How do you get a motorcycle licence in Dubai and the other emirates?

You need a driving licence that covers motorcycles, and you can start at 17. Federal law sets 17 as the minimum age for a driving licence, with a medical examination and a driving test.¹ The RTA issues a motorcycle Learning Permit from 17.²

What are the steps in Dubai?

The RTA process is the same for a first licence and for adding the motorcycle category to a car licence.²

1. Apply on the RTA website or app with your Emirates ID, passport, traffic file or UAE Pass, and choose a driving institute.
2. Pay the full package, 20% up front, or pay at the institute.
3. Take an eye test at an accredited eye test centre.
4. Receive a digital Learning Permit by SMS and email and start training.
5. Pass the knowledge test, the yard test and the road test, booked as you finish each stage.
6. Pay the licence fee at the institute and collect the licence. It also appears in the RTA Dubai app.

If you take no official test for six months after your last appointment, the file is suspended.²

What does it cost in Dubai?

Training is priced by each institute. Drive Dubai, one of the RTA’s approved institutes, lists an RTA fee of AED 1,440 for a single-attempt motorcycle course, plus its own fee of AED 2,090 plus VAT for 20 hours of road training on a regular schedule.³ Its course includes 8 theory lectures, and the RTA theory test has 40 questions with 30 needed to pass.³ After the road test, Drive Dubai says you receive a temporary licence valid for 7 days by email.³

What eyesight do you need?

The RTA sets the same standard for motorcycles as for light vehicles, for example 6/18 in each eye, or 6/6 in the right eye if the left eye is blind.²

What about Abu Dhabi and the other emirates?

Each emirate’s licensing authority issues licences under the same federal law.¹ In Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Police’s traffic e-services include adding a category to a driving licence, and need a valid Emirates ID and an active traffic file.⁴

New federal rules start on 1 January 2027. Under them, a motorcycle licence applicant fails the test if a foot touches the ground while riding, Aletihad reported on 4 November 2026.⁵

What if you ride without a motorcycle licence?

Riding without a licence, or with a licence that does not cover motorcycles, can mean up to three months in prison and a fine of AED 5,000 to AED 50,000, or one of the two.¹ Your insurer can also refuse to pay for your bike, or recover what it paid others.⁶⁷

Book your eye test and choose an institute through the RTA service before you buy a bike.

The small print

• The minimum age and test requirements are Article 10 of Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2024. The penalty for driving without a licence or with a licence for another vehicle type is Article 37(2).¹
• The older federal fine schedule lists “driving a vehicle with a driving license other than the granted one” at AED 400 and 12 black points, item 24.⁸ The decree-law penalty is the one in force since 29 March 2025 for driving without the right licence.
• Insurance exclusions for an unlicensed rider are Chapter Four (6) of the loss and damage policy and Chapter Five (5) of the third-party policy.⁶⁷