The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has revealed that 58,082 expatriates exchanged their home-country driving licences for UAE permits during 2025, and officials say daily application volumes remain high heading into 2026. The figures—highlighted in a Gulf News round-up published on 24 January—confirm robust demand for the no-test swap programme, which now recognises licences from 57 jurisdictions.
Recent additions include Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Croatia and the U-S State of Texas. British nationals remain the largest user group (13,165 swaps), followed by Türkiye (6,838) and China (5,300). Eligible applicants bypass the costly road-test process, needing only an eye test, a valid residence visa and payment of the AED 600 fee. Applications can be filed online or at Customer Happiness Centres, with most licences issued the same day.
Before taking advantage of the licence-exchange scheme, many expatriates still need to finalise their residency paperwork. Online specialists such as VisaHQ can streamline this step, guiding applicants through UAE entry visas, status changes and Emirates ID renewals in one dashboard (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/). Having visa and ID formalities sorted in advance ensures the RTA will accept the licence-swap request on the first attempt.
![Dubai’s foreign-licence swap passes 58,000 mark as RTA widens eligibility]()
For global mobility teams the scheme slashes settling-in time for new hires and reduces reliance on company drivers, particularly in car-centric sectors such as oilfield services and retail distribution. HR departments are advised to budget for the fee and to schedule the mandatory eye test during onboarding to avoid delays in project mobilisation.
The RTA says licence reciprocity agreements are expanding in tandem with the UAE’s talent-attraction strategy. Memoranda of understanding signed in late 2025 with Texas and several Eastern European states signal further growth in 2026. Employers should track updates, as newly eligible nationalities often flood appointment systems, lengthening wait times.
While the swap removes the driving-school requirement, traffic prosecutors remind newcomers that violation penalties apply immediately once a UAE licence is issued—including black points transferable to residence-visa renewal reviews.
Recent additions include Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Croatia and the U-S State of Texas. British nationals remain the largest user group (13,165 swaps), followed by Türkiye (6,838) and China (5,300). Eligible applicants bypass the costly road-test process, needing only an eye test, a valid residence visa and payment of the AED 600 fee. Applications can be filed online or at Customer Happiness Centres, with most licences issued the same day.
Before taking advantage of the licence-exchange scheme, many expatriates still need to finalise their residency paperwork. Online specialists such as VisaHQ can streamline this step, guiding applicants through UAE entry visas, status changes and Emirates ID renewals in one dashboard (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/). Having visa and ID formalities sorted in advance ensures the RTA will accept the licence-swap request on the first attempt.
For global mobility teams the scheme slashes settling-in time for new hires and reduces reliance on company drivers, particularly in car-centric sectors such as oilfield services and retail distribution. HR departments are advised to budget for the fee and to schedule the mandatory eye test during onboarding to avoid delays in project mobilisation.
The RTA says licence reciprocity agreements are expanding in tandem with the UAE’s talent-attraction strategy. Memoranda of understanding signed in late 2025 with Texas and several Eastern European states signal further growth in 2026. Employers should track updates, as newly eligible nationalities often flood appointment systems, lengthening wait times.
While the swap removes the driving-school requirement, traffic prosecutors remind newcomers that violation penalties apply immediately once a UAE licence is issued—including black points transferable to residence-visa renewal reviews.
