The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) made amendments to the rules for issuance and renewal of driving licenses in Dubai in April this year. It announced on Tuesday that these new changes will become effective from Saturday 1st July.
According to the amendments, the validity of new driving license in the country has been set to two years for citizens, GCC nationals and other nationalities aged 21 years and above.
After that, licence renewal validity will be 10 years for UAE citizens and GCC nationals and five for non-citizens from other nationalities.
Ahmed Bahrozyan, CEO of RTA Licensing Agency, said "For those aged less than 21 years, be it citizens, GCC nationals or other nationalities, the initial validity of the driver license issued, replaced or renewed shall be one year as currently applied".
"RTA is always keen to comply with the Federal and Ministerial Laws governing the issuance, renewal or age limits related to driver licenses out of its keenness to serve the public interest and realise its vision of providing Safe and Smooth Transport for All," he stated.
The authority also took to Twitter to provide more clarity on the new changes.
According to a ministerial decree issued by Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, expatriates are required to have a valid residence permit for the renewal of licences.
Published in the Official Gazette amending the executive regulations of Federal Law No. 21 of 1995 regarding traffic regulations, the decree has introduced stricter traffic laws for drivers in the country.