Most countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have widespread legal and cultural similarities, although in the case of driving license regulation, the procedures of each of them, in particular, translation and validation, are carried out independently. Varying in the degree of completion, expatriates moving to work, other tourists who need to hire a car, and residents who dream of exchanging their license to the new one need to learn the peculiarities of the translation of the driving license. We have other examples of GCC countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the Sultanate of Oman in this blog. We are going to compare the treaties and expectations of these three countries that are very big in GCC.

The Requirements of Translation: A Jurisdictional Issue

Translating driving license is central to the process of validation or conversion of foreign driving licenses within the GCC. Both these countries have their respective transport authority which deals with licensing and foreign document recognition. Although all the three countries accept English and Arabic documents either totally, partially or the other way around, they are different in terms of strictness in accepting translated documents that are to be certified including the conditions.

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The process in the UAE is properly organized and internet-friendly especially in such emirates, as Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Driving with a license issued in a foreign language is a challenge in Dubai as the Renewal of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) requires that such license should be translated to the Arabic language. When you rent cars or apply to obtain an International Driving Permit (IDP), translations are not required in case your license is in English, though, when you apply to exchange your foreign license with a UAE one, translations are a necessity.

The translations that can be accepted will have to be provided by certified translators who have been sanctioned by the Ministry of Justice or translation agencies that are registered with the respective bodies in the UAE. The translated document is often required to be attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in the home country followed by the UAE Embassy, in particular the countries, which do not share license-exchange agreements with the UAE. These fees are always different according to the attestation aspects and the translator used but the lump sum is AED 150 to AED 500.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)

In the recent past, Saudi Arabia has been more accommodative to the expats. All issues regarding licensing of drivers are dealt in the General Directorate of Traffic (Muroor). In the case of foreign nationals (especially those having licenses that are not in Arabic or English) they must first be translated to Arabic language, before any other processing is done. The same can be said about the license conversion, driving permit applications, or taking of driving schools.

Unlike UAE where some countries are entitled to conversion of license to exchange, direct conversions of most foreign based licenses is normally not encouraged in Saudi Arabia. Although you hold a valid West or Asian driving license, you will even be expected to take another driving test. Nevertheless, depending on the license, in some cases, you might pass the training requirement with the well-translated and certified license.

Translator must certify and preferably, notarize translations and sometimes additional authentication by the Saudi Embassy in the country of origin may be required. The whole procedure is rather bureaucratic compared to that of the UAE, with greater focus on the physical verification processes, especially among the women applicants who have just been given the right to drive by law.

Oman Sultanate

The flexibility of Oman is somewhere between UAE and Saudi Arabia. The Royal Oman Police (ROP) will regulate the entire licensing practice and the official language of documentation is Arabic. This has made all non-Arabic driving licenses translate to Arabic whenever doing any official work such as converting the license and checking the license to issue driving permits.

Nevertheless, you can possibly rent a car or temporarily drive by using your license (in case it is written in English). As far as the residents are concerned who want to transfer the license of other nations, they will require Arabic translation which they must get through a qualified translator who should be accepted in Oman.

Oman does acknowledge a few Gulf and European licenses to convert; nonetheless, this is on a case to case basis. The attestation rules are not as strict as in the UAE and KSA, however, the accuracy and authenticity of the translation process are taken under control. The costs of translation and attestation are rather moderate, that is, between 10 OMR and 30 OMR.

Major Similarities and Differences

All the three countries force Arabic translations of foreign licenses to some extent, but the difference there exists is in the way they are applied and the indulgence of procedures.

Language Priority: Arabic is compulsory in all the three but English can pass on temporarily in the UAE and Oman.

Attestation Requirements: The most explicitly outlined teleporting route is in UAE with the MOFA and UAE Embassy participation. When compared to Oman, Saudi Arabia is more likely to have a need of embassy intervention.

Conversion versus Testing: The UAE does this relatively easy with some countries, Saudi Arabia requires tests in most cases despite the place of issue, and Oman depends upon the country of issue and the residency status of the person applying.

Governance Supervision: The RTA of UAE has a functional IT backbone. Conversely, Muroor and ROP in Saudi and Oman are less automated since they depend on manual records and field validation.

The process is usually simpler to GCC nationals. Due to mutual agreements, a citizen of any state that is the member of GCC can frequently drive in other states with minimum paperwork. There is the waiver of translation requirements on licenses issued in GCC.

Advance your plans: What should Expats and Travelers do?

In case you intend to drive to or spend a long time in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman, it is strongly recommendable that you plan your translation/attestation procedure way ahead of time. Missing attestations, long response time of translators or problems with an appointment at the embassy might cause serious delays.

First, ensure you go through your license language. And in case it is written in some non-latin language, say Russian, Japanese, or Mandarin, you are highly likely to need translation. Select an authorized translator whose qualifications are accepted in the country of destination. Some may also vary depending on new regulation, bilateral agreements or even developments of geopolitical nature, so one should always consult the transport authority in the country or the transport authority site of the country to get the latest update.

Those who are confused could find complete start-to-finish services in typing centers in UAE, translation offices near Saudi embassies or any authorized agents of Oman. These are premium type of services, which are capable of streamlining the process particularly to first time applicants.