It is illegal to drive a vehicle in Dubai without first having it properly registered and anybody caught driving an unregistered vehicle or one that’s registration has been expired for more than three months may face penalties including fines and the impounding of the subject car. The fine is generally 150 dhs. Sometimes, if you buy a car from a dealer, they will take care of the registration process for you, but you should always check first before getting on the road with it and it is safe to assume that if you purchase a car from an individual, it will not have been registered for you. Once a car has been registered for the first time, this must be renewed every 12 months.
The first step in getting your vehicle registered properly is to purchase car insurance. Car insurance policies last for 13 months, giving you a grace period to get your registration renewed when it expires, but it is important to never wait more than a day or two after it expires to get your policy extended and your registration renewed.
If your car is more than two years old, it must have a mechanical inspection before registration can be renewed. This should be done by the mechanical testing department of the police traffic department.
You must then go to the RTA Traffic Department (the location can be found on their website). Registration will cost no more than 500 dhs, but it is always advised that you should bring extra money to cover any fines that have accumulated over the past year, even if you do not think you have accumulated any. Sometimes these fines “get lost,” but will definitely turn up when you go to get your registration processed. You must bring a valid passport with residence visa, proof of insurance, and your driver’s license with you, and you should have extra copies of everything. When registering a used car for the first time, the seller must also be present and bring a passport and their vehicle registration card with them.
If you do not want to take the time or deal with the hassle of getting your vehicle registration renewed personally, there are several services in Dubai that will do this for you or speed things up for a fee. There may be a service available at the registration place that will expedite processing for you once you bring in your car, meanwhile, you are free to do something else. Shamil will even pick up your car, have the mechanical testing done, get the registration renewed, and return it for you for around 200 extra dhs.
These tips and many others can be found in more detail at www.dubaifaqs.com.
