We get a lot of tourists and residents from CIS countries, and most of them ask the same things: what about the licence, how to pay if the local card does not go through, and where to drive at the weekend. Here is a general answer covering Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus in one place; for Russia and Kazakhstan specifically we also have separate detailed guides, linked below.
Licence and International Driving Permit
National licences from Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Ukraine are not on the list of roughly forty countries whose driving licences the UAE accepts directly for tourists, as confirmed in our separate guide to UAE licence requirements. Licences from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are also not on that list. In practice, for all of these CIS countries you need an International Driving Permit (IDP), arranged at home before you fly and carried together with your national licence. We cover exactly how to arrange and carry the paperwork in our guide on renting with a Russian licence; the same logic applies to other CIS countries.
Paying without a local card
The main difficulty for most CIS visitors is not documents, it is payment. Cards issued by Russian and Belarusian banks, Visa and Mastercard alike, do not work in the UAE or almost anywhere outside their home country because of sanctions, and that includes paying for a car rental. Cards from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are usually not blocked this way, but it is worth checking with your bank before travelling whether international transactions are enabled, since limits and overseas spending are sometimes a separate setting.
We accept cash dirhams, bank transfer and card (where it works), full prepayment at booking, and no deposit on any car. A detailed breakdown for visitors without a working local card, including how to carry cash, how to send a transfer and which exchange rate works out best, is in our separate guide on paying for a rental car in Dubai without a local card.
Popular routes
From Dubai, the usual day trips are Abu Dhabi with the Sheikh Zayed Mosque (about 140 km), Hatta in the mountains near the Oman border (about 130 km), or Al Ain with its oasis and the Jebel Hafeet mountain road (about 130 km on a straight highway). All three run on paved roads, a regular car is enough unless you separately plan an off-road desert trip.
| Route | Distance | Drive time |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai to Abu Dhabi | about 140 km | 1.5 hours |
| Dubai to Hatta | about 130 km | 1.5 hours |
| Dubai to Al Ain | about 130 km | 1.5 hours |
| Dubai to Sharjah | about 30 km | 30 to 45 minutes |
Support in Russian
Our support team speaks Russian and English, daily from 10:00 to 19:00, this is not a 24-hour service. For CIS visitors this is often the deciding factor when choosing a company: terms, payment and any issues can be sorted out in a familiar language, without translating the contract by hand.
If you are from Kazakhstan
For Kazakhstan we have a separate, detailed guide to renting a car in Dubai covering local specifics, including card and visa nuances. The general licence and IDP rules described above apply to Kazakhstan too.
Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus in brief
- Uzbekistan. A licence plus an IDP is needed, same as the other CIS countries. Payment is usually simpler than with Russian or Belarusian cards, but enable international transactions in your banking app beforehand just in case.
- Kyrgyzstan. Same logic: an IDP is required, and the card usually works, but it is worth carrying some cash for the first few days until you have confirmed the card works locally.
- Belarus. Licence plus IDP, and on payment the practical situation is closer to Russia's: cards from Belarusian banks generally do not go through in the UAE because of sanctions, so plan for cash or a transfer in advance, see our separate guide on paying without a local card.
Monthly rental
If your trip is long, or you have come to work or study, a monthly rate is almost always better value than several short rentals back to back: a month costs the equivalent of 17 to 22 days depending on the car class, not thirty. Delivery and collection anywhere in Dubai are free on rentals of 7 days or more, which is especially convenient if you need the car straight from the airport.
What to bring
- Passport and, if required, a valid visa or UAE residence visa.
- Your country's national driving licence.
- An International Driving Permit (IDP), arranged at home in advance.
- Cash dirhams for the first few days, even if your card should work in theory.
Tolls and fines
Dubai runs the Salik toll system: AED 6.30 at peak hours (weekdays and Saturday 06:00 to 10:00 and 16:00 to 20:00), AED 4.20 off peak, a flat AED 4.20 all day on Sundays, and free travel from 1 am to 6 am. The tag is already fitted in the car. Fines are issued to the car rather than on the spot, we do not charge a handling fee for passing them on, but the fine amount itself is paid by the renter. Our separate guide to fines in Dubai explains how to check and pay one if it does arrive.
