Foreign residents in Dubai who have a golden visa and a driving licence from their home country can now take a UAE test without needing extra lessons, the government has said.
Normally residents must take lessons before taking a local driving test, depending on the country they passed in.
If they have a licence from one of 32 approved countries they are automatically eligible for a UAE licence – but everyone else has to take lessons.
This would include people from countries including India, Pakistan and the Philippines.
The approved countries include the US, the UK, Australia, Italy, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, New Zealand, Qatar, Kuwait and Ireland.
A golden visa holder from any country can now forgo the lessons and go straight to their driving test.
“Did you get the golden visa and want to get a driving licence in Dubai?” the RTA tweeted.
“Present your previous driving licence approved in your country and issue a new one from the RTA at the driving institutes after passing the knowledge and roads tests without needing training.”
An RTA spokesman said if a golden visa holder failed their driving test they would have to take at least four hours of lessons before reapplying.
Golden visas, which are valid for up to 10 years, were introduced to encourage “exceptional workers and foreign investors” to put down deeper roots in the UAE.
