33 international destinations allow citizens to drive with an Emirati license while travelling

Data from the “Markooz” service, affiliated with the Ministry of Interior and specializing in recognizing and replacing driving licenses, showed that citizens of the country can replace the Emirati driving license with a local license, in the case of residence, in 34 international destinations, and they can also drive with the Emirati license in the case of visiting or tourism to 33 of these destinations.

Through the “Markooz” initiative, the Ministry of Interior provides a service to recognize and replace driving licenses, which allows citizens of the country to drive with their national license in various countries of the world, and replace it with a local license in the case of residency.

The initiative also grants visitors to the UAE the right to drive with their national licences, and replace them with an Emirati license in the event of residency.

The Ministry explained on its website that what is meant by “recognition” is the use of national driving licenses for UAE citizens for purposes other than residence abroad, and the possibility of using national driving licenses for visitors to the UAE for purposes other than residence in the country.

As for “replacement,” it means replacing the national driving licenses of UAE citizens while residing abroad, and the possibility of replacing the national driving licenses of visitors to the country with an Emirati driving license if residing abroad.

The list of international destinations, in which citizens can drive with an Emirati license or replace it in the case of residency, includes: Estonia, Albania, Portugal, China, Hungary, Greece, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Cyprus, Latvia, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Lithuania, Malta, Iceland, Montenegro, the State of Israel, and Azerbaijan. Belarus, Uzbekistan, the United Kingdom, Austria, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland, Finland, Croatia, the US state of Texas, North Macedonia, the Republic of Kosovo, and Kyrgyzstan, while South Korea allows the replacement of the Emirati license in the case of residency only.

Data from the “Markawoos” service also showed an increase in the number of countries whose citizens can exchange their national licenses for an Emirati license, in the case of residency, to 53 countries, without the need to take the practical or theoretical exams.

Holders of 52 nationalities from among these countries are also allowed to drive vehicles with their national licenses during their visit to the Emirates (in cases other than residency), while South Korean citizens are allowed to replace the license in the case of residency only.

The conditions for replacing a driving license issued from abroad include that the license must be issued by one of the countries whose license is permitted to be replaced, that the legal age to drive a vehicle must be met, that the license be valid, that the person’s residency be issued by the emirate, or that he have a residential, work or study address in the emirate, pass an eye examination, and deliver the original license to some country according to the memorandums of understanding.

The documents required to replace the driving license include a legal translation of the original foreign license, and a copy of the original license, while the replacement fee is 600 dirhams.

The Ministry of Interior, through its smart application and website, provides a service for recognizing and replacing driving licenses as part of the “Markhoos” initiative, which grants visitors to the UAE the right to drive with their national license or to replace it with an Emirati license in the event of residency.

• The number of countries whose citizens can exchange their national licenses for an Emirati license, in the event of residency, has increased to 53 countries, without the need for a practical or theoretical test.