Import and Export Basics for Cars in the UAE.

Who can import, and what can be imported

Any UAE resident can import a car, but the car itself has to qualify. It must be left-hand drive — right-hand-drive cars are not permitted for registration, with narrow exceptions for approved classic cars — and it must generally be less than ten years old from the date of manufacture. Cars older than ten years usually need special pre-approval from the transport authority of the emirate (the RTA in Dubai), and cars older than thirty years may qualify as classics through a separate process with special permits, inspections and a Vehicle Classification Certificate.

The car must also be undamaged in the legal sense: salvage-titled, flood-damaged or rebuilt-title vehicles are commonly refused, and a car with a salvage title should not be shipped on the assumption that it can be fixed at the port. Before you commit to shipping, get the position in writing from the transport authority or a licensed import agent — the cost of a car stuck at the port is far higher than the cost of asking first.

Customs: duty, VAT and the clearance certificate

When the car arrives — usually at Jebel Ali Port for Dubai — it goes through customs clearance. The UAE charges 5% customs duty on the car's CIF value (cost plus insurance plus freight), and then 5% VAT on the combined amount (CIF plus duty). In practice that makes the tax burden roughly 10% of the CIF value, before port handling, inspection and clearance charges. Cars originally sold in GCC markets with duty already paid in another GCC country may be exempt from duty again, but only with proof — and the exemption is about duty, not about skipping the process.

Customs inspects the car and its documents, values it under official valuation rules, and — once duties and fees are paid — issues a Vehicle Clearance Certificate (VCC). That certificate is the essential document for everything that follows; keep the original safe. You also receive temporary blue export plates, which only allow you to drive the car from the port to an RTA inspection centre, not for everyday driving.

GCC spec and the conformity certificate

The next question is specification. Cars built to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) standards clear the process faster, because they were manufactured for the region's heat, dust and fuel. If your car is not GCC-spec, you will generally need a GCC Conformity Certificate from the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) before the RTA will register it. That certificate confirms the car meets the Gulf standards for safety, emissions and climate tolerance.

This is the step that catches most importers out, because it cannot be fixed at the port with a form. If the car needs modifications to meet GCC standards — cooling, lighting, emissions calibration — those have to be planned before shipping, not discovered after. Our separate guide explains what GCC spec means in detail and what to check on a specific car.

Inspection, insurance and registration

With customs clearance and conformity sorted, the car goes for a technical inspection at an RTA-approved test centre such as Tasjeel or Shamil. The test checks emissions, braking, lights, tyre condition and overall roadworthiness. Only after passing does registration follow: bring the Vehicle Clearance Certificate, the conformity certificate if one was needed, your Emirates ID, passport and residence visa, and proof of insurance, then pay the registration fee and collect your UAE number plates and your Mulkiya, the official registration card.

Registration fees vary by vehicle type and engine size — reported figures range from around AED 400 for small four-cylinder cars to over AED 600 for larger engines — and testing fees are reported at around AED 170 for light vehicles. Treat all of these as reported ranges and confirm the current fees with Dubai Customs, the RTA or a licensed import agent before you commit, because fees and procedures change and the total time from arrival to driving is commonly three to eight weeks.

Exporting a car from the UAE

Exporting reverses the process: the car must be deregistered, its plates returned, and any outstanding fines, Salik balance and finance settled before it can leave. The buyer or shipping agent will need the Mulkiya, proof of ownership and a customs export declaration, and the destination country's import rules — age limits, emissions standards, left- or right-hand drive — apply at the other end, so check them before the car is loaded. If the car is being exported temporarily, for example for repair or an event, different paperwork applies; ask the shipping agent which export declaration fits your case.

One final caution applies to both directions: use a licensed clearing agent or shipping company with a written quote that itemises duty, VAT, port charges, inspection and registration separately. A single lump-sum quote that does not break these out is where surprise costs hide.

Questions, answered