In an effort to enhance the quality of life and facilitate and simplify procedures related to foreign driving licences, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) replaced 58,082 foreign driving licences during 2025.
The replacements covered driving licences issued in 57 countries, recognised for exchange with a UAE driving licence, in accordance with a memorandum of understanding signed between the UAE and the relevant countries.
Sultan Al Akraf, Director of Drivers Licensing at the Licensing Agency, RTA, confirmed that the list of countries whose citizens are eligible to replace their driving licences with a UAE driving licence includes five GCC countries, 38 European countries, 13 Asian and Latin American countries, and one African country.
Recent additions to the list include Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Croatia, and the US state of Texas. The driving licence replacement service is available through RTA’s website or at Customer Happiness Centres across the emirate.
Applicants need to undergo an eye test at one of the approved vision testing centres, submit the application, present their original valid licence in person, and pay the applicable fees.
British expatriates topped the list for licence replacements with more than 13,000 licences exchanged from the UK, including England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. They were followed by nationals from the Republic of Türkiye (6,838) and China (5,300), highlighting Dubai’s diverse expatriate base.