Cancel Vehicle Registration
Apply for a Possession Certificate for a vehicle registered in the Dubai traffic system, issue a certificate to export a vehicle outside the UAE, or transfer your vehicle from Dubai to another emirate. Upon completion, your vehicle registration will be cancelled, rendering the vehicle unfit for road circulation in Dubai.
Select the certificate type
Output
Vehicle Possession Certificate with no expiry date
Ways to Apply
Website
- Website
- RTA Smart Apps
- RTA Partner Apps
- Customer Happiness Centres
- Vehicle Registration and Inspection Centres
Channels
Steps
- Log in using your username and password, or UAE Pass.
- Enter the OTP.
- Select Apply to Cancel a Vehicle Registration from Vehicle Licensing Services.
- Select Issue Possession Vehicle Certificate.
- Enter the information.
- Your ID is confirmed through the UAE Pass.
- Hand over the plates at the centre or through the delivery service.
- Pay the fees.
- Receive the receipt and certificate electronically.
Service Time
Instantly
Channels
Steps
- Log in using your username and password, or UAE Pass.
- Select Apply to Cancel a Vehicle Registration from Vehicle Licensing Services .
- Select Issue Possession Certificate .
- Select the vehicle.
- Specify if you want to return the plates to RTA or reserve them for future use.
- Your ID is confirmed through the UAE Pass.
- Pay the fees and fines.
- Hand over the plates at the centre.
- Receive the certificate electronically.
Service Time
Instantly
Channels
- Dubai Now ( Google play - App store )
Steps
- Log in using your UAE Pass.
- Click Services then Transport .
- Select the Cancel Vehicle Registration service and agree to the terms and conditions.
- Select the vehicle then click Issue Vehicle Possession Certificate .
- Book an appointment for the technical inspection (if required).
- Once the inspection is complete, you receive a notification to proceed to Possession Certificate Details .
- Specify if you want to return the plates to RTA or reserve them for future use.
- Complete the UAE Pass Face Verification process and pay the fees by credit card or DubaiPay.
Service Time
Instantly
Channels
Steps
- Receive a link from the front desk employee.
- Upload the documents through the link.
- Receive the transaction code and share it with the employee.
- Check and electronically sign the application.
- Pay the fees.
- Hand over the plates.
- Receive the payment receipt and certificate through SMS and email.
Service Time
Instantly
Channels
Steps
- Receive a link from the front desk employee.
- Upload the documents through the link.
- Receive the transaction code and share it with the employee.
- Check and electronically sign the application.
- Pay the fees.
- Hand over the plates.
- Receive the payment receipt and certificate through SMS and email.
Service Time
Instantly
Important to Know
You Should Know
- You or your legal representative must be present in person when applying at Customer Happiness or Inspection Centres.
- You can't drive with a Vehicle Possession Certificate.
- There's no maximum number of Possession Certificates that a citizen or GCC national can have.
- Residents can have a maximum of 3 Possession Certificates across all channels.
- If you already hold 3 or more Possession Certificates and request an additional one, you must consult an RTA centre supervisor for an exception.
- Exceptions on the Possession Certificates limit may be granted to businessmen, Golden Visa holders, investors, and company owners, or in other valid exceptional cases. Golden Visa holders must get the supervisor’s approval each time they request an exception.
- If you're applying for a 4th Possession Certificate online, you will receive a pop-up instructing you to visit an RTA centre to complete the process.
- The limits mentioned in You Should Know apply only to Possession Certificates. There’s no limit on the number of vehicles that you can register.
- You can obtain a Possession Certificate for vehicles not permitted for individual registration (for example, forklifts). However, these vehicles can’t be registered under your name.
- The certificate is available in your personal file on the website. You can download it from the dashboard.
- If you don't hand over the plates within 14 days from the electronic application submission and the payment of the fees, the transaction is cancelled and you can't request a refund.
- You must hand over the plates or a report from the police (in case 1 or both plates are lost).
- In case the police report for lost plates is issued outside the UAE, it must be attested by the traffic department in the concerned country.
- On Sundays, Al Yalayis Vehicle Testing and Muhaisna Shamil centres only provide inspection services.
- In case of a lost/damaged Possession Certificate:
- You or your legal representative must be present in person.
- You must pay all traffic fines.
- You can replace a lost/damaged Possession Certificate through the same channels and following the same process for AED 120 (Possession Certificate: AED 100 + Knowledge and Innovation: AED 20).
You Should Do
- Pay all traffic fines.
- Pay the licensing fees difference, if any.
- If the vehicle is under mortgage, you must release the mortgage electronically.
- If you don't have a Traffic File, you must open a new one (new file fees: AED 200).
Eligible Categories
Citizens, residents, and GCC nationals
Service Requirements
- Emirates ID
- Electronic technical inspection (in case of an expired electronic licence)
Fees
I Am
Payment Methods
- Cash
- Credit card
- eWallet
- Apple Pay
Terms and Conditions
- If the vehicle ownership is transferred to a new owner, the terms and conditions relevant to the vehicle weight and type apply.
FAQs
- Q : In which cases a Possession Certificate is issued?
- A:
- If the vehicle is damaged and should be transferred under the bank name, insurance name, or as scrap.
- If you aren't renewing the vehicle ownership and want to avoid a delay penalty.
- If you want to transfer the vehicle to another person without registering it.
- If the vehicle isn't operational, but the owner wants to keep it for maintenance.
- A:
- Q: Should both the buyer and seller pay all the Traffic File fines when applying for issuing a Vehicle Possession Certificate in the name of a third party?
- A: No, only the seller pays all the fines issued in Dubai.
- Q: What's the procedure if I want to register a Dubai vehicle in another country, and the vehicle isn't in Dubai but in that country?
- A: If you want to cancel the vehicle registration while it’s already outside the UAE and register it in the other country:
- Provide a letter in Arabic from the relevant licensing authorities in the country, addressed to RTA and stamped by the UAE embassy in that country and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dubai (with the exception of GCC countries).
- Head to one of the service providers or Customer Happiness Centres to obtain a Possession Certificate for cancelling the vehicle, based on the official letter from the licensing authorities in the other country. No technical test is required.
- You or your legal representative must be present in person. The application is for a Possession Certificate, not an Export Certificate, as the vehicle is already exported and only needs cancellation from the Dubai system.
- Note: A Clearance Certificate isn't required by RTA. You must check with the licensing authorities in the other country for their specific requirements.
- A: If you want to cancel the vehicle registration while it’s already outside the UAE and register it in the other country:
- Q: What can I do if the Vehicle Possession Centre cancelled my vehicle?
- A:
- If the vehicle is impounded in other emirates, you must contact the impounding authority.
- If the vehicle is impounded in the Emirate of Dubai, you must contact the Dubai Police.
- If you don't know which was the impounding authority or didn’t know that your vehicle was impounded, you must call 800 9090.
- A:
Updated on: 26-November-2025