Tourist Driving Guide

Driving in the UAE as a Tourist: IDP Rules & Country Guide

If you are holding a foreign licence, you can drive in the UAE for up to 3 months. For some countries your home licence alone is enough. For others you also need an International Driving Permit. Here is exactly what your country needs.

Good to know: this assumes a rental car, where the rental insurance covers any driver with a valid licence. To drive a private car you would need the owner to add you to their policy first.

60 countries covered 3-month max stay on home licence AED 50-200 typical IDP cost

Last reviewed June 2026, checked against the UAE Ministry of Interior Markhoos initiative, RTA/TAMM exchange-service guidance, and more.

webicon
Renting somewhere else? OneClickDrive runs in 10+ countries
🇲🇦Morocco 🇸🇦Saudi Arabia 🇴🇲Oman 🇰🇼Kuwait 🇶🇦Qatar 🇹🇷Turkey 🇬🇪Georgia 🇯🇴Jordan 🇬🇧UK

Do I need an IDP?

Three quick questions are usually enough to tell you exactly what to carry on the road.

1

Is your country on the UAE Markhoos list?

Many recognised licences qualify. If yours does, your home licence and passport will usually cover you for up to 3 months of driving. You only need an IDP on top of that if your licence is not printed in English or Arabic.

If yes → home licence is enough
2

Is your home licence in English or Arabic?

If your country is on the Markhoos list and the licence is in Latin (Roman) script, you are set. If it is in Cyrillic, Chinese, an Arabic-script variant, or any other script, carrying an IDP is the safer call even when the rules say it is optional.

If no → carry IDP anyway
3

Not on the Markhoos list?

Then an IDP is non-negotiable. Get it in your home country before you fly, because no office inside the UAE will issue one to a tourist. Carry it with the original licence and the passport every time you drive.

If non-Markhoos → IDP mandatory

Reality check: Rental insurers often ask for an IDP no matter what your country is, because they want a translation of the licence on file. Even drivers from Markhoos countries should ask the rental supplier whether they will accept the home licence on its own before assuming they can skip the permit.

How to get an International Driving Permit

An IDP is issued by an authorised automobile association back in your home country. The process is broadly the same wherever you apply, and in most cases you end up with a 1968 Vienna Convention IDP that is valid for 1 year.

1

Apply in your home country before you travel

The UAE does not issue an IDP to foreign nationals, so you have to apply where your original licence was issued. The IDP itself is a small paper booklet that translates the details of your licence into several languages.

2

Use the authorised automobile association

A few common examples: AA in the UK, AAA in the USA, JAF in Japan, ADAC in Germany, ACI in Italy, AAI in India, RAC in Australia, and ATCL in Lebanon. Most issue either a 1949 Geneva Convention or a 1968 Vienna Convention IDP. The UAE accepts both, so either is fine.

3

Bring your valid home licence, passport photos, and the fee

The fee usually works out to the equivalent of AED 50-200. Some offices process the IDP the same day, others take up to a week. A few countries even let you apply online and have the permit mailed to you.

4

Carry the IDP and the original licence together

An IDP on its own is not a valid licence, it is just a translation booklet for the real one. You have to carry the original licence with it at all times. If the police pull you over, they will ask to see both.

5

Validity is 1 year (or whatever the issuer prints on it)

A Vienna Convention IDP is valid for 1 year from the date it was issued. If you come to the UAE every year, renew it before each trip. An expired IDP plus a valid home licence still counts as no permission to drive, so the date matters.

Important: An IDP cannot be converted into a UAE driving licence. If you become a UAE resident later, you still have to either exchange your home licence (if it is on the Markhoos list) or sit a full UAE driving course. See the resident exchange guide →

Country-by-country rules

Popular visitor countries, grouped by region. Green means your home licence is usually enough for a visitor. Amber means an IDP is required to rent. If your licence is not printed in English or Arabic, carry an IDP alongside the home licence even when it is shown as green.

South Korea is an exception. Korean visitors generally cannot drive in the UAE on a Korean licence alone, so we show Korea as IDP required. If you hold a Korean licence, confirm the current rule with the RTA or arrange an IDP before you travel.

Open the full lookup tool →
A traveller loading a red suitcase into a rented white SUV on the Dubai Marina waterfront promenade A traveller loading a red suitcase into a rented white SUV on the Dubai Marina waterfront promenade
IDP sorted at home, keys collected on arrival.

Common tourist mistakes

These are the four mistakes that cost tourists the most: fines, voided insurance claims, and being pulled over without the right paperwork. All of them are easy to avoid with about five minutes of planning.

1. Booking the IDP after arrival

The IDP has to be issued in your home country before you travel. There is no walk-in office inside the UAE that will issue one to a tourist. If you have already landed without one, your only option is to have it couriered out to you, and you cannot drive while you wait.

2. Driving without the correct insurance

Plenty of rental policies quietly exclude foreign-licensed drivers unless the supplier was told at the time of booking. Confirm it directly: "I am driving on a licence from [country] plus an IDP, am I covered?" Then get the answer in writing or by email so you can prove it later.

3. An expired licence or IDP

Both documents have to be valid for the whole UAE stay, not just the day you collect the car. If the IDP has expired you are effectively unlicensed even when the home licence is still fine. Check both dates before you leave home.

4. Using the IDP as the only licence

An IDP without the original licence is not valid on its own. Carry both at all times, plus your passport with the UAE entry stamp. When the police stop you, they will ask for all three.

Need more detail? Go deeper

Is my licence valid? →

The full lookup tool, search your country and see in one tap whether you can rent on your home licence, need an IDP, or can exchange as a resident.

Resident exchange guide →

How residents swap a foreign licence for a UAE one under the Markhoos rules, step by step, with fees.

UAE licence hub →

The full UAE licence hub, tourist rules, resident exchange and the Markhoos list together in one place.

Sorted your IDP? Time to pick a car.

Over 7,000 cars from more than 150 rental suppliers across the UAE, with no booking fees on top.

Browse cars in Dubai →

Common questions

Only if your country is not on the UAE Markhoos list, or your licence is not printed in English or Arabic. If your country is on the list and the licence is in English or Arabic, your home licence and passport are enough.

From your home country's automobile association before you travel, for example the AA in the UK, AAA in the US, or JAF in Japan. It cannot be issued inside the UAE.

No. An IDP is a translation booklet only. To hold a UAE licence later you either exchange your home licence, if it is eligible, or sit the full driving course.

As a visitor it applies to a rental car, whose insurance covers any driver with a valid licence. To drive a private car you would need the owner to add you to their policy.

If your country is recognised by the UAE (the GCC plus most of Europe, the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan and more), you can usually rent on your home licence and passport for your visit. If your licence is not in English or Arabic, carry an International Driving Permit alongside it; if your country is not recognised, an IDP is required. South Korea is an exception, Korean visitors should confirm with the RTA.

For a standard car you generally need to be at least 21 with a licence held for about a year. Luxury and sports cars usually require you to be 25 or older with around three years of driving experience. You also bring your passport, your visit visa or entry stamp, and a card in the driver's name for the deposit.

Often yes. Many rental desks in Dubai ask for an International Driving Permit as standard, even when the RTA would accept your home licence, so it is safest to carry one or check with the rental company before you book.

How we verify this: Country recognition reflects the UAE Ministry of Interior "Markhoos" visitor-recognition initiative and official UAE IDP guidance, cross-checked against RTA / TAMM resources and 2026 UAE transport reporting. Recognition lists, fees and processing times can change at short notice, so confirm your own country’s status with the rental supplier and the relevant authority before you travel. Figures shown are typical ranges, not fixed amounts. Last reviewed June 2026.