If you are planning a vacation abroad, an international driving licence (IDL) is your ticket to taking road trips in your destination country. You can get the international permit issued in the UAE if you hold a valid driving licence here.
According to the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE), the IDL is an “internationally recognised translation of … a driving licence which allows motorists to drive their vehicles outside of the UAE legally, without the need for further tests and applications”.
Recognised all over the world, the IDL is valid for one year. “The primary function of the IDL is to allow law enforcement and other authorities in other countries to read your licence in their own language,” the ATCUAE says on its website.
IDL holders can use it in more than one country as long as it’s valid.
According to the ATCUAE, residents can get the IDL in under 30 minutes if they go in person to the club’s offices or Emirates Post Offices across the UAE. You can also apply online, but "allow for five workings days for all online applications to be delivered to your requested address".
Dubai residents can apply for the IDL in five minutes on the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) website.
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