Residents who have been living in Dubai for at least the last six months may be aware of the traffic fine discount that is being offered by the Dubai Police. The initiative was announced on 6February this year, with discounts ranging between 25%, 50%, 75% and even 100% of all accumulated traffic fines, as long as new traffic offences were not committed by the drivers between three and 12 months from the time when the fines were originally issued. If you are hoping to renew your car registration in Dubai without having to pay any traffic fines that you may have accumulated, then there are a number of steps that you need to take.
The first thing that you need to do is get yourself car insurance. By law, you need to have car insurance in Dubai anyway. However, in the event that you choose to renew the same car insurance policy that you used the previous year, you may even be able to get yourself up to as much as a 10% discount on the renewed policy, as long as you ask for one. Many customers fail to ask if a discount applies when renewing a policy and they are often not openly offered. However, if you make the request, then the car insurance company is more than likely to at least provide you with some kind of incentive to renew. Car insurance protects you from the costs associated with accidents; damages to you, your car and other vehicles; as well as the possibility of theft.
The next step to take is to pay off every other fine you may have accumulated from the likes of Salik and RTA. The only fines that you want remaining on your traffic file are the ones from Dubai Police. The majority of fines are able to be paid online these days. It is not possible to have fines temporarily removed until after you have had your car test performed. Testing for a light vehicle takes an average of up to 15 minutes, and once you have been given the paper to show that the test has been successfully passed, you can then start on the next step. For light vehicles, the car test will cost you Dh120, and you will be required to bring your vehicle registration card to the test with you. You will need to go to the RTA centre with the vehicle test document and your Emirates ID. The Dubai Police fines will then be temporarily removed.
Registration can proceed following the removal of the police fines. Bring your EID as well as your vehicle registration card in order to put in an application for a new one. Official registration should be complete within five days. After another couple of days, the Dubai Police fines will reappear, allowing you to continue to safely drive in Dubai while simultaneously benefiting from discounts to the rate.