UAE citizens and residents will now be able to apply for an international driving licence online or through a mobile app, the country’s Ministry of Interior has announced.

The service has been launched in collaboration with the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE.

Mohammad Bin Sulayem, chairman of the Club, confirmed that the licence will be valid for one year.

“The process of application is simple. Drivers can refer to the smart app for the legal requirements while driving abroad,” he was quoted as saying by Gulf News.

The international licence will also provide the required legal insurance cover, and will serve as an identity proof in the event of the loss of passport.

It will also be available in 10 languages, the report said.

The move is hoped to reduce the time of providing the licence and improve customer satisfaction.

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تطبيق وزارة الداخلية يوفر خدمة تقديم طلب الحصول على رخصة القيادة الدولية MoI Enables Customers to Apply for International Driving License via its app UAE MoI أضافت وزارة الداخلية خدمة مشتركة جديدة إلى خدماتها الذكية تتيح للمواطنين والمقيمين في الدولة تقديم طلب للحصول على رخصة القيادة الدولية، وتأتي هذه الخطوة في إطار استمرار الوزارة بتعزيز مزايا خدماتها المتوفرة عبر تطبيقات الهواتف الذكية وعلى موقعها الإلكتروني على شبكة الإنترنت، والتي تأتي ضمن مبادرات التحول الرقمي وبرنامج الحكومة الذكية بوزارة الداخلية من أجل توفير الخدمات للجمهور حيثما كانوا وعلى مدار الساعة، وفق رؤية الإمارات 2021 التي تهدف لأن تكون دولة الإمارات ضمن أفضل دول العالم من حيث التنمية الاقتصادية والاجتماعية، وتحقيق جودة حياة عالية لمواطني دولة الإمارات والمقيمين على أرضها في بيئة معطاءة مستدامة مبنية على خدمات حكومية عالمية المستوى. The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has rolled out a new service into its bundle of smart services that enables both citizens and residents in the UAE to apply for an International Driving License ( IDL). The new service is part of the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to improve and expand the already wide array of services offered through its website and smart phone applications. It is also aligned with the UAE e-Government initiative to make government services available to people wherever they are 24/7; and with the UAE Vision 2021, which aims to place the UAE among the best countries in the world in terms of economic and social development, and to achieve a sustainable high quality of life for UAE citizens and residents built on world-class public infrastructure and government services. @atcuae @mohammed.ben.sulayem #وزارة_الداخلية#أبوظبي#الإعلام_الأمني#الإمارات #MOI#MOIUAE#AbuDhabi#UAE#security_media

A post shared by Ministry Of Interior- UAE (@moiuae) on Sep 15, 2018 at 12:09am PDT

The ministry said it is looking to expand services offered through its website and smart phone applications in line with the UAE e-Government initiative to make government services available to people wherever they are 24/7.

It is also part of the UAE Vision 2021, which aims to place the UAE among the best countries in the world in terms of economic and social development.

The ministry also stated that it actively seeking strategic partnerships with private entities in various sectors to facilitate and provide joint services to the public.