I just noticed from your profiles (and your post) that your are both holding UK Drivers's Licences. Nigel from Qatar Journal told me this morning that his UK licence includes an International Drivers permit -- that's why it's in two pieces. He had a plastic card that seemed to have all the same boxes as my bulky paper IDP, and is here on his wife's sponsorship, so he also has a lot of time to kill on these little details.
If that is true, you could maybe skip the step of the temporary license.
It seems to me I read somewhere that as soon as you start the process for an RP, you are no longer allowed to use your IDP to drive. You need to go to Madinat Khalifa and get a temporary, which can be converted to a 5 year permit when your RP is ready, which is another visit to MK.
I see why it takes them a year to hire somebody here, they need to weed out those with a low tolerance for paperwork, and keep the brave ones willing to sign paperwork in a foreign language. I just got my wife to sign a paper that, according to the typist, is her giving me permission to drive, subject to further paperwork. Or maybe she just sold the farm to a clever lawyer from Kerala.
I just noticed from your profiles (and your post) that your are both holding UK Drivers's Licences. Nigel from Qatar Journal told me this morning that his UK licence includes an International Drivers permit -- that's why it's in two pieces. He had a plastic card that seemed to have all the same boxes as my bulky paper IDP, and is here on his wife's sponsorship, so he also has a lot of time to kill on these little details.
If that is true, you could maybe skip the step of the temporary license.
It seems to me I read somewhere that as soon as you start the process for an RP, you are no longer allowed to use your IDP to drive. You need to go to Madinat Khalifa and get a temporary, which can be converted to a 5 year permit when your RP is ready, which is another visit to MK.
I see why it takes them a year to hire somebody here, they need to weed out those with a low tolerance for paperwork, and keep the brave ones willing to sign paperwork in a foreign language. I just got my wife to sign a paper that, according to the typist, is her giving me permission to drive, subject to further paperwork. Or maybe she just sold the farm to a clever lawyer from Kerala.