A person can use a valid UAE licence even after the residence visa is cancelled, Dubai court ruled.
Driving licence valid after visa cancellation

A Former UAE residents can still use a valid driver’s licence while visiting Dubai even after having cancelled their residence visas, according to a recent landmark ruling.

The Dubai Court of Cassation issued a recent ruling which stipulates that a person can continue using his or her UAE-issued driving licence as long as it remains valid and even after having cancelled the residence visa.

“When the authorities terminate a resident’s visa that does not mean that his/her driving licence is unusable as well. A driver’s licence remains valid in UAE as long as it hasn’t expired. The document is considered applicable provided it was issued upon a valid residence visa,” said the landmark ruling which was issued upon a traffic case that surfaced at Dubai courts recently.

The Traffic Court of First Instance recently fined an Arab national Dh1,000 and revoked his driver’s licence for three months for drinking and driving but acquitted him of driving without a licence.

The Public Prosecution appealed the initial verdict before the Dubai Appeals Court which upheld the primary ruling.

The Public Prosecution said in its appeal that article 51 of the Federal Penal Code No 21, 2005, concerning traffic, and its amendments in the law No 12 of 2007, bans the accused from using his driver’s licence (which was issued upon a residence visa earlier before it was annulled and he left the country).

The Dubai Court of Cassation confirmed his acquittal and issued the landmark ruling.