Which licence and certificate a forklift operator needs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, the other emirates and Saudi Arabia, according to official sources, and where no official rule could be found.
There is no single forklift licence for the UAE or Saudi Arabia. In Dubai an operator needs an RTA licence to drive a forklift outside a construction site, and Dubai Municipality requires operators to be certified by an EIAC-accredited third party. Sharjah sets employer duties, and Saudi Arabia requires licences from "competent authorities". Check this before you hire from forklift suppliers in the UAE.
This guide is for HR, HSE and operations managers who hire forklift operators, and for operators checking what they need. It answers one question in depth: which credentials an operator needs, emirate by emirate and in Saudi Arabia, according to official sources. Where we could not find an official rule, we say so. For truck selection, inspection of the equipment itself and rent versus buy, see our forklift buying guide for the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Most confusion about the "forklift licence" comes from mixing up three documents that different bodies ask for.
| Document | What it proves | Who issues it (where we found an official source) |
|---|---|---|
| Driving licence for mechanical equipment | The person may drive the vehicle class under traffic law | Dubai: Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). Other emirates and Saudi Arabia: the local traffic authority (see below) |
| Operator certificate | An accredited body has assessed the person as competent to operate that kind of lifting equipment | Dubai: a third party accredited by the Emirates International Accreditation Center (EIAC), as required by Dubai Municipality |
| Training and familiarisation record | The employer has trained the person on the site, the hazards and the specific truck | The employer, or a training provider on its behalf |
A manufacturer's training certificate is evidence of training, not a licence. Jungheinrich's UK training page says this plainly: its certification "does not fulfil the role of a so-called 'licence to operate material handling equipment'" but shows that the person has been trained on a specific form of equipment. In the Gulf, ask for all three where the rules require them.
Dubai has the clearest published rules, and requires two separate things: a traffic licence from the RTA and an operator certificate under Dubai Municipality's lifting equipment guideline.
The RTA's Forklift Operator's Handbook (first edition, November 2008) sets out the eligibility criteria. An applicant must:
The licence depends on the forklift used in the test. A test on a forklift with an empty weight of not more than 7.5 tonnes leads to a Light Tractor and Mechanical Equipment licence, which permits light mechanical equipment only. A test on a forklift over 7.5 tonnes empty weight leads to a Heavy Tractor and Mechanical Equipment licence, which covers both light and heavy mechanical equipment. The training course is the same for both. Until the licence is issued, a learner may only drive under the supervision of an instructor who holds a valid licence for that type of vehicle.
The handbook is dated 2008, so check fees, test booking and any changed conditions with the RTA or an RTA-approved driving institute before you budget for a course.
The RTA's service page for special driving permits answers a common question directly. A Driving Permit for activities of special nature "is sufficient to drive a forklift within a construction site". Outside the construction site, the RTA says you need the light equipment driving licence. The permit is applied for by the company, requires the driver to be 18 or over with a valid Emirates ID and eye test, cannot be used outside the work site, is valid for 2 years, and lets the holder drive only for the company under which the permit is registered. The company must also hold a valid permit for a training and test site for activities of special nature.
Dubai Municipality's Technical Guidelines for Examination and Certification of Cranes, Hoists, Lifts and Other Lifting Equipment (DM-HSD-GU48-ECLA2, version 5, issued 29 January 2025) apply to all establishments in Dubai where lifting equipment is used. Version 5 updated the operator requirement, which now reads:
Operators of lifting equipment such as cranes, hoists, forklifts, cradles, etc. used in factories, construction sites, residential and commercial buildings and other workplaces shall be certified by a third party accredited by Emirates International Accreditation Center (EIAC).
The same guideline says training institutes that train lifting equipment operators, riggers and signallers must be registered and approved by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). It also covers the trucks themselves: forklifts must be tested and certified by an EIAC-accredited third party once every 12 months, the safe working load must be displayed, and the compliance certificate must be kept on site.
So, for a forklift operator working in a Dubai warehouse, plan for the RTA licence class that matches the truck and an operator certificate from an EIAC-accredited body, with training from a KHDA-approved institute. Ask the certification body which truck types and capacities the certificate covers and how long it is valid. One certification body's published forklift operator scheme, for example, is built on ISO/IEC 17024:2012, asks for a minimum age of 18, an occupational health card and a valid driving licence where applicable, and certifies for one year before recertification. Other bodies may set different terms.
The federal government portal says driving licences in the UAE are issued after tests conducted by local transport authorities, and points Abu Dhabi residents to TAMM and Dubai residents to the RTA. It gives a minimum age of 20 for heavy vehicles and tractors but does not mention forklifts or mechanical equipment.
We could not open an official Abu Dhabi page that states the licence class, age or test for a forklift, and we could not find Abu Dhabi's occupational safety code on lifting equipment on an official government site. Before you deploy an operator in Abu Dhabi, ask TAMM or Abu Dhabi Police which driving licence class applies to your truck, and ask your client's HSE team, your free zone or the relevant authority which operator certificate they accept.
The Sharjah Prevention and Safety Authority (SPSA) does not, in the codes we read, issue operator licences itself. Instead its codes of practice place duties on the employer (the "entity").
OSHJ-CoP-21 Mobile Plant (version 2, September 2024) covers self-propelled plant controlled by an operator, including plant that is leased or rented. It says the entity should ensure operator competency by validating the operator's training certification while recruiting and periodically afterwards, evaluating that operators have the specified skill and expertise, and providing training to improve competency. It also asks for a medical examination that includes eyesight, and arrangements to avoid fatigue. The training section requires training in a language and format employees understand, covering safe operation, the manufacturer's manual, hand signals, hazards, pre-use checks, maintenance and "formal training for use on specific mobile plant". Refresher training should follow when training certification has expired, when a training needs analysis or risk assessment calls for it, when legal requirements change, or after an incident investigation recommends it.
OSHJ-CoP-10 Safe Selection and Use of Lifting Equipment requires the entity to ensure only competent operators operate lifting equipment and to keep records that include the operator's certificate. CoP-10 does not name forklifts in its definition, so confirm with your HSE adviser how your trucks are treated under it.
We did not find an official Sharjah page stating which driving licence class a forklift operator needs. Ask Sharjah Police or your client before work starts.
We could not find an official source for forklift operator licensing or certification in the other four emirates. Training centres in these emirates advertise forklift courses, but an advert is not a rule. Ask the local traffic department which licence class applies, and ask the client or free zone which operator certificate it accepts.
Saudi Arabia's rules on operators come from two SASO documents and from the traffic law, but none of the sources we could open names the authority that issues a forklift operator licence.
SASO's Technical Regulation for Machinery Safety, Part 3: Lifting Equipment, which covers fork-lift trucks, says in Article 4/8 that operators of lifting machinery and equipment "shall have the expertise and competencies that qualify them to carry out the operations", must keep the documents that prove their eligibility, and that "the necessary licenses for machinery operators shall be obtained from the competent authorities". It does not say which authority. Only the Arabic text of the regulation is legally authentic.
SASO has also published an Arabic-language guide to occupational safety and health procedures for forklifts. It is a guide rather than a technical regulation, but it is the most detailed official Saudi text on operators that we found. It says:
The guide lists the training content, which it bases on ANSI/ITSDF B56.5-2019: site rules, operator responsibilities, the characteristics of the specific truck, capacity plates and load centre, stability with and without attachments, carbon monoxide from internal combustion engines, refuelling and battery charging, floor conditions and ramps, narrow aisles and overhead clearances, working near pedestrians and dock edges, the pre-shift visual check, and load handling, travel and parking.
Saudipedia, published under the Ministry of Media, says the Saudi Traffic Law sorts driving licences into a general licence, a private licence, a public works vehicles driving licence and a motorcycle licence. It does not say whether forklifts fall under the public works class, and the Ministry of Interior pages that would confirm it did not load when we checked. Confirm the required class with the Traffic Department (Muroor) through Absher, or with your client, before mobilising an operator.
The published rules agree on three points: training is specific to the truck type, it has examined theory and practical parts, and it is refreshed when something changes.
Manufacturers such as Linde Material Handling and Jungheinrich run operator courses in some countries; ask your dealer whether handover training is included in a purchase or forklift rental contract, and whether it meets the certification your emirate or client requires.
If you need trucks supplied with certified operators, or an accredited training and certification provider, post your requirement on ListGCC and suppliers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia can quote. For inspection and conformity certificates on the trucks themselves, see certification and compliance services in the UAE and in Saudi Arabia, and forklift suppliers in Saudi Arabia.
More in this series: Forklift Rental in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Lithium-Ion vs Lead-Acid Forklift Batteries in Hot Warehouses.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) issues the driving licence. Its forklift handbook says applicants must be over 20, pass an eye test, complete training, and pass a knowledge test and a practical test. Separately, Dubai Municipality's lifting equipment guideline requires forklift operators in workplaces to be certified by a third party accredited by the Emirates International Accreditation Center (EIAC). Most Dubai employers therefore need both.
In Dubai, yes. The RTA handbook says a Heavy Tractor and Mechanical Equipment licence, issued after a test on a forklift with an empty weight over 7.5 tonnes, permits the holder to operate both light and heavy mechanical equipment. A Light Tractor and Mechanical Equipment licence, from a test on a forklift of 7.5 tonnes or less, covers light equipment only.
Not necessarily. The RTA says a Driving Permit for activities of special nature is sufficient to drive a forklift within a construction site. The permit is issued through the employer, is valid for 2 years, works only on the work site and only for the company that registered it. To drive a forklift outside the construction site, the RTA says you need the light equipment driving licence.
It depends on the issuing country. The RTA's licence exchange service lets holders from listed countries exchange a foreign licence or add a category, and its FAQ says heavy truck and heavy equipment licences are exchangeable only for countries that can exchange all categories. The page does not mention forklifts, so confirm with the RTA. Dubai Municipality's EIAC-accredited operator certification applies regardless of the licence.
Usually not. Training providers certify by truck type: Jungheinrich, for example, says operators need specific training and certification for each type, such as counterbalance, reach truck, VNA turret truck or ride-on pallet truck. Sharjah's mobile plant code also requires formal training on the specific plant. Check that the certificate names the truck type the operator will drive.
The official texts we could open do not name one. SASO's lifting equipment regulation says operators must be competent, keep proof of eligibility and obtain the necessary licences from the competent authorities. SASO's forklift safety guide says no one may operate a forklift before training and licensing. The traffic law includes a public works vehicles licence class; confirm with the traffic authority whether it applies to your truck.
None of the Gulf rules we read fixes a single interval for operators. Sharjah's mobile plant code calls for refresher training when certification expires, after a needs analysis or risk assessment, after legal changes and after incidents. Certificates from accredited bodies carry their own validity, so record the expiry date of each and plan recertification before it lapses.
Featured image: Photo: PEO ACWA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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