UAE Traffic Fines and Black Points: Check, Pay, Dispute

Most UAE traffic fines fall between AED 300 and AED 3,000, with 4 to 23 black points and vehicle impoundment for the worst offences; exceeding the speed limit by more than 80 km/h costs AED 3,000, 23 black points and a 60-day impound. The legal framework is Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2024 on Traffic Regulation; the fines, black points and impound days come from the federal schedule in Ministerial Resolution No. 178 of 2017, enforced by Dubai Police, the RTA, Abu Dhabi Police, the other emirates' police and the Ministry of Interior (MOI). Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah discount most fines by 35% if you pay within 60 days (in Abu Dhabi, confirm the discounted amount in TAMM). This guide covers the fines people actually search for, how to check and pay them in each emirate, and what to do if you think a fine is wrong.

At a Glance

How UAE traffic fines work

Traffic enforcement is federal in structure but local in delivery. Federal Decree-Law 14/2024 leaves the national violation schedule — the fine amount, black points and impound days for each offence — to a Cabinet resolution (Art. 45) and keeps earlier resolutions in force until they are replaced (Art. 49); the schedule in force is still Ministerial Resolution No. 178 of 2017, which the official u.ae portal lists as applicable. Each emirate's police force issues and collects the fines, runs its own discount scheme, and can add emirate-level penalties on top. Dubai, for example, layers Decree No. 30 of 2023 over the federal schedule, which is where the widely reported AED 50,000 red-light release payment comes from (it is an impound release fee, not the fine itself).

Fines follow the vehicle and the licence across emirates: a Dubai-registered car flashed by a radar in Abu Dhabi will show the fine in both the Abu Dhabi Police and Dubai systems, because records sync through the MOI's unified platform. Treat the posted limit as the trigger everywhere: the federal schedule fines any excess over the maximum speed limit, starting at AED 300 for up to 20 km/h over.

Note that Salik toll gate fines, Parkin/Mawaqif parking charges and municipal parking penalties are separate systems billed outside the police fine file — see our Salik and Parkin guide for those.

Speeding fines: the ladder

The speeding schedule for light vehicles is a ladder that escalates sharply past 60 km/h over the limit:

Driving below the minimum speed posted on some highways is also a violation: AED 400. At the very top of the ladder, prosecutors can treat extreme speed combined with dangerous driving as a court matter rather than a fixed fine — and in Dubai, a car impounded for reckless driving that endangers lives is released only on an AED 50,000 payment, described below.

Phone, seatbelt, lanes and signals

These are the everyday fines that fill most people's violation lists:

Police forces have been reported to use AI-assisted cameras that detect phone use, missing seatbelts and tailgating, so these fines can arrive by SMS without a patrol stopping you. Jaywalking is in the schedule too: crossing away from a designated point costs pedestrians AED 400 — and becomes a criminal matter if it causes an accident (next section).

Documents, plates and parking

Expired registration compounds quickly because you cannot renew a Mulkiya while fines are unpaid — see car registration renewal for the full sequence through Tasjeel or the RTA app. If you are buying a car, unpaid fines on the seller's file block the ownership transfer too — a standard check in our used car guide.

Serious offences that now go to court

Federal Decree-Law 14/2024 sets jail terms and court-set fines for the most dangerous behaviour. These are the headline offences, as set out in Articles 35–40 of the decree-law and summarised on the official u.ae portal:

Because these carry court records, none of them qualify for the discount schemes below, and insurance consequences follow separately. If you are involved in any collision, the reporting steps in our car accident guide matter — leaving the scene is what converts an accident into a hit-and-run charge.

Black points: the 24-point system

Black points attach to the driver's licence file, not the car. Individual violations carry up to 24 points, and the thresholds work like this:

• 24 points within 12 months triggers a suspension: commonly 3 months for the first suspension, 6 months for the second, and licence revocation or a one-year suspension for the third.
• Points expire 12 months after they are registered on your file — a year of clean driving clears them automatically.
• In Abu Dhabi, a licence holder can ask through TAMM for the traffic points from fines to be added to their driving licence.

You do not have to just wait the year out. Each emirate runs point-reduction options:

• Dubai: Dubai Police's black-points reduction course at the Traffic Institute (Al Barsha) is commonly reported to remove up to 8 points, to cost around AED 810 and to be open to drivers with more than 8 but fewer than 24 points; confirm in the Dubai Police app.
• Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Police traffic awareness courses are reported to remove up to 8 points for drivers under the 24-point threshold; fees have ranged from roughly AED 200 for standard courses to AED 800 for special mall-based programmes — confirm the current fee when booking.
• Sharjah: Sharjah Police has been reported to run a reduction course and periodic point-waiver campaigns tied to national occasions.
• Federal: the MOI's "Accident-Free Day" initiative has been reported to offer 4-point removals to drivers who pledge safe driving — watch for the annual campaign.

New drivers should note the system is unforgiving early on: two phone fines and a red light already put you at 20 points. If you are still working toward a licence, the rules are covered in getting a UAE licence from scratch.

How to check your fines

Check by plate number, licence number, traffic file number or Emirates ID — on most portals a basic inquiry usually needs no login:

• Dubai: the Dubai Police app or dubaipolice.gov.ae ("Fines Inquiry & Payment"), the RTA Dubai app or rta.ae, or the Dubai Now app. All show the same police fine file; RTA also shows its own transport-related fines.
• Abu Dhabi: the TAMM portal (tamm.abudhabi) or the Abu Dhabi Police app / adpolice.gov.ae, signed in with UAE Pass.
• Sharjah: shjpolice.gov.ae or the MOI UAE app.
• Ajman, RAK, Fujairah, UAQ: the MOI UAE app or moi.gov.ae covers all emirates in one place; Ras Al Khaimah also lists fines on its eGovernment portal.

Because records sync federally, the MOI app is the simplest single check if you drive across emirates. Fines normally appear within 24–48 hours of a radar violation, and you should receive an SMS on the number registered to the vehicle — keep that number current, since the discount clock starts when the fine is issued, not when you happen to look.

How to pay — and why fines block your Mulkiya

Payment channels mirror the checking channels:

• The Dubai Police, RTA Dubai, Dubai Now, Abu Dhabi Police, TAMM and MOI UAE apps all take card payments, and most support Apple Pay / Google Pay.
• Smart Police Station kiosks in Dubai and self-service kiosks in major malls handle payment without an appointment.
• Vehicle testing and registration centres (Tasjeel in Dubai and similar centres elsewhere) settle fines as part of the renewal transaction.
• Instalments may be available: Dubai Police lists a "Traffic Fines Installment" service, and in 2018 the RTA and Emirates NBD launched 0% credit-card instalments for RTA fines over 3, 6, 9 or 12 months. Check the current terms in the app or with your bank before paying in one go.

The enforcement backstop is registration renewal: your Mulkiya will not renew while any fine is outstanding on the vehicle, and driving on expired registration is itself a fine with impound risk. That is why most residents settle fines annually at renewal — though doing so can mean losing the 35% early-payment discount, which usually expires 60 days after each fine is issued. The maths favours paying big fines early and letting only small ones wait. Full renewal walkthrough: car registration renewal.

Discounts: what each emirate offers in 2026

Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah run standing early-payment schemes; the details differ and campaign top-ups come and go — always confirm the discounted figure shown in the official app before paying:

Ajman, RAK, Fujairah and UAQ police have been reported to run time-limited 50% campaigns, often around Eid Al Etihad, rather than permanent schemes — check the MOI app during those periods. Discounts apply to the police fine only: Salik, Parkin and Mawaqif charges follow their own rules (see Salik & Parkin).

Disputing a fine

You can object to a fine you believe is wrong — plate misread, cloned plates, a car you had already sold, or a radar error:

1. Dubai: use "Traffic Fines Dispute" on the Dubai Police app or website (UAE Pass login), attach evidence — photos, dashcam footage, sale documents — and submit promptly, commonly within 30 days of the fine date. Decisions are commonly issued within about 10 working days. You can also visit a Dubai Police traffic department (Deira or Bur Dubai), or call 901 for guidance. RTA-issued fines have a separate dispute form on rta.ae.
2. Abu Dhabi: violations issued by the Integrated Transport Centre are disputed through TAMM's "Grievance for Transport Violations" service within 60 days of the violation date, once only, attaching any supporting documents; paying during that window rules out a grievance. For Abu Dhabi Police traffic fines, ask Abu Dhabi Police (800 3333).
3. Sharjah and the northern emirates: object through the MOI UAE app's complaint channel; Sharjah Police also takes traffic queries through its official WhatsApp channel listed on shjpolice.gov.ae.

Be realistic: the burden is on you to prove you did not commit the violation, and objections without hard evidence rarely succeed. Do not pay before the objection is decided — payment is generally treated as accepting the fine. If an objection is rejected, escalation to the traffic prosecution and then the traffic court is possible, at which point most drivers weigh the court time against the discounted fine.

Impound rules and release payments

Impound days come from the federal schedule and target its dangerous end: driving without number plates (90 days), extreme speeding (60 days for +80 km/h), red-light jumping (30 days), and 60 days for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, which also goes to court. Two cost layers matter:

• Release payments: Dubai's Decree No. 30 of 2023 makes impoundment mandatory for red-light running, reckless driving that endangers lives and similar offences, and releases the vehicle only on a payment of AED 50,000 — on top of the AED 1,000 federal fine for a red light. Racing on a road without a permit costs AED 100,000; driving without number plates or fleeing the police AED 10,000; a repeat within a year doubles the payment, up to AED 200,000. In Dubai, a car impounded under the federal schedule for any other offence is released on payment of AED 100 a day (light vehicles) or AED 200 (heavy) for the impound period or the days remaining. If the payment is not made, the vehicle stays impounded and may eventually be sold at auction (commonly after around three months).
• Storage fees: in Dubai, AED 50 for each day the vehicle stays in the pound after the impound period ends (Decree No. 30 of 2023); Abu Dhabi charges ground fees of AED 50 (light) or AED 100 (heavy vehicles) for the period beyond the impoundment.

The practical takeaway: for a red light or reckless driving in Dubai, the true worst-case cost is not the AED 1,000–2,000 fine but the five-figure release payment, which is exactly the deterrent the emirate intended.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check traffic fines in Dubai by plate number?

Open the Dubai Police app or dubaipolice.gov.ae, choose "Fines Inquiry & Payment", and search by plate number, licence number, traffic file number or fine number — a basic inquiry usually needs no login. The RTA Dubai and Dubai Now apps show the same fines. For fines from any emirate in one place, use the MOI UAE app.

How many black points lead to licence suspension in the UAE?

24 black points within 12 months triggers a suspension — commonly 3 months for the first time, 6 months for the second, and revocation or a one-year suspension for the third. Points expire 12 months after they are registered, and several emirates are reported to offer courses that remove up to 8 points.

Is there a discount on Dubai traffic fines in 2026?

Yes. Dubai's standing early-payment scheme gives 35% off fines paid within 60 days of the fine issue date and 25% off fines paid after that but within a year. Serious violations linked to impoundment or court referral are excluded. Confirm the discounted amount in the Dubai Police or RTA app before paying.

Do I have to pay all fines before renewing my car registration?

Yes. Every fine on the vehicle file must be settled before the Mulkiya (registration card) will renew, whether you renew through the RTA app or at a Tasjeel centre. This is the main collection mechanism, and it is why fines pile up until renewal for many drivers — at the cost of the 60-day discount window.

What is the fine for using a mobile phone while driving in the UAE?

AED 800 and 4 black points. Phone use can be caught on camera, so the fine can arrive by SMS without a police stop.

Is the AED 50,000 red light fine in Dubai real?

Partly. The federal fine for jumping a red light in a light vehicle is AED 1,000 with 12 black points and a 30-day impound. The AED 50,000 is Dubai's release payment under Decree No. 30 of 2023 to get the impounded car back — so the effective cost in Dubai can reach AED 51,000, but the AED 50,000 element is an impound release fee, not the fine.

Can I dispute a traffic fine and actually win?

You can object within about 30 days via the Dubai Police app in Dubai or the MOI app in Sharjah and the northern emirates, and decisions commonly come back within 10 working days in Dubai. In Abu Dhabi, ask Abu Dhabi Police (800 3333) about its fines; transport violations issued by the Integrated Transport Centre are disputed on TAMM within 60 days of the violation. Objections succeed mainly with hard evidence: plate misreads, a vehicle sold before the violation, or documented radar errors. Without evidence, expect a rejection, and do not pay before the decision, as payment is treated as accepting the fine.

What happens if I just never pay my traffic fines?

The fines do not expire. Your registration renewal is blocked (driving unregistered is a further AED 500 fine with impound risk), you cannot transfer or sell the vehicle, discount windows lapse, and impounded vehicles left unclaimed may eventually be auctioned. Court-referred offences proceed regardless of payment.

Related reading: start with the UAE driving guide hub, then see car registration renewal for clearing fines at renewal time, what to do after a car accident, Salik tolls and Parkin parking for the charges that sit outside your police fine file, buying a used car for fine checks before transfer, and converting a foreign driving licence if you are newly arrived.