Exchange driving licence Dubai on service 121

To exchange driving licence Dubai residents use RTA service 121, not a driving institute, and only when the issuing country is on the published table. The digital licence is listed as instant once the application is complete. You still leave the house for an eye test.

Lessons and a road test sit outside this path.

Updated: 2026-09 · The RTA exchange country table used here was marked 22 July 2026. Recheck service 121, including the translation column, before you pay.

Surrender the original driving licence at the Customer Happiness Centre, if required. RTA does not take every foreign card.

Who can exchange

You skip lessons and the road test only when the issuing country is on the service 121 table marked 22 July 2026. A shorter note says the list covers around 60 countries and territories. If your country is missing, check the live page before you start from scratch.

Texas has its own line, and so does the rest of the United States excluding Texas. Both are on that July 2026 page. "US (except Texas)" in the short note is that split, not a ban.

The table says Britain. The translation note says UK. Match both to your card.

The table names:

• Albania
• Armenia
• Australia
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
• Bahrain
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Britain
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Japan
• Kosovo
• Kuwait
• Kyrgyzstan
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Moldova
• Montenegro
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• North Macedonia
• Norway
• Oman
• People's Republic of China
• Poland
• Portugal
• Qatar
• Kazakhstan
• Romania
• Saudi Arabia
• Serbia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• South Africa
• South Korea
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Texas (US, as a separate entry)
• Turkey
• Ukraine
• the rest of the United States excluding Texas
• Uzbekistan

Open RTA service 121.

These steps do not state an age. u.ae says some expatriates exchange a valid home-country licence if they are at least 18, with 18 also listed for cars and light vehicles. A later visitor exchange under Markhoos is not this resident file. See u.ae, registering vehicles.

What you submit

On the table, you apply online with an Emirates ID, a passport, or UAE Pass, upload the licence, pass an eye test, and receive the UAE licence. There is no lesson and no road test. In practice, book the eye test first. Upload and payment can stay online.

The digital licence is instant once the application is complete. Use an accredited Eye Test Centre. Surrender of the original at a Customer Happiness Centre is only if required.

Translation and the old card

Upload the licence and its legalised translation, if any. Most listed countries do not need one. The note names the UK, Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the US.

Hong Kong and Japan need a legalised translation. Turkey needs a Driving Licence Data Certificate from a Turkish consulate or embassy, certified by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, not a plain translation. Check your row. The column can change.

Sometimes RTA keeps the old card. Not always. Surrender it at the Customer Happiness Centre, if required. Bring the original, and follow the note in your application.

Sponsorship and fines already on a file

Spouse sponsorship and personal sponsorship do not open a second exchange here. The steps name no extra test, no extra fee, and no sponsor letter. You still sign in with an Emirates ID, a passport, or UAE Pass, and you still upload the foreign licence.

The exchange steps do not list a fine payment. On a transfer into Dubai, fines on a Dubai Traffic File must be settled. Fines that cannot be paid in Dubai are paid in the emirate that issued them. Fines Dubai can collect may be settled during that transfer.

The transfer service lists "pay the fines, if any". Clearing outstanding fines is also a basic step before you renew a driving licence or vehicle ownership. Pay on the RTA website, at a Customer Happiness Centre, or on a self-service machine.

A first Dubai file may have nothing to clear. If Dubai or another emirate already holds your file, check both. See RTA fines, appointments, and vehicle checks and service 137.

The charge RTA publishes

The published total is AED 1,050: traffic file AED 200, driving licence AED 600, handbook manual AED 50, electronic eye test AED 180, and a Knowledge and Innovation fee AED 20. Courier, typing-centre, and school prices are not on this schedule.

When exchange is not available

If the country is not listed, you cannot exchange. You open a file at a registered institute, take lessons, and pass the theory and road tests. The route is for a citizen or resident of legal age who is medically fit and holds a valid Emirates ID. No nationality exclusion is stated.

You can register a car in your name without a UAE driving licence. You still cannot drive it on public roads without a valid UAE licence. u.ae states the same limit. See RTA service 516.

Tolls are covered in Salik tags in Dubai. If the eye test is still open, see driving and the metro for a new arrival.