Citizens of 45 countries can drive in the UAE using their national driver’s licenses

The number of countries whose citizens can drive a vehicle using their national driver’s licenses while visiting the UAE, or exchange them for an Emirati license if they become residents, has increased to 45.

These are: Estonia, Albania, Portugal, China, Hungary, Greece, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Malta, Iceland, Montenegro, the USA, France, Japan, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Ireland, Spain, Norway, New Zealand, Romania, Singapore, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, Finland, UK, Turkey, Canada, Poland, South Africa, Australia, Israel, and the Republic of Azerbaijan. Citizens of South Korea can exchange their national licenses for Emirati ones when residing in the country.

Additionally, the number of countries that recognize or exchange Emirati driver’s licenses has grown to 27, including European countries, China, the UK, and South Korea. At the same time, UAE citizens can exchange their driver’s licenses while staying in the Republic of Korea, according to data from the “Markhoos” service on the Ministry of Interior’s website. The Ministry of Interior explained that the recognition of foreign driver’s licenses refers to the use of national licenses in the UAE for nonresidency purposes, while exchange refers to replacing a national license with a UAE driver’s license during residency.

The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to achieving strategic goals that support the government’s focus on providing the best electronic and smart services. The department offers the service of recognizing and exchanging driver’s licenses as part of the “Markhoos” initiative, which allows the country’s citizens to drive using their national licenses in various countries around the world and exchange them for local licenses if they become residents. The initiative also gives visitors to the UAE the right to drive using their national licenses and exchange them for Emirati ones in case of residency, subject to a number of conditions.

The conditions for exchanging foreign licenses for Emirati ones include: belonging to the list of countries permitted for exchange, having a valid residence permit, holding a permanent and valid national license, reaching the legal age in accordance with UAE laws and regulations, passing a medical examination, and complying with other requirements for license exchange. The exchange categories include motorcycles and passenger cars.

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