Rent a Car in Dubai with a Canadian Licence

Two different rules apply to a Canadian licence in Dubai, and your visa decides which one is yours. A visitor — here on a tourist or short-visit visa, including a visa on arrival — can rent on a home licence; for a Canadian that means the provincial licence, with an International Driving Permit (IDP) recommended. A resident — someone who holds a UAE residence visa — must drive on a UAE licence, and the Canadian one is no longer valid for driving here.

For Canadian drivers both cases are straightforward at the time of writing. A Canadian provincial licence is recognised and in English, so a visitor can rent on it. Canada is also on the exchange list of Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), so a resident can swap it for a UAE licence without a road test. The table sets the two side by side; the sections after it give the detail.

• Renting a Car as a UAE Resident

If you are in the UAE on a tourist or short-visit visa, you rent on your home licence, as long as the UAE recognises it — and a Canadian provincial licence is recognised. It is also in English (some Canadian licences are bilingual English and French). Neither of the usual reasons for needing an IDP — a licence that is not in English or Arabic, or a country the UAE does not recognise — applies.

An IDP is still recommended. It is a translation of your licence, not a replacement for it, and it helps where the format is bilingual or unfamiliar. Rental companies vary — some accept an English-language national licence without an IDP — but carrying one removes all doubt.

Get the IDP in Canada, before you fly, from the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), and carry it alongside your Canadian licence, never instead of it.

On a home licence you can drive for roughly up to 3 months or the length of your visa, whichever is shorter. Once you hold a UAE residence visa, the visitor rule gives way to the resident one below. For the wider picture, see our guide to driving on a foreign licence.

Not sure whether your rental company wants an IDP? Ask before you fly, not at the desk. Companies vary, and the permit is something you arrange in Canada before you travel.

• Can You Drive in Dubai on a Foreign Licence?

On collection day, bring the originals. This is the usual set for a visitor; rental companies vary, so confirm yours when you book. For the wider checklist, see our guide to documents to rent a car in Dubai.

• Your original Canadian licence — no photocopies.
• Your passport, with the UAE entry stamp or visa.
• A credit card in the main driver's name, for the deposit.
• Your IDP from the CAA, if you have one (recommended).

• Documents You Need to Rent a Car in Dubai
• Car Rental Deposit in Dubai

The advice above on the IDP and pickup documents is for visitors. Once you hold a UAE residence visa the rule changes completely: you must drive on a UAE licence, and your Canadian licence is no longer valid for driving here. That includes driving a rental car, and an IDP does not change it — an IDP is a translation of your licence, not a replacement for a UAE one.

For a Canadian licence the route is the easier one. Canada is on the RTA's exchange list — about 57 countries as of the RTA's 2025 announcement — so you can swap your licence for a UAE one without a road test. At the time of writing that means an eye test and fees, around AED 1,000.

Drivers from countries not on the list must enrol at a driving school and pass the theory and road tests, plus the eye test, so it is worth checking that Canada is still listed when you apply. The list can change without notice.

One more check. For a short list of exception countries — the UK, US, Germany, France and Japan — the RTA goes by the country that issued the licence, not by your nationality. Canada is not on that short list, so if the country that issued your licence is not the country of your nationality, ask the RTA how your case is handled before you rely on the swap.

For the exact steps, documents and fees, go to rta.ae or u.ae; this guide gives the outline, not the full paperwork.

Rental companies set their own terms within the general rules, so a few checks before you book save trouble at the desk.

• Age and licence history: the minimum rental age is usually 21, often 25 for luxury rentals, and the licence is usually expected to have been held for at least one year. See our guide to under-25 car rental if age is a question for you.
• The deposit: it goes on a credit card in the main driver's name, so bring that card. Ask how much the deposit is before you book.
• Tolls and insurance: ask how Salik tolls are handled and what the insurance covers, including what you would still be responsible for.
• Language: your Canadian licence is already in English, so there is nothing to translate. The IDP is recommended because it helps where the format is bilingual or unfamiliar.

Keep the usual set together — original licence, IDP if you have one, passport and credit card — so nothing is left in the hotel or the luggage when you collect the car.

• Renting a Car in Dubai Under 25
• Salik Tolls in Dubai

This guide reflects the position at the time of writing, and rules like these change — the RTA exchange list in particular can change without notice. The official sources are the UAE Government portal, u.ae, and Dubai's RTA, rta.ae: check them for the current rule for your situation, then confirm with your rental company what it will accept. For the permit itself, ask the CAA.

If this is your first time renting here, see our guide to renting a car in Dubai for the first time; when you are ready to look at options, start at car rental in Dubai. Before you fly, work through this short list:

1. 1Check rta.ae and u.ae for the current rule for your situation, visitor or resident.
2. 2Ask your rental company whether it takes your Canadian licence on its own or also wants an IDP.
3. 3If you want an IDP, get it from the CAA in Canada before you fly.
4. 4Pack the originals: your Canadian licence, the IDP, your passport and a credit card in the main driver's name.

• Renting a Car in Dubai for the First Time
• Car rental in Dubai