The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has brought in changes to the rules concerning international driving licences.

As per the traffic and roads law, the applicants for the international driving licences must be UAE citizens or UAE residents with valid UAE driving licences, said a top RTA official.

The international driving licence will be valid for a period of one year from the date of  issuance, Traffic and Roads Agency CEO Maitha Bin Adai said.

She was chairing a co-ordination meeting at RTA in the presence of members of Automobile & Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates, headed by Board chairman Mohammad Ahmed Bin Sulayem.

Adel Qasim and Walid Sarris from the Automobile Club and Ali Al Jassim, director of the licensing department, attended the meeting besides Shihab Bu Shihab manager of drivers licensing department and Intesar Bu Shaqer office manager of Traffic and Roads Agency CEO.

The meeting discussed a number of important topics and focused mainly on the issuance of the international driving licence and the Trip Ticket, Maitha said.

According to Maitha, the members also agreed on the mechanism for issuing the international driving licence  through Automobile Club in co-ordination with the centres of drivers licensing at the department of licensing.

She said that the two parties agreed to continue issuing the International driving licences through the post office branches in the UAE.

The members agreed to stop issuing the international licenses through the Internet and called for elaborate and appropriate mechanism to smoothen the process.

"The Auto club will notify the licensing department about the licences issued within a period not exceeding three months to enable the Department to investigate the reliability of licensing procedures and monitor any irregularities in this regard," she explained.

On the Trip ticket, Maitha said the department of licensing will issue the transfer certificate upon a Trip Ticket issued by the UAE Automobile Club which carries the logos of RTA and the Club as will.

The two parties agreed on the need for continued co-operation in the field of traffic safety, as the Automobile clubs possesses extensive experience in this field.

The meeting also discussed the possibility to permit the licensing of the vehicles which is imported with the steering wheel on the right side if it's models are not exceeding five years and under a condition of converting the steering wheel to the left side by high-tech equipped, advanced credible workshop, she added. TradeArabia News Service