Rent a Car in Dubai with a Pakistani Licence

Which rule applies depends on your status in the UAE. A visitor is someone in the country as a tourist or on a short visit, on a visa. A resident is someone who holds a UAE residence visa. These are two different rules, not a strict and a relaxed version of the same one. Visitors rent on a Pakistani licence with an International Driving Permit (IDP) alongside it. Residents must drive on a UAE licence, and there is no direct swap from a Pakistani one.

Everything here is general guidance as understood at the time of writing. Rules can change, so use it as a starting point and confirm the live position with the UAE Government portal (u.ae), Dubai's RTA (rta.ae) and your rental company. For how foreign licences work in general, see our guide to driving in Dubai on a foreign licence.

• Renting a Car as a UAE Resident
• Can You Drive in Dubai on a Foreign Licence?

If you are visiting, you need an IDP alongside your Pakistani licence to rent a car in Dubai. The IDP is a translation of your licence, not a replacement for it, so you carry both and show both at the rental desk.

An IDP is generally needed when a licence is not in English or Arabic, or when the UAE does not recognise the country. For a Pakistani licence the rule to plan around is simple: licence plus IDP.

Arrange the IDP in Pakistan, before you travel, through Pakistan's authorised IDP issuer. Check which body that is when you apply, and allow enough time before your trip.

The visitor allowance has a limit. At the time of writing, driving on a home licence as a visitor is valid for roughly up to 3 months or the length of your visa, whichever is shorter; for a Pakistani licence, that means the licence with its IDP. If your stay could run longer, or you are moving to the UAE on a residence visa, check with the RTA rather than assuming the visitor rules still apply.

Rental companies' own policies vary, but do not plan around an exception. For a Pakistani licence, treat the IDP as a requirement, not an optional extra.

Expect the company to check the following at pickup. Companies vary, so ask yours for its own list before you book.

For the general checklist, see our guide to documents to rent a car in Dubai. If you are under 25, also read our guide to under-25 car rental.

• Your original Pakistani driving licence, not a photocopy.
• Your IDP, carried alongside the licence.
• Your passport, with the UAE entry stamp or visa.
• A credit card in the main driver's name, for the deposit.
• Age and licence history: the minimum rental age is usually 21 (often 25 for luxury cars), and the licence is usually expected to have been held for at least one year.

Check whose name is on the credit card before you book: for the deposit it should be the main driver's.

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

Once you hold a UAE residence visa, you must drive on a UAE licence. Your Pakistani licence is no longer valid for driving here, and an IDP does not change that, because an IDP is only a translation of your licence, not a replacement for it.

The RTA keeps a list of countries whose licences can be swapped for a UAE licence without a road test, for an eye test and fees of around AED 1,000. As of the RTA's 2025 announcement the list covered about 57 countries, and it can change without notice. At the time of writing Pakistan is not on it, so that shortcut is not available to you and you should not assume the same fee applies.

A resident with a Pakistani licence goes through a driving school and the UAE test process instead. The exact steps vary: some holders face a road test, others the full process of theory and road tests, and the eye test always applies. Confirm the current requirement with the RTA, and ask the driving school for its current costs, before you enrol.

Holding a licence issued outside Pakistan? For a few exception countries (the UK, US, Germany, France and Japan) the RTA goes by the country that issued the licence, not your nationality. For any other country, check with the RTA how your licence is treated.

These are habits rather than rules, but they help. For a wider walk-through of a first rental, see our guide to renting a car in Dubai for the first time.

• Make the IDP the first job on your pre-trip list. It has to be arranged in Pakistan before you travel, so have it in hand before you book the car.
• Ask the rental company, before you book, to confirm that it accepts a Pakistani licence with an IDP. Policies vary from one company to another.
• Before you sign, ask how Salik road tolls are charged and what the insurance covers. Terms differ between companies, so get the answers in writing if you can.
• Ask how large the deposit on your credit card will be and when it is released.
• On a longer stay, note when your visa ends. The visitor allowance is tied to it, so do not assume it carries on after that.

• Renting a Car in Dubai for the First Time
• Salik Tolls in Dubai

This guide is general information as understood at the time of writing, not legal advice and not any company's policy. The RTA's exchange list in particular can change without notice, so check the current position before you rely on it.

Go to the source: the UAE Government portal (u.ae) and Dubai's RTA (rta.ae) for the licence rules, Pakistan's authorised IDP issuer for the permit, and your rental company for its own terms.

1. 1Decide whether you are a visitor (on a visa, for a short stay) or a resident (holding a UAE residence visa).
2. 2Check the current rule for your situation on rta.ae and u.ae.
3. 3Visitor: arrange the IDP in Pakistan before you travel. Resident: ask the RTA what applies to your Pakistani licence before you enrol at a driving school.
4. 4Before you book, ask the rental company to confirm that it accepts your Pakistani licence with an IDP, and what age, licence-history and deposit terms it applies.