Number plate upgrade mandatory in Dubai from July 2018

Following the introduction of a new number plate design last year, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has now kicked off a campaign urging all motorists to upgrade to the new plates, ahead of mandatory upgrades from July for select codes.

The upgrade is currently available for all types of distinguished and special number plates across all codes, and from May it will also be available optionally for unowned (allotted randomly through vehicle registration) plates.

According to RTA, over the next couple of years, all categories of vehicle number plates will have to be replaced. As the RTA presses ahead with its new plates regime, unowned car plates with codes A, B and C will be among the first to be up for mandatory replacement from July.

The new number plate design that includes either a black and white or colour Dubai logo, depending on the amount you pay, was launched last year after the introduction of double codes necessitated a redesign.

“The RTA has developed a new strategy for number plates resulting in a new generation of number plates with double codes. This has accordingly resulted in the whole design for the number plates to be changed to adopt the single and double codes with the same design language,” said Sultan Al Marzouqi, director of RTA’s Vehicle Licensing.

The double codes are being introduced as the RTA is running out of single codes, as the number of vehicles continues to rise at an alarming rate in Dubai.

Replacement in 2 years

According to RTA, over the next couple of years, all categories of vehicle number plates — whether purchased online, bought in an auction or allotted through the vehicle registration process — will have to be replaced in phases.

In the next phase, beginning January next year, plates with codes D, E, F, G, H and I will have to be replaced, while in January 2020 replacement for codes J, K, L, M, N and O will start and following that in January 2021, it will be the turn of all unowned plates with codes P to Z as well as other types of plates.

Depending on the size of the plates and colour of the logo, the prices of the plates vary.

A regular short number plate with a black and white logo will cost Dh35, while a long number plate in the same category will cost Dh50.

For those who already own number plates with the colour logo of Dubai, the replacement for the long and short plates will cost Dh35 and Dh50, respectively, while those who want to buy a new plate with coloured Dubai logo will have to pay Dh400 irrespective of the plate’s size.

As for the distinguished or special number plates, the replacement will cost Dh500, with the process to be completed mandatorily by the end of this year.

Al Marzouqi said motorists with owned number plates willing to get the plates replaced can either proceed immediately to any of the RTA-affiliated vehicle testing and registration centres or get it replaced at the time of their scheduled renewal, while those with unowned number plates can wait till May to do the same

Motorists in Dubai urged to upgrade licence plates

License plates across Dubai are getting a facelift as part of a new regimen being introduced by the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA).

In a new campaign rolled out by the RTA in a public announcement, roads officials are asking vehicle owners who own registered number plates and those who don’t own their plates to upgrade to new-look plates.In its announcement, the RTA said it “would like all car owners with owned registration number plates from A to Z to upgrade to the new plate design. And from May 2018, all car owners with unowned A, B and C number plates are requested to upgrade to the new plate design.”

The RTA encouraged drivers to sign up for the new regimen.

“Be first to upgrade your car look,” it said in its announcement.

Details regarding upgrade costs for owned registered plates were not revealed. But for unowned plate holders of A, B and C, the RTA said there are minimal costs.

For example, for short-length plates, upgrade cost is Dh35 per plate while for longer plates, the cost is Dh50.

For new plates, the cost will be Dh400, the RTA said, while luxury licence plates will cost Dh500.

For more details, visit rta.ae or call 800 9090.

New series up for auction

The RTA, meanwhile, said in a statement on Friday that it is offering a new series of licence plates at an auction next month.

The Licensing Agency of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is intending to offer 300 licensing plates comprising four and five digits in its 52nd online auction. Plates on offer bear the Codes J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S and T. Registration of bidders starts on Sunday.

The bidding will start at 8 am on March 4 and continue for five days.

“Numbers sold in this auction will be subject to a five percent VAT. The wide public participation in online or open auctions and the positive competition to grab such numbers underscore the importance of holding these auctions in bringing happiness and satisfaction to number plate enthusiasts,” said Sultan Al Marzouqi, director of Vehicle Licensing, Licensing Agency.

“Participation in the auction requires the client to have an account opened through RTA’s website (www.rta.ae) or use the ‘New User’ link to obtain a username and password. For a new registration, the user is required to have either a vehicle registered in Dubai or a driver licence issued from Dubai. For participating in the auction, the bidder is required to issue a security cheque to RTA amounting to Dh5,000 and deposit it at one of RTA’s Customer Happiness Centres at Umm Al Ramool, Bur Dubai, Deira or Al Twar Municipal Centre. For payment by a credit card, the client must also deposit Dh5,000 as security. Clients also have to pay Dh120 as participation fees through the website (www.rta.ae)” said Al Marzouqi.