBISH! You are indeed from Pakistan because they like to argue with women with their non-sense!

The topic we are debating here is about GCC's in General as you said in your statement,

"The U.A.E. licence as a result of the above HAS MUCH MORE VALUE than any other licence in the GCC (it can be converted into any but none can be converted back into it)."

GCC is GCC END THE STORY AND QUIT TALKING RUBBISH! YOU'RE NOT EVEN A CITIZEN OF U.A.E. To be proud of it!

LOL! stick to your statement man!

The topic has been addressed appropriately, thanks ladies and gents.

I REPEAT!

The topic we are debating here is about GCC's in General as you said in your statement,

"The U.A.E. licence as a result of the above HAS MUCH MORE VALUE than any other licence in the GCC (it can be converted into any but none can be converted back into it)."

GCC is GCC END THE STORY AND QUIT TALKING RUBBISH! YOU'RE NOT EVEN A CITIZEN OF U.A.E. To be proud of it!

LOL! stick to your statement man!

Having read all the post and to be fair, it seems  @MysticaUK2009 either you dont understand what XTang is saying, or you're just arguing because of your ego + You seem to be very racist, abusive and arrogant  in your comments.

@Blog Moderator : Please take the necessary action.

yousf84 wrote:

Having read all the post and to be fair, it seems  @MysticaUK2009 either you dont understand what XTang is saying, or you're just arguing because of your ego + You seem to be very racist, abusive and arrogant  in your comments.

@Blog Moderator : Please take the necessary action.

Well if he hasn't been rude and claim that he is that smart, I wouldn't insist on basing his mistakes with what he said and claim originally! It's not that I don't understand I specifically emphasise what he originally said!

The argument here is based on what he claims.

I WILL SAY IT AGAIN!

The topic we are debating here is about GCC's in General as you said in your statement,

"The U.A.E. licence as a result of the above HAS MUCH MORE VALUE than any other licence in the GCC (it can be converted into any but none can be converted back into it)."

GCC is GCC END THE STORY AND QUIT TALKING RUBBISH! YOU'RE NOT EVEN A CITIZEN OF U.A.E. To be proud of it!

LOL! stick to your statement man!


I don't think that is being a racist!  If I were a racist, I won't be enjoying my travels to India and working here in the Middle East for decades!

Well well,

Can we calm down here or we must moderate posts?

Thanks
Armand
Expat.com Team

yousf84 wrote:

Having read all the post and to be fair, it seems  @MysticaUK2009 either you dont understand what XTang is saying, or you're just arguing because of your ego + You seem to be very racist, abusive and arrogant  in your comments.

@Blog Moderator : Please take the necessary action.

Thanks yousuf, that was my point exactly. I see it as lack of understanding or actually trying Not to understand. As well as racism and abusive language.

@Armand. I suggest to lock and moderate thread as it's not going anywhere. We really must stop 10 year olds from joining... Leave them to their productive coffee mornings and superiority complexes