Driving in United Arab Emirates: licence, roads and tolls
Part of the United Arab Emirates arrival guide.
This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: August 2026 by Ondřej Kadlec
Driving in United Arab Emirates: the three basics
Drives on the
right
The driver sits on the left and overtakes on the left. Roundabouts turn anticlockwise.
Your licence
Licence plus an IDP
Your own licence works with an International Driving Permit beside it. Get the permit at home before you fly - no country issues one for another country's licence.
Motorways
Tolls by distance
Motorways charge for the distance driven, at barriers or by camera. Budget for it on a long drive; it is rarely trivial.
Salik gantries in Dubai charge automatically and the hire company bills them back, usually with an administration fee.
Emirati roads are fast and the enforcement is automated: Salik tolls, radar everywhere, and zero tolerance for alcohol.
Automated tolls, automated speed enforcement, and an absolute rule about alcohol.
Salik gates in Dubai charge automatically by plate; the hire company bills them on, usually with a fee per crossing.
The alcohol limit is zero. Any measurable reading is a criminal matter and can mean detention, whatever the amount and whatever your own country allows.
Radar is constant and the fines are large. Some emirates allow a small margin over the posted limit and others do not; the limit on the sign is the number to drive.
Road rage and rude gestures are prosecuted offences here, which is worth knowing on a motorway with heavy lane discipline problems.
Fuel is cheap and the distances between cities are short - Dubai to Abu Dhabi is an hour and a half on a twelve-lane road.
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