Dawn Rent a Car offering a comprehensive set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) that you might find helpful before renting a car in the UAE. You decide to rent a suv, sedan, luxury or even a sports car in the UAE, the following FAQs can help.
Documents
If you are a UAE resident, you are required to submit:
Copy of Passport
Copy of Residential Visa
Valid UAE Driving License
Copy of Emirates ID
If you are a Tourist visiting the UAE, you need to submit :
Passport
Visit Visa
Home Country Driving License
International Driving Permit
Passport holders of GCC, US, UK, Canada and certain other countries can drive on their home country license in the UAE
If you live in the UAE on a Residential Visa / Work Permit, you need a valid UAE Driving License. To get a UAE Driving License, you need driving lessons and pass the driving test from an RTA-approved Driving Institute in UAE: Galadari | Belhasa | Emirates Driving Institute
If you are visiting the UAE as a tourist and want a rental car to get around, you need to have a valid International Driving Permit (IDP) a.k.a. International Driving License and your original Driving License, both from your home country.
Find out below if your country’s driving license is valid in the UAE.
Australia Austria Bahrain Belgium Belgium Brazil* Canada (Quebec*) China Croatia Cyprus Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany |
Great Britain Greece Hong Kong Ireland Italy Japan* Kuwait Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Malaysia Netherland New Zealand Norway Oman |
Poland Portugal Qatar Romania Saudi Arabia Singapore Slovakia* Slovenia South Africa South Korea* Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey USA |
*Original + Translated Copy required
For all other countries, an International Driving Permit is essential from the driving license holder’s home country.
You only need to pay the full rental amount for the period you need the car. However, a refundable deposit amount per car is blocked . We can accept the deposit amount in cash too.
Since traffic fines sometimes generate several days after the incident is recorded / reported by the RTA, the deposit amount on a credit card as a safety net for fines incurred on their leased cars while they were rented by you. This also helps in times when a rental car is damaged by the driver.
Salik charges are also recorded in a few days by the rental company to be paid by the driver.
Incase there are no fines or deductibles, the blocked amount is released within 21 days. On request, you can settle the additional charges in cash too if you do not wish to use your credit card.
Salik is Dubai’s electronic toll collection system. There are no toll booths in Dubai providing you a continuous drive across the UAE without any interruptions.
When you cross a Salik, charges are also recorded by Rotana Star through the RTA Salik system. You, the car renter / driver, pays the Salik charges.
mark up the cost to AED 5 per salik. Here is a complete list of Salik Toll Booths in Dubai.
Note: You also pay for Salik charges when your hired taxi crosses a toll in Dubai such as on Sheikh Zayed Road.
In the UAE, all rental cars come with an air-conditioner (AC) and FM radio. Most rental cars (newer models especially) come with a USB music player / mobile charging port so don’t forget to carry your USB data cable for your mobile phones.
Chargeable extras such as GPS, Baby or Child Seats, WiFi may also available on request.
No, only the registered driver whose driving license and details have been submitted can drive a leased car. If the car rented by you meets with an accident and the person in the driving seat is not you, the Police might consider you at fault even though it isn’t your fault besides incurring other fines.
An additional driver can be registered on the same hired car by submitting the required documents: copy of valid UAE driving license and visa.
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