You need to renew your car registration once every year. If you have purchased a new vehicle, the dealer will handle all formalities for the first year. From the second year onwards, you will have to renew your car registration.  Car registration takes place at the Dubai Traffic Department/other emirates traffic department or online and the vehicle testing at Tasjeel Centre Al Barsha, Tasjeel Centre Al Twar, Wasel Belhasa Vehicle Testing Centre in Al Jaddaf and Quick Registration in Al Ghusais (all open 24 hours).

It is worth noting if  a vehicle is not older than three years, it does not need to be tested. It is, therefore, not necessary for the customer to visit the service centre as the whole process can be done online.

Half an hour from start to finish! That’s how long it took me to renew my car registration at the traffic department in Al Barsha this morning. Remarkable when I think back to 15 years ago when I dared not go to get my car registered without our office PRO (Public Relations Officer) to guide me through every step, all the queues and manic hand waving.

Today the process is much, much easier. I drove up to the booth handed over my registration card and was given a ticket with a number. I was then directed to the vehicle testing area where I left my car and walked into the registration office. When in there I sat down and waited for my number “127” to appear on the overhead screen and sure enough in no time it popped up and I walked up to the desk where they asked for Dhs 120 (vehicle testing) which I duly handed over. The assistant then handed back my car keys & a new queue number ticket (it would be at this point that you would find out if your car had not passed the vehicle testing).

I then walked through to the next area which for me was the “ladies queue”. Today there was no queue, I handed over my insurance documents and….because the car is registered in my husbands name I was asked for a copy of his passport and residency visa.  I paid my fines (parking ticket from Abu Dhabi & fines for not topping up my Salik card) plus Dhs 340 registration fee. Next I was directed to counter 14 where the man was waiting with a smile and my new “gold” registration card and off I went flabbergasted by the speediness of the whole operation.

Documents Required
Car Registration Card
New Car Insurance Documents
Copy of passport and residency visa (for the person which the car is registered to)
Dhs 120 vehicle testing fee
Dhs 340 re-registration fee
Dhs ???? fines