Rent a Car in Dubai with a German Licence

You count as a visitor if you are in the UAE as a tourist or on a short visit, on a visa or visa on arrival. A visitor may drive a rental car on a home licence if the UAE recognises it, and at the time of writing a German (EU) licence is recognised.

The catch is language. Your licence uses the Latin alphabet but is not in English or Arabic, which is the situation where an International Driving Permit (IDP) is generally needed, and some rental companies ask for one. Companies vary, and carrying an IDP removes all doubt, so for a German visitor it is the safe choice.

An IDP is a translation of your licence, not a replacement for it, so you carry it alongside your German licence, never instead of it. Get it in Germany before you travel; the issuer to use is ADAC.

How long can you drive on your German licence? Roughly up to 3 months or the length of your visa, whichever is shorter. Check the current limit on rta.ae or u.ae, as it can change, and see our guide to driving in Dubai on a foreign licence for the wider picture.

Put the IDP first on your pre-trip list: it is arranged in Germany before you travel, so it cannot wait until you reach the airport.

• Can You Drive in Dubai on a Foreign Licence?

At pickup you need the documents below, and you also need to meet the company's age and experience rules. Rental companies vary, so confirm with yours when you book, and see our guide to the documents to rent a car in Dubai for the wider paperwork.

• Your original German licence. Photocopies are not accepted.
• Your IDP, carried alongside the licence as the safe choice.
• Your passport, with the UAE entry stamp or visa.
• A credit card in the main driver's name, for the deposit.
• Age: the minimum rental age is usually 21, and often 25 for luxury cars.
• Experience: companies usually expect you to have held your licence for at least one year.

Booking a luxury car, or under 25? Check the age rule for that specific car before you book, and see our guide to under-25 car rental.

• Documents You Need to Rent a Car in Dubai
• Car Rental Deposit in Dubai
• Renting a Car in Dubai Under 25

You count as a resident once you hold a UAE residence visa, and the rule is completely different. You must drive on a UAE licence: your German licence is no longer valid for driving here, so the question is no longer what a rental desk will accept.

Whether you can swap without a test depends on the RTA's exchange list, which covers about 57 countries as of the RTA's 2025 announcement, 38 of them European. At the time of writing Germany is on it.

• No road test: Germany is on the exchange list, so you can swap without one.
• An eye test and fees: around AED 1,000 in all, at the time of writing.
• Issuing country, not nationality: Germany is one of a few 'exception' countries, with the UK, the US, France and Japan, so the RTA goes by where the licence was issued and a German-issued licence can be exchanged even if you are not a German national.

If a country is not on the list, the route is a driving school plus theory and road tests, and the eye test. The list can change without notice, so check it on rta.ae or u.ae before you plan around a swap.

• Renting a Car as a UAE Resident

Which row applies to you depends on your visa. These are the two situations side by side, as they stand at the time of writing.

• Carry the IDP even if a company says your German licence will do. Rental companies vary, and the IDP is the translation your licence lacks.
• Plan the deposit around one card. It needs to be a credit card in the main driver's name, so decide who the main driver is before you book.
• If your status changes, so does the rule. Once you hold a UAE residence visa the visitor rule stops applying and you must drive on a UAE licence.
• Ask about Salik tolls and insurance before you sign: what the insurance covers, what you would owe if something goes wrong, and how Salik tolls are charged to you.

Before you book, ask the company two questions by email: do they accept a German licence on its own, and do they want to see an IDP? Keep the reply with your booking.

• Salik Tolls in Dubai

These rules can change, and the RTA's exchange list in particular can change without notice, so treat this guide as a starting point and check the live rule before you rely on it. The two official sources are u.ae, the UAE Government portal, and rta.ae, the website of Dubai's RTA. For the IDP, go to ADAC.

This guide reflects the position at the time of writing, October 2026. Visitors can work through the checklist below; if you live in the UAE, step one is the one that matters.

1. 1Check the current rule for your situation, visitor or resident, on rta.ae or u.ae. If you live here, also check that Germany is still on the exchange list.
2. 2Visiting? Arrange an IDP with ADAC in Germany before you travel.
3. 3Ask your rental company which documents it wants for a German licence, and whether it wants the IDP too.
4. 4Pack your original German licence, the IDP, your passport and a credit card in the main driver's name.

Once the paperwork is clear, compare companies and cars on our car rental in Dubai page, or read our guide to renting a car in Dubai for the first time.

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