Before you start

A valid UAE residence visa that is already fully issued (you cannot convert on a tourist/visit visa)
An issued Emirates ID (the licence is linked to it)
Your original foreign licence, still valid (not expired); ideally a licence from an approved country
If your licence is not in English or Arabic, a legal/certified translation from a UAE-approved translation office

Step-by-step

1
Confirm your country is on the approved swap list
Check that the country that issued your licence is one of the ~50-57 approved for direct exchange (GCC states, UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, and most of the EU/EEA). If it is, you skip all lessons and tests. If it is not (e.g. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines), you must enrol at a driving institute and pass the full tests, so plan time and budget accordingly.
OnlineWho: YouSame dayFree to check
2
Do the mandatory eye test
Visit any approved optician, optical shop or driving-institute centre with your Emirates ID and have an eye test done. The result is pushed electronically to the traffic system, so you usually do not carry a paper certificate. If your licence needs translating, get the legal translation done around now too.
In personWho: You15-30 minutesEye test ~AED 100-180; translation ~AED 100-150 if needed
3
Submit the replacement application via TAMM / ITC
Log in to the TAMM platform or app (Abu Dhabi's government portal, via UAE PASS) and open 'Replace a driving licence issued from another country', under the Integrated Transport Centre. Upload your Emirates ID, residence visa page, the original foreign licence and the translation if required. GCC-licence holders, and some others, must surrender the original licence as part of the swap.
Mobile appWho: You (or a typing centre / PRO on your behalf)Often approved the same day, sometimes within hoursApplication handled here
4
Pay the fee and receive your UAE licence
Once approved, pay the issuance fee through TAMM. A digital licence appears in the TAMM app immediately; you can collect or order the physical card afterwards. You can then drive anywhere in the UAE and use it to register a car and buy insurance.
Mobile appWho: YouSame day once approved; physical card usually within ~1 dayAED 600 issuance fee

Documents you’ll need

Emirates ID (and a valid UAE residence visa)
Original foreign driving licence, valid/not expired
Legal/certified translation of the licence, if it is not already in English or Arabic
Eye test result (done at an approved centre) and a passport-size photo

Things most newcomers don’t know

Get your residence visa and Emirates ID sorted FIRST — the licence swap is gated on them.

As a visitor you may drive on your home licence or an IDP, but once you are a resident you are expected to hold a UAE licence linked to your Emirates ID, and TAMM will not issue one without a fully issued residence visa. Treat the licence as a step after visa + Emirates ID, not in parallel.

Source: u.ae / Translayte

Abu Dhabi processes this through TAMM / the ITC — not Dubai's RTA, even though most online guides default to RTA.

The emirates run separate systems: a Dubai resident uses RTA, but an Abu Dhabi resident applies on TAMM (the 'Replace a driving licence issued from another country' service under the Integrated Transport Centre). Following RTA-centric instructions wastes a trip. The resulting licence is valid UAE-wide.

Source: TAMM (tamm.abudhabi)

Whether you swap or have to train depends entirely on which country issued your licence — roughly an OECD/GCC list.

Approved-country holders skip lessons and the road test; everyone else — including very large expat groups from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines — must open a traffic file and pass theory, yard and road tests at an institute like Emirates Driving Company. That single fact is the difference between a same-day swap and a multi-week, multi-thousand-dirham process.

Source: Gulf News / dubizzle

Women drive on identical terms to men — no permit, no guardian, no separate licence.

UAE federal traffic law is gender-neutral across all seven emirates: women apply, convert and renew exactly as men do, can drive alone at any hour, and work as professional drivers. This matters for relocating households where assumptions from elsewhere in the region do not apply.

Source: u.ae / UAE Federal Traffic Law

Common mistakes to avoid

Trying to convert on a tourist/visit visa or before your Emirates ID is issued — the swap requires a fully issued residence visa first.
Assuming you go to Dubai's RTA. Abu Dhabi residents must use TAMM/ITC; an RTA application or a Dubai service-centre trip is the wrong channel.
Forgetting the certified translation: if your licence is not in English or Arabic it must be legally translated by a UAE-approved office before TAMM will accept it.
Expecting a swap when your country is not on the approved list — or letting your foreign licence expire first. Non-approved holders must train and test, and an expired source licence can block the exchange.