Exporting your own car when you retire out of the UAE is a well-trodden path: you settle any loans and fines, obtain an export certificate and export plates from the RTA, arrange shipping or a road exit, and deregister the car from the UAE system. Retirees usually ship to a home country or drive out through Saudi Arabia or Oman, and the paperwork is the same in spirit for both: prove the car is yours to take, clear everything owed on it, and leave with documents the destination country will accept.
Decide first: ship, drive or sell
Before touching paperwork, run the honest comparison many retirees skip. Shipping a car by container to Europe, South Asia or further typically costs several thousand dirhams plus destination taxes, and some countries restrict the age or steering side of imported cars. As a guide, container shipping from Jebel Ali commonly starts around AED 6,000 to AED 10,000 depending on destination and service level, but obtain quotes for your exact route, as prices move with freight rates. If the car is worth little more than the shipping cost, or your destination taxes used imports heavily, selling in Dubai and buying at the other end is often the calmer choice. Export makes sense for cars with sentimental value, low mileage, or specifications that are hard to replace.
Clearing the car for export
The car must be free of everything before the RTA will issue export documents:
- Any bank loan or finance must be fully settled and the release recorded on the traffic file
- All traffic fines on the car and, where required, on your licence must be paid
- The mortgage or lien marker, if any, must be removed by the bank through the electronic system
- Your insurance position confirmed, since export plates come with their own short-term cover for the drive to the port or border
If the car is registered in another emirate, its file sits there, and export processing is normally handled by that emirate’s licensing authority or transferred first. Start with your registration card (the mulkiya) and Emirates ID in hand, and confirm which authority holds the file before booking anything.
The export process, step by step
- Get a vehicle inspection if the RTA requires one for your export application.
- Apply for the export certificate at an RTA centre or through its channels, stating the destination country and exit method.
- Surrender the normal plates and receive blue export plates plus the export certificate.
- Arrange export insurance valid for the journey to the port or border crossing.
- Book shipping with a reputable agent, or plan the road route with visas and carnets where the route requires them.
- Complete customs export formalities at the port or border, keeping every stamped copy.
- On arrival, register the car in the destination country using the export certificate and customs papers.
As a guide, the export certificate, plates and inspection together typically come to a few hundred dirhams in government fees, separate from shipping and insurance; confirm the current fee total on the RTA website before you go, since schedules change. Export plates are time-limited, so sequence the steps tightly: certificate and plates last, shipping booked first.
Timing around your own exit
Retirees leaving for good are usually also cancelling visas, closing accounts and shipping household goods, and the car export must fit that sequence. Your Emirates ID and traffic file need to be active when the export is processed, so do the car before final visa cancellation where possible, and discuss the order of steps with your shipping agent, who handles retiree departures constantly. Keep copies of everything after you leave: the export certificate, bill of lading and customs exit proof are what destination authorities, and occasionally UAE authorities, may ask for years later. If a spouse’s name is on the registration, both parties’ involvement or a notarised authorisation may be needed, so check whose name the mulkiya carries at the very start.
Driving out through a land border
Retirees driving to Oman or onward through Saudi Arabia follow the same export certificate and blue plate route, then present the car and documents at the border customs post. Check entry rules for the car in each transit country before departure, including whether a carnet de passages or specific insurance is required, because these change and are enforced strictly at remote posts. Carry cash and cards for border fees, keep the export papers with the car rather than in shipped luggage, and photograph every stamp as it is applied. A shipping agent can still handle the customs side even for a road exit, which many first-time exporters find worth the modest fee.
FAQ
Can I export a car that still has a loan? No. The loan must be fully settled and the release recorded before export documents are issued.
How long are export plates valid? They are short-term, intended only for the trip to the port or border. Confirm the exact validity when they are issued and plan within it.
Do I need to cancel my Salik and insurance? Yes. Close the Salik tag for the car and settle the insurance, claiming any refund due for unused months after export.
Exporting a car is the last drive of your UAE chapter, and with the paperwork sequenced properly it ends at the port, not in a queue. For more leaving-Dubai guides, visit DXB Talk and explore the How-To archive.
