Dubai residents who already have a driving license from a country, and are not eligible for automatic conversion, are now free to take up a driving test without having to take up driving classes again. This is considered as a ‘golden chance’ and is being offered to drivers in Abu Dhabi.
Motorists who arrive to Dubai from certain nations such as the UK, for instance, will now only have to visit the RTA (Roads and Transport Authority) to convert their foreign licence to a UAE licence. All others will have to take up driving lessons and pass the necessary tests, although they would have already passed driving test in their home country.
Lessons and associated costs amount to about Dh.7000, but they can run up to Dh.20,000. The change was announced on authority’s Twitter account with the link on where to apply.
According to a staff member from the Emirates Driving Institute, the golden chance was introduced at the beginning of the month by the RTA, and is popular, with several people already applying for it.
To apply for the ‘golden chance’ test, applicants will have to pay a fee of Dh.2200, which covers both written driving test and getting behind the wheel. In case the applicant fails in the test, he/she will have to take up a series of lessons before reapplying.
Driving license holders from the 32 approved countries are directly eligible for a UAE license, which include France, Australia, Germany, UK, US, New Zealand, Japan and China. If the license was issued by a country that is not on the list, the process should start from the beginning again.
The ‘golden chance’ test is however, not the opportunity for new drivers to skip the process, rather, they will have to prove they can drive safely, irrespective of their nationality.
