I'll try and keep today's update brief (if only to avoid editorial input from my wife who doesn't like my long winded wittering).
I drove over to the Driving Licence centre this morning - no mean feat of navigation I can tell you - confident that I now had all the appropriate pieces of paper and ticks in boxes. I was even wondering about the logistics of collecting the new car. Such optimism, as you will no doubt have guessed, was sadly misguided. I handed in my forms at Reception. 'Go see Manager' he said. Never a good sign.
The Manager was amiable enough but explained that it's only possible for them to issue a Dubai driving licence to a Dubai resident on an Abu Dhabi visa if their visa says Manager. Mine has the lowly designation of Engineer. If I'd come a month ago, he helpfully informed me, it 'would have been no problem, but system change'. And that was that. He was very sorry, but he couldn't help. 'Go Abu Dhabi' he said, 'get licence there. No problem'. If only he knew ...
When I got back I spoke to our Agent in Abu Dhabi. 'There may be a way' he said. 'I know a man in the Dubai Traffic Department. Maybe you need to give him present'. What kind of present I wondered, a bottle of whiskey perhaps? 'Perhaps 4,000 dirhams' he said (nearly £600!) 'or you wait 6 weeks maybe for Government eye test...'
Monday, September 25, 2006
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3 comments:
Bummer - So £600 for a license or 6 weeks for an eye test which will use a different chart than the one you have already learned??
I presume you can drive any car just on your UK license - its just buying a car... Can you get someone to buy the car for you on their own licence... though I guess that would require a fair amount of trust come reselling time...
Do they not sell UAE driving licences on e-bay?
I'll be glad when this saga is over so we can hear about other aspects of your "new life in Dubai".
Perhaps you should re-title the webpage "A new licence in Dubai"!
nice work Mark. Glad to hear you are well. Do you really have to take a helicopter to work? dont like the things myself - they make me bilious! Have fun - take care and keep the blog uptodate!
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