Dubai Police Arrest Gang of 8 Exploiting License Exchange Procedures

The General Command of Dubai Police, represented by the General Department of Criminal Investigation, has arrested a gang of 8 people who made a business of obtaining forged driving licences from a neighbouring country for people who had not travelled there or undergone the necessary training or tests, in preparation for exchanging them for UAE driving licences, at a cost of AED 10,000 per licence, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai.

Dubai Police explained that the Economic Crimes Department uncovered the gang members’ exploitation of the procedures for exchanging driving licences issued by that country for licences issued by the Roads and Transport Authority, under the agreements in force, which allow licences that meet the requirements to be exchanged without retraining or re-testing.

Police stated that the accused used the offices of transaction-clearing companies in the country as a front to promote their activity among visitors, luring those wishing to obtain driving licences with offers allowing them to obtain them from the neighbouring country without travelling there or learning to drive, and then exchange them for UAE licences.

Dubai Police warned against being drawn in by offers promoting ways to obtain driving licences illegally, stressing that training and testing requirements are a fundamental safeguard for verifying drivers’ competence and their ability to handle the road, and that bypassing them endangers the lives of road users and undermines efforts to enhance road safety.

Police also warned anyone who turns to these gangs and pays money to obtain a driving licence while knowing that the procedures for obtaining it are unlawful that they expose themselves to punishment and legal accountability, stressing that exchanging the licence for a UAE one does not rectify the violations that preceded its issuance, nor does it exempt its holder from liability, and that completing the exchange procedures may not be used as a pretext to lend legitimacy to practices that violate the law.

Police stressed that the facilities for exchanging driving licences do not mean bypassing the requirements for issuing them lawfully in the country of origin, calling on members of the community to follow the approved procedures, obtain licences in accordance with the law and from the competent authorities, and report any individuals or entities promoting the issuance of driving licences by unlawful means, thereby helping to protect society and combat these practices.