UAE Road Signs and Meanings 2026: Chart for the RTA Test

This page is the reference chart for road signs in the United Arab Emirates. It sets out every sign family you will meet on UAE roads and in the RTA theory test, the shape and colour that identify each family, what each sign means and what you must do about it. It is written for candidates preparing for the knowledge test in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah or the northern emirates, and for newcomers who want to read the signs on the road with confidence.

The UAE uses the GCC unified sign system, and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) publishes the Dubai versions in its light vehicle handbook. Shape and colour give the type of instruction before you read the picture: a red-bordered triangle warns, a red ring forbids, a blue disc commands, and a red octagon means stop. Direction and information boards are bilingual, with Arabic and English text on the same board.

Chart first, then the signs test

Read a section and then check it. The signs test is our free UAE road signs practice paper: 22 questions, a picture for each, 17 correct to pass, and the reason after every answer. Signs test 2 adds 22 more. They are the quiz. This page is the chart behind them, so work through both together instead of reading the chart alone.

Which page does what

For the full paper, see the RTA mock test guide. If you are testing outside Dubai, read the Abu Dhabi theory test guide or the Sharjah theory test guide. If you have failed once, use what to do after failing the UAE theory test. The UAE theory test hub links to every emirate.

The RTA knowledge test is a computer-based, multiple-choice paper, and it is picture-led. Signs, junction scenes and driver views appear in a large share of questions. For the light vehicle test the format that matches our country data and what candidates report is 40 questions in 30 minutes, with 30 correct (75%) to pass. The RTA does not publish a percentage split by topic, and we will not invent one. What candidates consistently report is that signs and signals appear throughout the paper, not in a single block.

What a sign question looks like

You see the picture, then a short question: what does this sign mean, what must you do, or which sign applies to a situation. Three or four options follow. The test checks shape and colour first. Red rings forbid, red triangles warn, blue discs instruct. Candidates who know the meaning but misjudge a look-alike are the ones who drop marks.

Why 75% leaves little room

On a 40 question paper you can miss ten and still pass, but not eleven. Signs are the most predictable marks, so each one you throw away is a mark you must win back elsewhere. From 1 January 2027 federal rules set 75% as the minimum in every emirate, so the line is not going to move in your favour. Check your readiness on the first RTA mock, which uses the same size and clock.

Learn this table and the rest of the page is detail. The columns that do the work are shape and colour. They tell you whether a sign warns, forbids or commands before you have read the symbol.

Priority signs are the exception to the colour rule

Most families follow a shape and colour rule, but priority signs break it on purpose. A red octagon, an inverted triangle and a yellow diamond are different shapes with different jobs, and the test uses them to separate people who guess from people who know. Treat the three as one small group and learn them together. Then check yourself on the right of way test.

Warning signs say that something ahead needs extra care. They are triangles with a red border and a picture of the hazard. In the test, the question asks you either to identify the hazard or to choose the safe action, and the safe action is almost always to reduce speed and be ready to stop. Roadworks and temporary warnings may use an orange or yellow face.

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Sign	What it shows	Meaning	What you must do
	Walking figure	Pedestrian crossing ahead	Slow down and give way to people crossing
	Two children	School or play area nearby	Slow down and watch for children stepping out
	Three lights	Traffic signals ahead	Be ready to stop at the lights
	Three curved arrows	Roundabout ahead	Slow down and prepare to give way
	Car with skid marks	Slippery road	Reduce speed, brake and steer gently
	Hump	Speed bump	Slow right down before it
	Camel	Camels may cross	Slow down, most of all at night, and be ready to stop
	Merging symbol	Traffic joins your road	Check your mirror and make room
	Downhill slope	Steep descent	Use a lower gear and do not ride the brake
	Rocks on a slope	Falling rocks possible, common near wadis and mountain roads	Watch for rocks and do not stop beneath the slope
	Fog	Fog ahead	Slow down, use fog lights and keep a bigger gap
	Tram	Tram crossing	Stop for a tram. Do not stop on the tracks

Hazards that are particular to the UAE

Camels crossing, fog ahead, sand and dust, and tram crossings in Dubai appear on UAE papers because they appear on UAE roads. Fog and sand are driver-view scenes in our bank, so you practise the correct action: lower speed, lights on, bigger gap. You will meet these in the safe driving test.

A warning does not forbid

A warning does not remove any right or add any ban. It tells you to take care. If a question asks what a triangle orders, the answer is that it warns. That is a small distinction that wins a mark. Test it in the signs test.

These are the signs that tell you what you may and may not do. Red rings forbid. Blue discs command. They carry most of the tricky questions, so learn the numbers on the speed signs and the difference between the stopping and parking pair first.

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Sign	Shape and colour	Meaning	What you must do
	Red disc, white bar	No entry	Do not drive in. Usually the exit of a one way street
	Red ring, two cars	No overtaking	Stay behind the vehicle ahead
	Red ring, crossed U arrow	No U-turn	Continue and turn at the next permitted place
	Red ring, crossed arrow	No left turn	Go another way
	Red ring, crossed arrow	No right turn	Go another way
	Red ring and a number	Maximum speed	Never exceed the number in km/h
	Number with a diagonal bar	End of the limit	That limit stops here. Check the next sign
	Blue disc with a number	Minimum speed	Do not drive slower than the number, unless unsafe
	Red ring, vehicles	No motor vehicles	Motor vehicles must not enter
	Red ring, horn symbol	No use of the horn	Do not sound the horn, for example near hospitals
	Blue disc, bent arrow	Turn left	Turn left at the junction
	Blue disc, straight arrow	Ahead only	Go straight. No turning
	Blue disc, circular arrows	Roundabout	Go round to the right, anticlockwise, and give way to traffic already in it

No stopping and no parking

This is the pair candidates miss most often. Both use a blue disc with a red ring. The no stopping sign has a red cross and means that you must not stop at all, even briefly. The no parking sign has a single diagonal bar and means that you must not park, though a short stop to drop someone off is usually allowed. Some UAE roads add a tow away message, so a parked car may be removed.

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Sign	Looks like	What it means
	Cross	No stopping at all
	One bar	No parking
	Tow away message	No parking and a car will be towed

The no entry and no overtaking signs are in signs test 2 alongside this pair.

Priority signs answer one question: who goes first. Three signs do most of the work, and the right of way section of the test builds on them.

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Sign	Shape and colour	Meaning	What you must do
	Red octagon	Stop	Come to a complete stop at the line, then go when it is clear
	Inverted triangle	Give way	Slow down. Stop only if traffic has priority
	Yellow diamond	You have priority	Continue, but watch for drivers who may not give way
	Diamond with a bar	Priority ends	Treat the next junction as unsigned
	Give-way symbol	Give way to oncoming traffic	Let oncoming vehicles through the narrow section first

Stop means stop

A red octagon means that the wheels stop at the line. A rolling stop is a violation, and the test asks about it. The correct answer is to stop completely and then proceed when the way is clear.

Unsigned junctions and roundabouts

When a junction has no sign or light, the usual rule is that traffic on your right has priority. UAE roundabouts run anticlockwise, and you give way to traffic already on the roundabout. The priority-ends sign puts you back into this unsigned situation. Practise scenes with cars A and B in the right of way test.

Direction and information signs do not forbid or command. They help you choose a route or find a service. They are rectangles: green for routes and highways, blue for services, with white text and symbols. In the UAE they are bilingual, with Arabic and English on the same board. Distances are in kilometres.

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Sign	Shape and colour	What it tells you
	Green board, white text	Where the road leads and how far
	Motorway symbol	Motorway rules apply from here
	Motorway symbol with a bar	Motorway rules end here
	Rectangle with a blue border	A hospital is near. Make way for ambulances
	Fuel symbol	Fuel ahead
	Rectangle with a P	Parking is allowed here
	P with a disabled symbol	Reserved for permit holders
	Rectangle with an arrow	Traffic flows one way only
	Open lane symbol	This lane is open

Reading a highway board

UAE highways carry several lanes at high speed, so boards are placed well before the exit. Read the board, pick your lane early and signal. Cutting across lanes at the last moment is a common cause of collisions and a common question in the rules section of the test. Candidates who find Arabic place names awkward should read a few boards in both scripts before the test.

Overhead lane control signs

Overhead signs show a green arrow over an open lane and a red cross over a closed one. Never drive in a lane under a red cross. The test shows the symbols and asks which lane you may use.

For a mix of signs and rules, take the first road rules test straight after this section.

Temporary signs warn of work that will not last: lane closures, diversions, narrowed carriageways and workers on the road. They are often orange or yellow and mounted on stands or barriers, and they take priority over the permanent signs beside them. In the test the question asks what you do, and the answer is the cautious one: slow down, follow the diversion and give the crew room.

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Sign	What it shows	What you must do
	Roadworks symbol	Slow down, expect workers, narrowing and changed lanes
	Road closed symbol	Do not enter. Take the diversion
	Pinched lines on one side	Slow down and merge early
	Uneven surface	Reduce speed and keep a firm grip on the wheel
	Chippings symbol	Slow down and keep distance to protect your windscreen
	No overtaking sign with a bar	The overtaking ban ends. Overtake only if safe

Merge early, not late

When a lane is closed, the safest move is to merge as soon as it is safe, not at the last cone. Forcing in late is a recognised cause of crashes at works. The questions on this topic favour the calm, early option.

Ending a restriction

A sign that ends a restriction, such as the end of speed limit 80, cancels that restriction only. It does not mean you can go as fast as you like. Read the next permanent sign. Look in the second road rules test for questions about speed and works together.

Level crossings and low aircraft

The UAE bank includes some unusual warnings, such as level crossings and low flying aircraft near airports. You will see them rarely on the road, but the test can ask what they warn of. The answer is always about attention and speed.

Markings are signs painted on the road, and they appear in picture questions. The rule that covers most of them is plain: a broken line is a permission, a solid line is a barrier, and a double solid line is a firm barrier in both directions.

Reading a top-down scene

Most marking questions show a top-down scene with a red car A and a white car B. Look at the line beside car A first. Then ask what A may do, not what B is doing. The mistake is to answer the question about the more interesting car.

Work through more scenes like these in the right of way test.

Lights and officers give moving instructions that override the signs beside them. The test shows a signal or an officer and asks what you do.

Police signals beat lights

If an officer directs you to go on a red light, you go. If the officer tells you to stop on a green, you stop. This is the one rule in the signs chapter that overrides everything else. The questions are short and the answer is obedience to the officer.

Speed camera signs

UAE roads carry fixed and mobile cameras and the signs that warn of them. The camera sign does not state the limit. The limit is on the speed limit sign. When you see a camera warning, check your speed. The signs and the penalties are in the fines and black points test.

Most lost marks come from two signs the candidate has seen many times and swaps. Use this table as a checklist, and for each pair say aloud what separates them. The mocks put the twin among the wrong answers on purpose.

Drill one pair a day

Write one row on a card, picture on the front. Then sit a timed paper and look for that pair among the questions. Do the pairs in signs test 2, then check yourself on the third RTA mock.

Say the family first

Before you read the options, say triangle, red ring, blue disc or rectangle. That removes half the options in one step and makes the twin easier to spot.

You do not need weeks for signs, you need repetition with feedback. This plan takes 30 to 40 minutes a day and ends with two timed papers, so you finish above the line and not on it.

Memory tricks that work

• Red takes, blue gives. Red rings take something away. Blue discs tell you what to do.
• Look for the bar. A diagonal bar usually cancels or forbids.
• Cross beats bar. A cross means no stopping, a single bar means no parking.
• Draw it. Sketching a sign from memory fixes it better than looking again.

If you already drive abroad

Experienced drivers from outside the Gulf often assume the signs match their own country. Most do, but the blue stopping and parking discs, the yellow diamond and the local hazards differ, and the RTA test asks the details. Do the plan, even in half the time.

Many people search for this chart as a PDF so they can print it or keep it on a phone. There are two sources, and they do different jobs.

The official reference

The RTA publishes a free light vehicle driver handbook as a PDF, which covers the signs, the rules and the test. It is the authority on how a Dubai sign looks, and our sources list links to it. Abu Dhabi and the other emirates publish through their own authorities and driving schools, so ask your institute for the current study material in your emirate.

Printable practice

A chart tells you what a sign means. It does not tell you whether you can recall it under a clock. Our Dubai printable papers give you question sheets with pictures that you can print and mark by hand. If you test elsewhere, see the printable papers for Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. They are written to the published rules and to what candidates report from the real test, and they are practice, not the official exam.

How to use a printed sheet

1. Print one paper and set a 30 minute timer.
2. Answer without the chart in front of you.
3. Mark it and circle every sign you got wrong.
4. Write the family and the action next to each circled sign.
5. Sit the paper again two days later.

These patterns come up again and again in what candidates report after a failed attempt. Each is a habit, and each has a fix.

What a fail costs in Dubai

Every Dubai knowledge test appointment is paid for. It is AED 220: AED 200 for the test plus a AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation fee. Moving to an earlier slot costs AED 300. A retest is a new paid appointment, so a second attempt costs another AED 220 or more, and there is no fixed delay, only the next available slot at your institute. If you take no knowledge, yard or road test for six months after your last appointment, your training file is suspended. Sharjah and Abu Dhabi fees differ and are set locally, and in Abu Dhabi they depend on your school.

Practise before you book

Take the signs test today and the second one tomorrow. When you score 20 or more of 22 on both, move to a full RTA mock and book only when two papers in a row land at 34 of 40 or better. The printable Dubai papers give you the full bank to work through offline. Paying AED 220 to find out you were not ready is the most expensive way to revise. Start with the free 10-question test above to see where you stand.