How to renew your vehicle registration in the UAE during the coronavirus crisis

Inspection centres aren't currently operating, in a bid to thwart the spread of the coronavirus pandemic

You can now renew your car entirely online due to physical distancing measures. Pawan Singh / The National

Due to the physical distancing measures being taken to spread the curb of the coronavirus, motorists across the UAE can now renew their vehicle registration entirely online.

With inspection centres shuttered, there's a temporary pause on getting vehicles examined ahead of registration.

For the next three months, motorists are exempt from vehicle inspections. They also don’t need to pay fines or traffic black points before getting their registrations renewed, the Ministry of Interior said in a statement.

However, the fines will still remain on the motorist's file.

The vehicle inspection waiver is only valid to those whose registration expired less than six months ago. This means that if your registration expired before October 31, 2019, you’re still going to need to get your car inspected, and so you will have to wait.

So how does one go about renewing their vehicle registration right now?

You can just log in to the Ministry of Interior’s website or the police app of your corresponding emirate and complete the necessary steps to get your vehicle’s registration renewed, which costs Dh350 for light vehicles.

In Dubai, head to RTA's website or in Abu Dhabi, the emirate's Abu Dhabi Police e-services portal. There you simply select your vehicle and submit the relevant information online.

Motorists still need to ensure their insurance is valid for 13 months prior to registering their vehicle.

Insurance can normally be renewed over the phone. Once you have your new insurance plan, you have one month to renew your car registration, which runs for a full year.

After finalising the registration renewal, you select how you’d like your new registration card to be delivered, which costs from between Dh12 and Dh15.

And then that's it, you’re done.