Hiring UK car with UAE licence

Anyone had experience with this?

Son coming back for a week in October and needing to hire a car - seems easier to do this than add him temporarily to our own insurance.

Ta....

For the reverse, they insist on an International Driving Permit, but for a definitive answer, best ring up a hire company, but this is what Enterprise say for example:

Yes he can certainly produce the last 3...however there appears to be conflicting info emanating from our preliminary enquiries.

One said his UK licence is effectively "exchanged" for a UAE one, i.e.the former is discounted. However I would find it odd if someone from the UAE were not able to hire a car here! We'll have a trawl of the local hirers anyway.

We've also had conflicting responses re adding him to Mrs Ed's own insurance...ClassicLine wouldn't but RAC, who use Sabre, would apparently. But then the agent had to confirm this with her manager who wasn't around....

If he's got a valid UK license why not just use that? AFAIK the DVLA don't know or care that it is "exchanged" for a UAE one, that's just a process that make getting hold of a UAE license a formality.

Edit: I suppose the rental company need a current address, which is in the UAE?

Hiring with a foreign licence should not be a problem. After all, a huge proportion on hire car customers are visiting.

Many UK insurers are awkward about adding drivers with foreign licences though.

An exchange of a licence usually is just that. The UK one is returned to the DVLA and cancelled. You only get to keep the UK licence if somebody gets it wrong and gives it back to you!

That exchange (involving surrendering your DVLA licence) is true in Europe and places like Norway, but not the UAE.

However, DVLA require that you keep your address up to date (with a fine ip to £1000 payabel if you don't), and if you move abroad then (according to the DVLA) "You can’t register your new address on your British driving licence". To be valid, the DVLA license has to be associated with a UK address, and if the address is not correct, it will likely invalidate the insurance that you take out when hiring a car in the UK using that licence, making you liable for all costs in the event of any claim for damage.

Safest bet appears to be to use the UAE licence and pay whatever premium hire rate has to be paid as a result

Yep, this is the conclusion I've now come to.

Thanks very much for the input chaps

There’s no premium hike and no issues using a UAE license, I’m an Avis preferred member and only have my UAE license loaded in the system, never had an issue in Heathrow or Manchester airports hire car offices.

If your son is a resident here in the UAE then he should use his UAE license as he’s no longer resident in the UK.

Holy Moly Jimbo, where have you been? Good to see you pop back, will it be 9 months until your next post?

Nice one Jimbo, cuts to the quick

Strangely enough it now seems that Ageas are quite happy with adding him to a new policy that Mrs Ed is about to take out, for £5 per day! (minimum 3 days)


Confused.com

Hey Dave, not even sure I could class myself as a lurker on here anymore I visit so rarely, it’s good to read what’s going on once in a while though.
I’m still chilling, or is that baking out here in Dubai. Nothing new to report really, oh I got married to a Swedish girl and we had a baby boy 3 weeks ago

You're a master of understatement Jimbo! I guess things are working out well over there, that's great!

I've got another short whistle-stop trip to Abu Dhabi next week, but there's never enough time to relax and pay you a visit...

Double congratulations- well done

Pipe & slippers next.....

Congratulations Jimbo

Whereabouts are you - my lad and family are near the Radisson Apartment hotel, he's at the Waterfront...

Lol, congratulations

Well do give me a shout if you're there a little longer, it's 45 to an hour drive from my place to Abu Dhabi so not too far.



Pipe and slippers!! running shoes and a net more like, I wasn't expecting to be running around at age 47 but I'm hoping this will keep me young.




Thank you. I'm in Jumeirah Beach Residence so I guess that's the other side of the marina (beach side) to your son if he's on the marina waterfront.



Thanks T