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.