UAE number plate guide
Pick an emirate to see how its plates are laid out, what the code means and what we could confirm about colours, from official and news sources.
Emirate
Drawings are simplified and use made-up numbers, not the official artwork. Nothing you pick is uploaded or saved.
What the colours mean (only what we could confirm)
Each emirate sets its own designs, and they change over time. Below are only colour meanings stated by a police force, the transport authority or a UAE newspaper reporting their announcement, with the year. If a colour is not here, we could not confirm it: ask the emirate's licensing authority.
Plate sizes and types
Car plates come in a long size and a short size, and the front and back can be different sizes. Motorbikes have their own plate. We could not find exact measurements in an official source, so we do not give them: the licensing centre fits the right size for your car.
Dubai plate types and fees (RTA, change of plate design)
Total = plate charge + AED 50 new ownership issuance + AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation fees. Last checked: 27 Oct 2026.
Other emirates (as reported by Gulf News, May 2024)
Fees can change. Abu Dhabi's plate-change service started from AED 70, depending on the plate type. Check with the authority before you pay. Last checked: 27 Oct 2026.
Good to know
In Abu Dhabi, every plate number with one to four digits counts as a "distinguished" number, and some five-digit ones do too. Such numbers are usually sold by auction.
Vehicles of accredited embassies and consulates get consular-corps plates. Dubai's RTA issues them after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs approves.
Driving without plates is a AED 3,000 fine with 23 black points. A single plate, or a plate you cannot read, is a AED 400 fine (federal traffic fines list).
When an emirate launches a new design, existing plates are usually swapped gradually, often at renewal. Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah said owners may keep their old plates.
Sources: see the numbered list below. Code formats for letters and numbers are as listed by Wikipedia, which we could not match to an official list for every emirate. Last checked: 27 Oct 2026.