UAE legal Q&As: Can a driver’s licence from a previous residency be used again?


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Q: I was a resident of Dubai for a few years before returning home to the UK. I have now returned to the UAE, this time to live and work in Abu Dhabi. My new residency visa will soon be approved and, at that time, I will not be permitted to drive while using my UK licence. I still have my Dubai driving licence from the first time I was resident here. I wondered, do I need to get a new licence from Abu Dhabi or is the original Dubai licence still acceptable? People have been giving me conflicting answers.

A: It makes no difference whether your licence was issued by Abu Dhabi, Dubai or any other emirate, it is a UAE licence to be used to drive in the entire country and you can certainly use it on your return here, as long as it is still valid. If it is expired, you can still easily submit an application to issue a new one.

Q: Can a company in the UAE force employees to take accrued leave when being sacked, rather than the company pay it when they leave? My company is terminating employees, giving them 30 days’ notice then, at the end of their 30 days, is forcing them to take leave and not pay for the unused leave. Is this legal?

A: This is an illegal procedure by the company and a violation of labour laws, which state that an employee should be paid all their unused annual leave balance. Employees who are being sacked and not offered their accrued paid leave can visit a Ministry of Labour office and lodge a complaint against the company. The ministry will assign a legal researcher to investigate and, upon the findings of the investigation, the ministry will issue a decision.

If you have a question for our legal columnist, please email it to newsdesk@thenational.ae with the subject line “Know the law”.

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Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Rating: 5/5

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1987

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PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE

1 Man City    26   20   3   3   63   17   63 

2 Liverpool   25   17   6   2   64   20    57 

3 Chelsea      25   14   8  3   49   18    50 

4 Man Utd    26   13   7  6   44   34    46 

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5 West Ham   26   12   6   8   45   34    42 

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6 Arsenal      23  13   3   7   36   26   42 

7 Wolves       24  12   4   8   23   18   40 

8 Tottenham  23  12   4   8   31   31   39  

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes