To export a car from the UAE, pay every fine on the vehicle, release any bank finance, then ask the licensing authority where the car is registered (the RTA in Dubai) to cancel the registration for export. You surrender the plates and receive an export certificate valid for 7 days, which your shipper uses for customs export clearance. The car then ships by RoRo or container, or is driven to a GCC border. If you bought the car VAT-free for export, it must leave the UAE within 90 days or 5% VAT applies.
Most car exports fail on order, not paperwork. People cancel the registration before the shipment is booked, pay off the loan but do not wait for the bank's release, or clear fines in one emirate and forget tolls in another. Each mistake costs days, and the export certificate gives you only 7.
This guide walks through the whole process in the order you should do it, with the fees, the authorities and a countdown timeline. It is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules and fees change, so confirm current requirements with the RTA, TAMM or your emirate's licensing authority.
What are the steps to export a car from the UAE?
There are seven steps. Four sit with you and the authorities, and three with your shipper and the destination.
What is the UAE export certificate?
The export certificate is the official record that a car's UAE registration has been cancelled for export. In Dubai it is issued by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA); other emirates issue an equivalent. Customs will not clear a UAE-registered car for export without it.
Fees vary between sources and change over time, so confirm the current figure when you apply.
What is the right order and timing?
Book the shipment first and apply for the certificate last. The certificate is valid for only 7 days, and everything before it can be done in advance.
"When a car export goes wrong, it is usually timing. Someone applies for the certificate on Monday, the vessel is not ready until the following week, and the certificate has expired. Book the ship first. Everything else follows." — Abhilash Nair, Global CEO, ISS Relocations
Which fines block a car export?
A car with outstanding fines cannot have its registration cancelled. The blockers are:
- Traffic fines from any emirate, not just where the car is registered
- Parking fines
- Toll fines: Salik in Dubai, Darb in Abu Dhabi
- An impounded vehicle or an open legal case on the car
- An expired registration with unpaid renewal fines
To check, search by plate or traffic file number on the RTA or Dubai Police apps, TAMM for Abu Dhabi, or the federal MOI UAE app, which shows fines across emirates. Pay a few days before you apply, so the payments have posted.
Can you export a financed car?
Not while a bank holds a mortgage on it. The bank has to release it electronically in the traffic system first. Leaving at the end of a contract with a car loan is the most common cause of delay, so start the settlement at least two weeks before your planned export date.
- Request a settlement letter. Ask the bank for the full settlement amount.
- Pay the settlement before the quote expires.
- Wait for the bank's release. The bank lifts the mortgage in the RTA or emirate traffic system, usually within 1 to 3 working days. Keep a copy of any clearance letter.
- Confirm the release in the RTA app or at a service centre before booking the export appointment.
Paying the loan is not the same as the bank releasing it. The certificate cannot be issued until the release shows in the system.
What is the VAT 90-day rule?
The 90-day rule applies when a car is sold for export, for example when you buy a new or used car from a UAE dealer to ship abroad. Under Article 30 of the UAE VAT Executive Regulation, the sale can be zero-rated (0% instead of 5%) only if:
- the car physically leaves the UAE within 90 days of the sale, and
- the seller keeps official evidence (customs documents such as an exit certificate) and commercial evidence (a bill of lading or consignment note).
If the car is not exported in time, or the evidence is missing, 5% VAT applies. What that means for you:
- Buying to export: agree the export timeline with the dealer before paying, and give them copies of the export and shipping documents.
- Exporting a car you already own: there is no UAE VAT to reclaim. The rule applies to the sale, not to your move.
- Tourist VAT refund: motor vehicles are excluded from the scheme.
- Destination taxes: import duty and VAT or GST in the destination country still apply.
Who issues the export certificate in each emirate?
The authority depends on where the car is registered, not where you live now.
How can you ship a car from the UAE?
There are three options, and the right one depends on the destination and whether anything else is moving with the car.
Door-to-door shipments to Europe commonly take 30 to 50 days. Many families ship the car in the same container as their household goods, which means one shipment and one customs process.
Should you ship your car or sell it?
Ship the car if its value to you at the destination, after duties, taxes, conversion and freight, is higher than the net sale price in the UAE. Four checks decide it.
Most failed car imports fail at the destination, not in the UAE. Check the destination's rules before you cancel the UAE registration, because once it is cancelled the car cannot be used locally.
What mistakes delay a UAE car export?
- Applying for the export certificate before the shipment is booked, then letting it expire.
- Paying fines in one emirate and forgetting tolls or fines in another.
- Paying off the loan but not waiting for the bank's electronic release.
- Cancelling the registration, then needing to drive the car around town.
- Leaving personal items in a car that ships by RoRo.
- Not checking whether the destination accepts the car before it leaves the UAE.
Checklist: exporting a car from the UAE
- Check the destination's rules on steering side, age, duties and standards.
- Get a shipping quote and book the sailing date.
- Request the bank's settlement letter, pay it and confirm the mortgage release.
- Check and pay fines in every emirate, including Salik or Darb.
- Renew or inspect the car if the registration has expired.
- Buy short-term export insurance.
- Gather the Mulkiya, Emirates ID or passport, and the purchase invoice.
- Apply for the export certificate last, and hand the car to the shipper within 7 days.
- Do not drive the car on internal roads after cancellation.
- Remove personal items if shipping by RoRo.
- Keep the export certificate, invoice and shipping documents for the destination.
Frequently asked questions
How do I export a car from the UAE?
Pay every fine on the car, release any bank finance, then ask the emirate's licensing authority (the RTA in Dubai) to cancel the registration for export. You surrender the plates and receive an export certificate, valid for 7 days, which your shipper uses for customs export clearance. The car then ships by RoRo or container, or is driven to a GCC border.
What is the UAE vehicle export certificate and how long is it valid?
It is the official record that a car's UAE registration has been cancelled for export. In Dubai the RTA issues it and states a validity of 7 days. Customs will not clear a UAE-registered car for export without it. Because it expires quickly, book the shipment first and apply for the certificate last.
How much does it cost to get a UAE export certificate?
The RTA lists AED 50 plus a AED 20 knowledge and innovation fee for a company-owned light vehicle. Individuals commonly report higher totals, roughly AED 100 to 140 depending on whether export plates are included. Short-term export insurance is extra. Fees change, so confirm in the Dubai Drive app or on the RTA website when you apply.
Can I export a car with unpaid fines or a bank loan?
No to both. All traffic, parking and toll fines (Salik in Dubai, Darb in Abu Dhabi) from any emirate must be paid, and any bank mortgage must be released in the traffic system before the registration can be cancelled. Bank release usually takes 1 to 3 working days after you pay the settlement.
What is the VAT 90-day rule for exporting a car?
Under Article 30 of the UAE VAT Executive Regulation, a car sold for export can be zero-rated only if it physically leaves the UAE within 90 days of the sale and the seller keeps customs and shipping evidence. Otherwise 5% VAT applies. The rule applies to the sale, so it matters if you buy a car to export, not if you export a car you already own.
How long does it take to ship a car from the UAE?
Clearing fines and documents can take a day, bank release adds 1 to 3 working days, and the export certificate can be issued the same day. Sea transit depends on the route. Door-to-door shipments to Europe commonly take 30 to 50 days.
Can I drive my car from the UAE to Oman or Saudi Arabia instead of shipping it?
Yes. Cars exported to neighbouring GCC countries can be driven to the border on export plates issued with the export certificate, or carried on a truck, provided they meet the destination country's import and registration rules. Once the registration is cancelled the car may only be driven on main roads to the exit point.
Should I ship my car or sell it when I leave the UAE?
Ship it if the car is worth more to you at the destination, after import duty, taxes, conversion costs and shipping, than the net price you can get in the UAE. Sell it if the destination restricts left-hand-drive or older cars, if duties are high, or if you need to leave quickly. Check the destination's import rules before you cancel the UAE registration.
About ISS Relocations
ISS Relocations (Integrated Services Solutions) is a UAE-headquartered relocation and employee mobility company, founded in 1996, with its own offices in the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. It is a FIDI Accredited International Mover, ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certified, and a Worldwide ERC member. ISS Relocations guides customers through fines, finance release and the export certificate, and handles customs export clearance. For moves to Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain or Kuwait, its own team receives and clears the car at the destination. ISS Relocations has no connection to the International Space Station.
Shipping your car from the UAE? Tell us the car, where it is registered and where it is going, and ISS Relocations will check it is ready, plan the route and ship it, alone or with your household goods: [email protected] or toll-free 800 6683 (MOVE).
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