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How easy is it to get a driving licence in Dubai? KT reporter finds out

A handful of drivers I know have failed at least once, why would I be any different?

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Like most of us expats in Dubai, I entered the city with a mind to dwell among many nationalities and cultures, while also earn a good living, but only for a couple of years. It has been two years now. I enjoy using public transport. And here it has proved to be very efficient in helping me get to work, to social meets and practically anywhere else I want to go. All it takes is a little effort. And thanks to apps like Wojhati and Google Maps, I’ve gotten around fairly well.
Without ever feeling the need to get a licence, one morning I decided I wanted to get one. It would, indeed, be a nice idea to drive myself to wherever, whenever.
I’m a lazy lump, and that means I get work done in the fastest way possible, only to have enough time to laze around again. So my priority was, to get it done in the quick.
Driving to success
Conveniently, I found a driving school that was about 700m away from my workplace. They also offered to pick and drop me through my practical lessons. Oh how the ‘lazy’ in me rejoiced. The icing? They dropped me to my theory lessons too!
Most of my friends and acquaintances have taken up to four months to finally receive their driving license, and that was one of the reasons I always stowed away the idea of having to even try. But now that I walked into the situation, I faced it as it came.

Timeline January 29, 2015: Open file at driving school February 14: Attend 8-hour theory class March 9: Attempt theory test; pass March 22: Attempt road test; pass; walk out with licence

It took 20 days from my theory lesson to the theory test, and that’s when I thought, this is how slow I was told it was going to be. I passed in my first attempt (It would have killed my ego, had I failed). I went on with my practical lessons on the side – three days a week. Soon I was done with 20 classes, and my friends told me I would have to wait about a month to get a road test slot.
To keep pace I went the following day of my last practical lesson, and voila! I got my road test slot within a week. Then came the big day, that of which I was warned one too many times. A handful of drivers I know have failed at least once, why would I be any different?
My tummy was churning with anxiety. And I thought, “there wasn’t a chance that I was going to take some more classes, and dedicate more of my time and money in this driving licence ordeal.”
So I patiently waited for my turn; reversed the test car, drove out and about, returned, and waited some more. Then the administrator at the school notified me that I had passed. In the following hour I ran from one supervisor to the other, got all the signatures, and walked out with a content heart and a UAE driving licence in my hand.
Most of this I owe to my driving instructor Nowsath Ali from the driving school. His presence of mind, fun and innovative ways of teaching made the experience a breeze. Of all the inept instructor stories I’ve heard, he proved them all wrong.
I still wonder what everyone seems to be cribbing about when it comes to getting a driving licence in Dubai.