Abu Dhabi Number Plate: Costs, Codes & How to Get One

If you're registering a car in the capital, the Abu Dhabi number plate process is more layered than people expect — there are plate codes, plate categories, optional fancy numbers that cost more than the car, and rules about transferring plates between owners. Here's what actually matters when you walk into an Abu Dhabi Police service centre or open the TAMM portal.

Quick answer

A standard Abu Dhabi number plate costs AED 400 for issuance plus AED 100 for plate-making, with annual vehicle registration fees on top. Plates are issued by Abu Dhabi Police through TAMM (the emirate's unified government services platform) or at any vehicle registration centre. Codes run from 1 to 50 plus letter categories. You can keep your plate when you sell the car, transfer it to another vehicle, or auction premium numbers — sometimes for millions. Salik works the same across emirates regardless of which plate you carry.

What the codes and categories actually mean

The Abu Dhabi number plate uses a number-only system for private vehicles. The plate shows a category code (1 through 50) followed by your unique number — up to five digits. No Arabic letters on private plates here, unlike Dubai's letter-coded system. Frankly, it's cleaner.

Lower category codes are older and tend to be more prestigious. Code 1 plates are rare and trade for serious money at auction. Codes in the 15-50 range are what most new registrations get now. The category itself carries no legal difference — a 50 plate works exactly like a 5 plate. The premium is purely about scarcity and prestige.

Commercial vehicles, taxis, government cars, and motorcycles get their own plate styles. If you're registering a fleet, the rules shift. Most readers here are dealing with a private car, so that's the focus.

A quick warning: don't confuse the plate category with the plate number itself. People do, all the time, when listing cars for sale.

How to get a new Abu Dhabi number plate

You apply through TAMM (tamm.abudhabi) or at an Abu Dhabi Police vehicle registration centre. The Musaffah centre on Mussafah Industrial Area is usually fastest. Al Shahama and Sweihan also handle registrations.

You'll need:

• Emirates ID
• Valid UAE driving licence (yours or the registered owner's)
• Vehicle insurance certificate (minimum 13 months, not 12 — the police want a buffer)
• Vehicle inspection certificate if the car is over three years old
• Purchase invoice or transfer document
• Existing plates if you're transferring registration

The standard fee structure as published by Abu Dhabi Police:

Costs (private vehicle, 2024 rates)
- New plate issuance: AED 400
- Plate manufacturing: AED 100
- Annual registration: AED 365
- Vehicle inspection: AED 170
- Knowledge & innovation fees: AED 20
- Traffic file (first time only): AED 220

Total first-time registration usually lands around AED 1,200-1,400 before insurance.

If you want a specific number, that's a separate process — and a separate price tag. [1]

Premium and fancy plates: the auction route

Abu Dhabi Police runs regular auctions, both online via the Emirates Auction platform and live events at venues around the emirate. This is where the headline numbers come from — plate "1" sold for AED 52.2 million in 2008, still a world record for a number plate. Plate "AA9" went for AED 38 million in 2023 at the Most Noble Numbers auction.

You don't need to spend millions. Three- and four-digit plates regularly sell in the AED 5,000 to AED 50,000 range. Two-digit plates start around AED 100,000 and go up fast.

The auction process:

1. Register on emiratesauction.ae with your Emirates ID
2. Place a refundable deposit (usually AED 5,000-10,000 depending on the auction tier)
3. Bid live or via proxy
4. Pay within 7 days of winning — bank transfer or POS
5. Collect your ownership certificate from Abu Dhabi Police
6. Assign the plate to a registered vehicle within the deadline (usually 60 days)

The plate is yours as an asset — you can sell it, gift it, or hold it. Honestly, most clients who buy premium plates treat them like vanity investments. Some appreciate. Many don't.

Transferring an Abu Dhabi number plate

You can keep your plate when you sell the car. This catches a lot of expats off guard because they assume the plate goes with the vehicle. It doesn't, unless you agree to include it in the sale.

To transfer your existing plate to a new car:

• Request the transfer at registration time through TAMM or any service centre
• Pay the transfer fee (AED 35 for the service plus AED 100 if new plates are manufactured)
• The old vehicle gets new plates issued to it before being sold or scrapped
• Your insurance must already cover the new vehicle

Selling the plate separately to another buyer requires a sale through Emirates Auction or a private sale registered with Abu Dhabi Police. Private off-platform deals aren't recognised — the plate has to be formally reassigned through the police system or it doesn't legally move.

One thing most clients get wrong: if you leave the UAE and cancel your residency, your plate doesn't automatically disappear. You can transfer it to a family member with valid residency, or sell it through the auction platform. Don't just abandon it — you'll keep accruing fines if the vehicle stays registered.

Renewals, fines and what happens if you let it lapse

Vehicle registration in Abu Dhabi runs annually. You can renew up to 30 days before expiry and have a 30-day grace period after, though driving on an expired registration even one day past expiry exposes you to fines. The renewal itself happens through TAMM, the Abu Dhabi Police app, ADNOC service stations, or approved garages.

Renewal costs (private car):

• Registration renewal: AED 365
• Inspection: AED 170 (vehicles 3+ years old)
• Knowledge & innovation fees: AED 20
• Traffic fines: must be cleared first
• Salik tags and outstanding tolls: must be cleared

Watch out
Driving with expired plates carries a fine of AED 500 plus impounding risk. Let registration lapse for more than three months and the vehicle file gets frozen — you'll have to reapply and potentially re-inspect.

Fines attached to your Abu Dhabi number plate stay with the plate, not the driver. So if you transfer the plate to a new car, the unpaid fines come with it. Always check the file before transferring or buying.

If you're buying a used car in Abu Dhabi, run the plate through the Abu Dhabi Police website or app before signing anything. It takes 30 seconds and shows accident history, outstanding fines, and registration status. Skipping that check is one of the more expensive mistakes I see.

A few practical notes on cross-emirate driving

An Abu Dhabi number plate is valid across all seven emirates — you don't need anything additional to drive in Dubai, Sharjah, or anywhere else. Salik tags work the same. Darb (Abu Dhabi's toll system) automatically charges your registered account when you cross the gates on Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussafah Bridge, and Sheikh Khalifa Bridge during operating hours.

If you move residence between emirates, you don't have to change plates immediately. But if your trade licence, sponsor, or registered address changes substantially, updating your traffic file makes life easier — particularly for insurance claims.

For more on related vehicle and driving rules, see our traffic law guide.

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Sources:

[1] Abu Dhabi Police — Vehicle Registration Services, adpolice.gov.ae [2] TAMM Abu Dhabi — Vehicle Plates and Registration, tamm.abudhabi [3] Emirates Auction — Number Plates Auctions, emiratesauction.ae [4] Federal Traffic Law — Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2024 on Traffic Regulation

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