What you need to rent a car in Dubai as a visitor

Renting a car in Dubai is simple when the paperwork is ready before you land. The rules come from the UAE's federal traffic law and from Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA); rental companies then add their own conditions, especially for powerful cars. This guide explains the documents, how the licence rules work for visitors and what changes once you become a resident.

The three documents every visitor needs

• Passport with your UAE entry stamp or visa. Rental companies record your entry status because a visitor may drive on a foreign licence, while a resident may not.
• Your home driving licence, valid and held for the minimum period the company requires.
• An International Driving Permit (IDP) if your licence was issued by a country that is not on the UAE's list of recognised licences.

Do you need an International Driving Permit?

The UAE allows visitors from a long list of countries to drive on their national licence — it includes the GCC states, the United Kingdom, most of the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan and others. The list is published and updated by the RTA, so check it for your country before you travel. If your country is not on it, apply for an IDP at home before departure; it is a translation that accompanies your licence, not a replacement for it.

When in doubt, bring the IDP. It costs little at home and avoids a refused hand-over.

Age and driving experience

UAE law lets you drive from 18, but rental companies set their own minimum age. Twenty-one is common for ordinary cars. For supercars and high-performance SUVs such as a Lamborghini Huracán EVO Spyder or a Mercedes-AMG G 63, many companies ask for 25 and a licence held for a minimum number of years. MJM Motors confirms the rule for each car when you write.

Payment and deposit

Most Dubai rental companies block a security deposit on a credit card to cover fines and tolls that arrive after the car is returned. MJM Motors' Instagram bio states "No deposit", and its February 2026 reel adds that you pay only the rent, without a fines deposit. That does not make fines disappear — anything recorded against the car during your rental is still yours to pay. Our guide to no-deposit rental explains how this works.

If you live in the UAE

Once you hold a UAE residence visa, your foreign licence no longer allows you to drive here; you need a UAE driving licence. Many nationalities can convert their licence directly at an RTA-approved centre; others must follow the driving-school route. For renting you will show your Emirates ID and UAE licence instead of a passport and foreign licence.

At the hand-over

• Check the car together with the company and photograph every panel, the wheels and the interior.
• Note the fuel level and the odometer.
• Ask how Salik tolls and fines are passed on, and how quickly.
• Save the company's contact — for MJM Motors, the Instagram chat you booked in.

Rules that surprise visitors

• Zero alcohol. The legal limit for drivers in the UAE is zero.
• Phones. Holding a phone while driving is fined.
• Radar. Cameras are everywhere, on motorways and in town. The signed limit is the limit.
• Salik. Toll gates on main roads charge automatically each time you pass.
• Seat belts and child seats are compulsory for every occupant; young children must be in a suitable child seat.

A practical checklist

• Check whether your licence country is on the RTA list; get an IDP if not.
• Pack your passport and licence in your hand luggage.
• Decide the car: two seats for a drive, five seats for the airport.
• Send MJM Motors your dates and the model by DM and ask what they need to see.
• On the day, inspect and photograph the car before you leave.

Driving to other emirates

A Dubai rental can normally be driven anywhere inside the UAE — Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah — but each emirate has its own police and its own cameras, and Abu Dhabi has its own toll system, Darb. Crossing into Oman is a different matter: it needs the company's written permission and separate Omani insurance, and many rental companies do not allow it with luxury cars at all. If a trip to Hatta is on your list, remember that the main road stays inside the UAE; do not follow signs towards the border post.

Questions about insurance

Ask three things before you sign: what the cover includes (damage to the car, third-party liability, theft), what the excess is if you are at fault, and whether driving off-road or on track days is excluded — it almost always is. MJM Motors advertised comprehensive insurance in February 2026; the chat is the place to ask for the details of the car you choose.

With the documents in order, the rest is the drive. Browse the fleet or read the requirements page for the short version.