[NPV]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

My Dubai Driving License is a 2 part story.
…

Congratulations on the Dubai driving license!
Hats off to your patience, determination and tenacity

The only country outside India that I’ve driven and also cleared the tests for license is the US, and I must say that it was a good, learning experience. The learnings and experience of driving there still help me when driving in India despite the lack of proper signage, well designed roads, disciplined traffic etc. At least it helps make me a patient and safe driver.

[tejas.negandhi]

I moved to UAE in 2015 and first thing I did was to apply for driving license. Fortunately I was in Abu Dhabi that time where things are a bit simpler. Anyone who has home country driving license for more than 5 years can apply for a golden chance which means you give the theory test and then you can give a drive test. I passed my driving test in golden chance, however I took some voluntary driving classes (5-6) just to get used to the left-hand drive and the crazy speeds there.

My wife took the license in Dubai which is much more complicated as you have seen before in the thread.

My driving license costed AED 2000 incl the 5-6 driving sessions
Wife's costed around AED 8500 types (she had failed in one parallel parking test)

I feel such rigorous testing is required everywhere to ensure road safety. UAE needs it for sure as the speeds there are crazy. We take U-turns at 60kmph which was my top speed in Mumbai.

[praful]

Originally Posted by aditya9567

The Dubai DL is infamous for being one of the toughest to procure in the world. If you’ve heard about it, the entire process is long and exhausting causing a lot of strain on your head and your pocket alike.

Trying to understand on what basis is it the toughest in the world? From the looks of it seems to similar to what is does in most other developed countries in the world. Unless you are taking into account paperwork and administration overhead in account as well?

Tried looking up a few articles on the internet, but there does not seem to be a global rating around this, so most of them are subjective!

[darkchild82]

Originally Posted by praful

Trying to understand on what basis is it the toughest in the world? From the looks of it seems to similar to what is does in most other developed countries in the world. Unless you are taking into account paperwork and administration overhead in account as well?

Compared to the pathetic standards of most Indian driving tests in most states, UAE's strict requirements will appear tough to OP. Meanwhile, the level of stringency is to be expected in any developed country. You can't bribe the inspector, get away with making a few mistakes, or simply beg for another chance. There's a reason why India is one of the most accident prone nations in the world, and it's because of the India's appalling drivers.

[praful]

Originally Posted by darkchild82

Compared to the pathetic standards of most Indian driving tests in most states, UAE's strict requirements will appear tough to OP. Meanwhile, the level of stringency is to be expected in any developed country. You can't bribe the inspector, get away with making a few mistakes, or simply beg for another chance. There's a reason why India is one of the most accident prone nations in the world, and it's because of the India's appalling drivers.

Maybe you misunderstood me, my question was more related to why is the Dubai license considered to be the toughest compared to some of the other countries like Japan, Germany, Finland, Croatia, UK, etc. which are generally considered to be amongst the toughest in the world to get through based on some articles I have seen via a google search (not the most credible source of info I agree!)

India's license process needs a complete overhaul by the RTO first. I remember 21 years back I was at Mumbai Central RTO as an eager teenager who wanted to drive and prove myself on the "driving test", but all I was asked was my name and address because my driving school team had already greased their palms and all we needed to do was show our faces at the RTO.

[SomrajSG]

I have a Manual DL in UAE, it is much harder get a Manual DL here for various reasons.

My license is from Sharjah, and it has four stages to get a DL from Sharjah Emirate.

1. Get your eye test done and open a file.
2. Take Mandatory theory classes (Online or Offline). Once you complete the course, appear for the theory test.
3. Once you clear the theory part, you need to take 5 classes for the parking (angle parking/ garrage parking/ parallel parking) Special training needed to manual learners, for mainly stopping and starting on a steep slope. Once your training is completed you appear for the parking test.
4. Once you pass the parking test, on road training starts. You need to take 20 classes to appear for the road assessment test which is taken by an independent govt authority. This is also called the Kuchha test.
5. Once you pass the assessment test, your training starts for the final road test. You need to take 10 classes to appear for the final road test. Once you clear the final road test, you get a pass certificate.
6. You then need to apply for issuance of the DL in their Ministry of Interior app, pay the fees, and get your license delivered.

This was a very tedious process. I failed twice, once in the assessment and once in the final. Got my license in three and a half month. Cost was around 7000 AED (160k INR).

But...

I am a better driver now!
Searching for a Manual Mustang GT🤣

[Akmal]

With the driving speeds in Middle East and the mixture of drivers from all corners of the region/ world on the roads, these stringent testing standards for driving licenses are well warranted. The evaluating officer knows very well that those few minutes you drive with both hands on the steering wheel are the only times you'd be doing that. They've set the bar high so when no is watching, you are at least at 50% compliance. Success in tests depends on combination of factors: decent driving skills + loads of luck + your preparation before you even move the car + mood of the officer - overconfidence of driving experience in India - activating wipers instead of indicators. I got my license in my first road test. My family celebrated it more than they did when I got my first job.

[aditya9567]

Originally Posted by praful

Trying to understand on what basis is it the toughest in the world? From the looks of it seems to similar to what is does in most other developed countries in the world. Unless you are taking into account paperwork and administration overhead in account as well?

Tried looking up a few articles on the internet, but there does not seem to be a global rating around this, so most of them are subjective!

I had written this article 6 years ago when my primary comparisons were with India and some other "emerging" Asian countries, whose processes I knew back then. I also knew about the US where you could convert your license with just a test.

I agree with you, the process is similar to other developed countries and probably easier than some others. That statement was not meant to be taken in the most literal sense, but to indicate that it was a difficult process.

Cheers

[mygodbole]

"Mere baap ki sadak hai" (colloquial: my father's road).

Driving tests are not 'tough' or easy, the attitude is the problem .

Indian citizens driving overseas overcome the aforementioned attitude and can clear driving tests in other (western or not) nations.

We have the 'advantage'(??) of knowing when to follow the 'rules' and where we can get away with not following them. Ingrained in our attitude.

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

My Dubai Driving License is a 2 part story.

......................

I spent nearly 10,000AED overall. But money well spent I say!

Full Circle Complete!

A family is not complete without 2 kids, err In India maybe - Here in UAE A family is not complete without 2 Driving Licenses. Both Miya/Biwi have to have the DL for better prospects (if both are working), or ease of taking kids around soccer/extra classes if one is a home maker.

Sharing my wife's Sharjah Driving License story - All 61 days of it! We reside in Sharjah and since we have a Sharjah Visa wife could open her DL file only in Sharjah. In the Emirate of Sharjah, SDI - Sharjah Driving Institute is the sole licensing authority (with a small clarification - read on) unlike choice of 4-5 big players in neighboring Dubai.

There are 2 locations one can open the DL file and get classes. (a) Nassiriya which is in downtown and (b) Wasit area / Muroor (roughly translates to Traffic RTO). Nassiriya houses about 20-25 privately owned driving schools (Yellow cars seen around) who are sort of proxies licensed under SDI. The file controller is SDI under the police dept, but the minor players compete against themselves for business. Cars are owned by the instructors themselves but they have to operate under the gamut of the private school owner - who in turn is controlled by the SDI. Not relevant info - but you can draw a parallel to a typical Indian Driving School under the RTO but the car is owned and maintained by the ustaad.

Since we live about 1km away from Nassiriya, we opened the file there. We opened the file on 9Dec24, got the eye test done (Mobile phone with UAE Pass APP + your Emirates ID must) and you can pay by card. Once you open the file, you can walk into any of the 20odd school rooms inside the complex and it is some amount of old school paper work and cash payments. It felt a world different from my Dubai experience.

9Dec2024
100AED - Eye test
240AED - File opening
682AED - Theory classes + test

The theory classes had a choice of Online learning, I dissuaded wifey from reading anything online and it was helpful. She attended the in-person theory class on 15Dec24 and at the end of the 3 hour session cleared it with 100% marks.

Temporary DL


Theory Class passed


Temp DL was printed with your UAE traffic file number - BUT remember, you cannot drive a car with the temp DL here!

15Dec2024
530Aed - Parking test charges

Wifey started yard parking classes on 17th Dec, 1 hour a day, and by 28th dec the Parking test was scheduled. Note - All official tests - Parking/ Internal & Final are conducted in Wasit/Muroor SDI Head quarters. This place is pretty far from home, about 6 kms and I had to drop wifey off and was waltzing around the place. Now - SDI H.O I can say is equal to any Dubai driving school and I could instantly connect with that place. Large campus, all cars well maintained, uniformed staff, pretty much the works!

Wifey failed in her 1st attempt at parking - I wasnt surprised at all, She was genuinely upset because it is money down the drain, and I asked her would she like to be trained by this place because it felt nicer. It was a short eye contact, and we just walked into the admin building and asked us to transfer the file from Nasriya to here.

Dunk!!


The process is to go to your existing Driving school, get an NOC (basically no fees is to be outstanding) and the old school gave it away, no questions asked, and we opened the file in this place the same evening.

NOC from Old School


1 week later, few classes later - wifey passed her parking test.

Parking PASS!!



You get a web portal like Dubai driving school, you can track your payments made and overall the experience was very dubai like.



More in next post...

[svsantosh]

You get SMS from SDI for every milestone reached or failed. Very quick and good updates.



You get you class schedule with your instructor name - Only Lady can teach a Lady - and 1 student per car.



If you missed a spot - the - not above, see if you can spot it here.



After the parking test pass, you get onto Road and the overall experience as per my wife was very educative.



All major safety aspects and drilled hard into your head and roundabouts and lane change are given special attention.

5Jan2025 Pre Test Pass



Pre test was passed on 5Jan, in my case I failed parking twice, pre test twice. By 5th evening, I had officially become the laughing stock in front of my wife. She made sure she rubbed it in hard!

10Jan2025 - Yesterday/ A swift and final blow by the sword... Err Steering wheel - Now I cannot claim I am a better driver than her - she got her UAE DL in just 50 days of sitting in the drivers seat! I am crying in the corner now



Proud update from the SDI app.



DL ordered in the Govt app - and the courier company confirmed it is on its way by tomorrow.

All in all 5831 AED paid, Only the 500~ odd was unwanted due to 1 parking fail, but I am proud of my wife because it hurts anyone to blow 9-10k AED in getting the DL. She did it in a far lesser budget.

Final Spend

9Dec2024
100AED - Eye test
240AED - File opening
682AED - Theory classes + test

15Dec2024
530 Aed - Parking classes learning

23Dec2024
400aed - parking 1st attempt test

31Dec2024 (extra)
125aed - class extra 2hrs for parking re-learning
400aed - Re-test parking

SDI - 5Jan
1234 Aed - Join SDI H.O + 15 class

SDI - 29Jan
1802 Aed - Pre test + SDI Final + 15 classes

10Feb - Min.Of.Interior app... to order the hard copy DL card
318 AED - DL card

5831 - AED FINAL

[aditya.86]

LONG POST AHEAD

Great thread with detailed information of getting a license in the UAE. I would like to share my experience which was a little different from the rest of the members here.

I moved to the UAE in May 2024 and my number 1 priority after getting an Emirates ID was to apply for a DL. I had heard from friends and relatives that getting a DL in Dubai was considered to be great achievement and that too on your first attempt.

Since I was working for a company registered in Fujairah free Zone (though the location is very close from Ras al Khaimah airport) but lived in Ras al Khaimah, I was told that I have to open my traffic file in Fujairah Emirate as my Visa was from Fujairah.

Initially i thought this is going to be a difficult process as the nearest driving institute-FNDI was 30 mins from my office and almost 1 hour from where i live, so completing my driving classes is going to take ages. Also since, i was working 6 days a week, taking classes on Sunday was the only option.

Without a choice, I went ahead and registered with FNDI, Dibba and opened my file on 14th June, 2024. Now comes the most important part. Most people register for the VIP package, where you have to complete a minimum number of classes based on your initial evaluation. I was given 28 classes which means I will have to spend at least 4-5 weekends just doing my driving classes before i can attempt the final road tests.

During the registration process, I asked the gentleman there to let me know of any option where i can get my DL in the fastest way possible. He suggested me to take the fixed package and not the VIP where you can take the classes and once the instructor is confident they will let you take your parking test and road test. I went ahead with this and another colleague took the VIP package with 36 classes.

Post registration i had to take online lectures with different modules and post completion of all modules there was a MCQ test which had to be passed. If you have paid attention to the lectures, this is just a simple affair. Once you have completed the online lectures, you have to schedule a knowledge test (learners test) at the institute where you will have to answer 32 questions in 30 mins and if you answer 20 correctly you will pass. I completed the test in around 15 mins and got around 28 correct answers.

Knowledge test was done on 02 July, 2024 post which i had to schedule my driving classes. I was assigned an instructor (Indian from my same state- Kerala) immediately.

Since i could take classes only on Sundays, I was asked to come for my first classes on 21st July, 2024 as per the instructors schedule. This was almost 20 days later and at this point of time i was prepared to wait almost 2-3 months till i get my DL.

Things changed the day i went for my first driving class on 21st July. The instructor asked me basic questions related to the vehicle (Nissan Sunny), symbols on the dashboard and other stuff. Then we started with practice sessions for slope test, garage parking and parallel parking as these are the 3 tests which need to be passed for the actual parking tests. Inside the facility itself, we practiced all these test multiple times for almost 2 hours and since i did well, my instructor asked me to schedule my parking tests for the earliest dates available. This was surprising and I went ahead and scheduled my parking test for 23rd, July (Through MOI app) which was after 2 days.

On the day of the parking test, I reached the facility by 8 am and there were a lot of other people waiting for their turn. We watched people being called for the slope test first, post that the garage test and then finally the parallel parking test. Few of them failed, few of them passed. Then came my turn. I remembered what the instructor had taught me. One just needs to follow the tips that the instructor gives you and if you follow it to the core, you will definitely pass. Also i had practiced all these test just a couple of days back at the same place so i was very confident. All these tests went well and once i successfully completed the parallel parking test, i got a message on my phone saying I have passed the yard test.

The most important thing here is to follow the instructors advise else one will have difficulty in garage and parallel parking tests. They exactly tell you where to look, where to stop, when to turn, when to brake for the parallel parking test. If one tries doing the test based on their driving experience, there is no way the car is going to park perfectly in the marked slot no matter how good a driver you are. This is one thing I was told in the very first class- " You don't need to show you are a good driver to anyone, you are here to get your DL, so forget everything and exactly follow what i say".

Once i was done with my yard test, I scheduled my second driving class for the 28th of July which was the next Sunday. Took the car out on the roads in Dibba and did multiple roundabouts, u- turns, signals, lane changes and freeway driving. Post the class, my instructor gave me the go ahead to book my slots for the final driving tests. I scheduled my road test for the 30th of July through the MOI app which was 2 days later.

I was myself surprised that things were progressing so quickly and positively. Finally the D day is here and i arrive at the institute for my final road tests. bunch of us were called and asked to get into a bus. One student sat in the road test car and the Fujairah Traffic police officer joined him. So basically, the officer evaluates the candidates one by one and once he is done, they stop at the side of the road and the next person gets into the car for their test.

It was my turn and I got into the car and followed the check list- seats, seatbelts, mirrors and then we were good to go. Drove around for around 5 mins, did a couple of U- turns and a round about and I was asked to stop on the side. As soon as I got out of the car and entered the bus, I got a message saying PASSED. I was overjoyed.

Here is the snapshot of events:

14th June- File opening.
02nd July- Knowledge test.
21st July- First driving class.
23rd July- Parking test.
28th July- Second driving class.
30th July- Final road test.

From registration to getting my DL, the total journey took around 45 days. But if you consider the time taken from the date of first driving class to DL, it was just 9 days.

Registration:


Test details:


Payment details:


Overall I spent around 5650 AED at FNDI. To and fro charges for file opening, knowledge test, 2 trips for driving class, 1 trip each for parking test and final road test would be another 1000 AED approx.

Total cost for obtaining the license= 6650 AED.

On the same day, got a rental Corolla (one on the left) for a month and the search for a used SUV began.



The search took a little longer than expected and by the end of Sept 2024, she came home.




Just like me, my better half registered for her classes in Ras al Khaimah in the first week of November and got her DL in less than a months time.

To sum it up, it was a very simple, pleasant and quick experience to get a DL from Fujairah. Ofcourse, it will be much different in other Emirates like Dubai or Abu dhabi.

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by aditya.86

I moved to the UAE in May 2024 and my number 1 priority after getting an Emirates ID was to apply for a DL.

Mabrook to you Aditya & your wife on getting a quick DL from Fujairah. 45 days and 30 days is very quick indeed... Hope you can share your ownership thread of the 5.6 V8 Patrol

[aditya.86]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Mabrook to you Aditya & your wife on getting a quick DL from Fujairah. 45 days and 30 days is very quick indeed... Hope you can share your ownership thread of the 5.6 V8 Patrol

Thanks Santosh. It was indeed a great relief to have a license.

BTW, it's not a 5.6, I got the 4.0L V6. Hopefully, I will post a detailed ownership review post 25000 kms of running, currently done around 18000 kms.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

5831 - AED FINAL

That's >100x the cost of procuring a driving license in India. But then, the training is thorough, and testing is strict & (probably) unbiased. Despite this, UAE has a 'middle-of-the-road' road safety record - I wonder why.