UAE visitor licence: countries without/with IDP

Reminder of the definitions

• RTA = *Roads and Transport Authority* of Dubai, the official local authority for roads, transport and driving licenses.
• IDP = *International Driving Permit*. This is not a stand-alone license: it is an official translation that accompanies your national license.
• GCC = *Gulf Cooperation Council*: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
• Visitor visa = temporary stay (tourism/visit). The eligibility rules are not the same as with a residence visa.

At DZDubai, we receive the same question every day: do you need an international license (IDP) to drive in Dubai as a visitor? The answer depends on the issuing country of your license and your visa type.

This page is a listing version based on official elements from RTA Dubai (verification carried out on February 17, 2026).

1) Countries that can drive to Dubai without IDP (visitors)

According to the RTA FAQs, a visitor can drive to Dubai if they are on short stay visa and hold a license issued by a GCC country or a country on the RTA exception list.

GCC countries (without IDP for visitors)

• Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia.

RTA exception list (excluding GCC)

• Albania, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece.
• Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand.
• North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.
• United Kingdom (Britain), China (People's Republic of China), State of Texas (USA) and United States (excluding Texas).

Important: the RTA updates these lists. Before booking, we always reconfirm your exact case at DZDubai.

2) Countries where the IDP remains required

If your license is issued by a country not listed above, the practical way to drive as a visitor is to present an IDP + your original national license + passport/visa.

The RTA also confirms that a holder of an international driving license can drive to Dubai in a visit visa (light vehicle/motorcycle).

• Your country of license is neither GCC nor on the RTA exception list.
• You are in visa transit: valid IDP + insurance approval (RTA FAQ).
• Your file requires a legalized translation depending on the country and the type of permit.

3) Quick table (operational rule)

4) Check DZDubai before handing over the vehicle

• Photo of the permit (front/back) before booking.
• Exact visa type (visitor, transit, residence).
• Passport of the main driver.
• IDP if country outside RTA list.
• Written validation of eligibility by our team.

Conclusion

The useful legal rule is simple: RTA list = without visitor IDP, off list = IDP required in practice. At DZDubai, we apply this verification in advance to avoid any unpleasant surprises upon withdrawal.