Dubai: With the complete migration of vehicle registration and renewal to digital platforms coming into effect on Sunday, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on Saturday announced that it will start issuing virtual registration cards valid for a lifetime from August 1.
The permanent registration cards will be without an expiry date and will replace the existing plastic cards that are issued annually after the renewal of vehicle registration.
This is the third and final phase of adoption of the lifetime registration system with commercial vehicles, taxis and rental cars covered in the first two phases earlier this year.
“The new system will ensure that no plastic cards are issued every year, while the virtual cards will also come without an expiry date. This means a person will register his vehicle once when he buys it and later it is renewed annually after purchase of insurance and passing of the technical test,” said Sultan Al Marzouqi, director of Vehicles Licensing at RTA’s Licensing Agency.
Once the vehicle inspection or the technical test is done, which is mandatory for all vehicles more than three years old, the renewal of registration can be done either through the RTA’s Dubai Drive mobile application, through its website www.rta.ae or through its call centre (8009090).
“As soon as the renewal is done, the motorist will get an email copy of the e-registration card and it will also reflect on the personal dashboard of the RTA’s app,” added Al Marzouqi.
Though the e-registration card will be accepted at all borders and other foreign countries, Al Marzouqi urged the motorists driving out of the country to print the registration card, just to be on the safer side.
RTA e-wallet
If one wants to avoid the hassle of going through the annual renewal process, motorists can join the RTA’s e-wallet and opt for the auto-renewal option.
“I think the auto-renewal will come as a handy option for many. All you have to do is join the e-wallet through the RTA’s website and transfer sufficient amount of money into the e-wallet account and opt for auto-renewal. This will ensure that once you complete the annual vehicle inspection and renew your insurance policy, the renewal of registration will be done automatically. The e-wallet can also be used to pay fines,” said Al Marzouqi.
The e-wallet could be topped up either using the Nol card or any credit card.
Last week, the RTA announced that the renewal of vehicle registration, ownership certificate and re-insurance certificate will be among eight services to be available only through its digital platforms, completely stopping these services at its customer care centres.
The migration, which will cut down the rush at Tasjeel, Al Shamil and other RTA-affiliated registration centres, will come into effect on Sunday.
The move comes as part of the RTA’s efforts to migrate most of its services to smart platforms.
The latest migration will see eight of its services available online only, including the renewal of registration for all privately owned vehicles that require annual technical testing.
The renewal of registration for commercial fleets as well as new private vehicles that don’t require testing were moved online in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
The fees for online renewal and registration of the vehicles will remain the same with the new registration costing Dh400, while the annual renewal done for Dh350.
