International Driving License UAE

Most car rental companies in Dubai and Abu Dhabi ask for an International Driving Permit at the counter, even when your home licence is already on the UAE's recognized list, so carrying one helps you avoid delays regardless of where you're from.

• Visitors from a recognized list of countries — including the UK, US, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, and GCC states — can legally drive in the UAE on their home licence alone while on a visit or tourist visa.
• Outside that recognized list, or if your licence isn't already in English or Arabic, an IDP is required alongside your original licence.
• A UK photocard driving licence is valid to drive in the UAE; an older paper licence needs updating to a photocard or pairing with an IDP.
• Most rental companies across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and the other emirates treat an IDP as a standard condition of rental, since it gives counter staff a translation to check against regardless of your nationality.
• The UAE drives on the right, with the driver's seat on the left side of the vehicle.

The UAE enforces speed limits differently by emirate, runs two separate electronic toll systems in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and applies a strict zero-tolerance policy to drink-driving.

• Dubai allows a 20km/h grace margin above the posted limit before radar cameras trigger a fine; Abu Dhabi has enforced the exact posted limit with zero tolerance since 2018.Commonly reported
• Dubai's toll system is Salik — an RFID tag automatically billed AED 4 per gate.Commonly reported
• Abu Dhabi's toll system is Darb — a separate, camera-based system charging AED 4 per crossing during weekday peak periods, and a single trip crossing both emirates can be billed by both systems.Commonly reported
• Alcohol is legal to buy and consume in the UAE without a licence, but drink-driving is zero tolerance — any detectable amount, however small, is an offence, and insurance can be invalidated.
• Driving standards are inconsistent by UK and similar-market comparisons, with a high rate of traffic accidents and common speeding despite clearly signposted limits.
• Police can impound a vehicle for violations considered minor elsewhere, charging a AED 50,000 impound fee plus the underlying traffic fine.Commonly reported
• Offensive gestures or language directed at other drivers can result in fines, a jail sentence, or deportation.Commonly reported

Self-drive car rental is available across Dubai's two airports, Abu Dhabi International Airport, and Sharjah International Airport, with most providers setting age requirements above the legal minimum.

• Dubai has two separate airports for rental purposes — Dubai International Airport (DXB), closer to central Dubai, and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) in Dubai South.Commonly reported
• A car booked for one Dubai airport won't be automatically available at the other, and transferring between DXB and DWC adds time and cost.Commonly reported
• Abu Dhabi International Airport and Sharjah International Airport both have rental counters from major providers, with Sharjah often used as a lower-cost alternative to Dubai.Commonly reported
• The legal minimum driving age is 18, but most rental companies set their own minimum between 21 and 25, and some premium or luxury categories set it higher still.
• Typical documents requested at pickup are your original licence, an IDP if applicable, your passport, and a credit card in the main driver's name for the deposit.
• Desert or off-road driving, such as dune bashing near Al Ain or the Empty Quarter, usually needs a 4WD or AWD vehicle rented specifically for that purpose — a standard sedan rental isn't intended for sand terrain.

Keep your original driving licence, and your International Driving Permit if you're carrying one, together as your standard document set any time you're driving in the UAE.

• Your original licence, and your IDP if you're carrying one, should be kept together and accessible at all times while driving.
• After any accident, all drivers must stop — response procedures for whether vehicles can be moved before police arrive vary by emirate.Commonly reported
• Emergency numbers are 999 for police, 998 for ambulance, and 997 for fire and civil defence; 112 also works as a backup emergency number nationwide.Commonly reported
• Traffic violations, including those considered minor elsewhere, can lead to vehicle impoundment with a AED 50,000 release fee on top of the fine itself.Commonly reported

Driving a rental car from the UAE into Oman is common, most often via Hatta or Al Ain, but it requires advance authorization from your rental company and separate Omani insurance.

• Rental cars can be driven into Oman only with the rental company's advance authorization — a No Objection Certificate (NOC) — which should be requested at least a week ahead, along with cross-border insurance arrangements.Commonly reported
• Separate Omani car insurance, commonly called the Orange Card, is mandatory at the border and costs roughly AED 105 for the minimum five-day period, purchasable in advance or at the crossing.Commonly reported
• The Al Ain–Mezyad and Hatta–Al Wajajah crossings are both used, but Hatta has at times turned away rental cars carrying an NOC and redirected them to Al Ain — it's worth confirming the accepted crossing with your rental company before you travel.Commonly reported
• Your IDP requirement, where it applies, covers driving within the UAE — Oman sets its own separate licence and document rules for entering vehicles.