White, black and grey are the three top colour choices when it comes to buying a car in the UAE, so most cars sold are one of those. But what if you want something a little different, something more vibrant, something that stands out?
You can fix this problem by getting your car’s colour changed by a professional company – but only once you have approval to do so from the police in your Emirate.
Read on to learn the correct way to change the colour of your car in the UAE.
How to change your car paint colour in Dubai
Requesting to change the colour of your vehicle in Dubai
1. In Dubai, you firstly have to file a request to change the colour of your vehicle with the Dubai Police (CID).To obtain a No Objection Letter (NOC) from the CID, you can use the Dubai Police app and search for Vehicle Inspection Request. Unfortunately, it’s not yet possible to use the Dubai Police website to initiate a request – it must be done via the app. However, if you need more help, you can call the Dubai Police Customer Service hotline by dialling 901.
Note that it is possible to visit the police station to submit the request to change the colour of your car so long as you have the right documents. However, it is easier to use the application to apply for a clearance letter from Dubai Police.
2. On the app, click the first option and you’ll be taken to the Applicant Detail screen. You’ll need the flowing documents handy to enter information from:
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- Emirates ID (must be valid)
- Email address
- Vehicle plate number
3. The same screen will also ask what colour you want to change your car to. You can choose up to two new colours – one for a single colour, two for a dual-tone. Here is the list of colours you can select:
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- Silver Alloy
- White
- Gray (translated from Arabic is ‘graphite colour’)
- Black
- Red
- Orange
- Yellow
- Green
- Blue
- Milky (translated from Arabic is ‘off-white colour’)
- Gray (translated from Arabic is ‘ash colour’)
- Silver
- Golden
- Brown
- Violet
- Zuhri (translated from Arabic is ‘pink colour’)
- Beige
- Maroon
- Pearly (translated from Arabic is ‘pearlescent white’)
- Poster (i.e. if you want any stickers on your vehicle)
- Unclear
- Black carbon
- Trade name (for company branding)
- Bronze
4. For the next section, you will need five pictures of your vehicle in the following order: front, back, left side, right side, and a full picture.
5. Finally, to file the request you’ll have to pay AED 120.
Once you’ve got approval, you can go to change the colour of the vehicle.
Registering the new colour of your vehicle in Dubai
After the vehicle colour has been changed, proceed to the nearest Tasjeel facility to register the colour of your vehicle. Al Barsha is recommended as it has a testing facility, Customer Happiness Centre, and Dubai Police Station all in one location.
To register the new vehicle colour, you will need:
- Vehicle ownership certificate (registration card or mulkiya)
- Vehicle technical inspection certificate (as received from Tasjeel)
- No Objection Letter from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Dubai Police
- Original Emirates ID (must be valid)
This request cannot be done online. It must be done via a Tasjeel vehicle testing centre. Overall, the request costs AED 170.
Can you change the colour of your car in Abu Dhabi?
Requesting permission to change your car paint colour in Abu Dhabi
In Abu Dhabi, the process to change the colour of your car is slightly different. Before you change the colour of the vehicle, you will have to seek approval from the authorities.
The following documents are required to request permission to change the colour of your car in Abu Dhabi:
- Emirates ID (must be valid)
- Registration card (mulkiya)
Once you have these documents, drive to the nearest Salama centre and speak to the supervisor. They will give you a permission certificate to change the colour of your car. Once this permission certificate is obtained, you can now change the colour of the vehicle. Overall, this process costs AED 40.
Note that if a vehicle has had an accident, the permission will be automatically rejected without a valid SAAED/police report. Additionally, permission will not be given to anyone but the owner of the vehicle in Abu Dhabi.
How to register your vehicle’s new colour in Abu Dhabi
Once the vehicle colour has been changed, you’ll need to apply for a new registration for your car.
1 . To register the new vehicle colour, you will need:
- Emirates ID (must be valid)
- Registration car
2. With your documents, head back to a Salama branch and speak to the supervisor once again. They will inspect your vehicle.
3. Once they approve your new car colour and you’ve paid the fee of AED 40, a ‘colour test’ certificate will be issued.
4. After obtaining the colour test certificate, head to the Police to get a new registration card. (Not all Salama branches in Abu Dhabi have Police counters on-site to assist, so ideally head to one that does.)
Can you change the colour of your car in Sharjah?
Requesting a change to the colour of your car in Sharjah
In Sharjah, rules are similar to that of Dubai when it comes to changing your car colour. Before you change the colour, you will have to seek approval from the Sharjah authorities.
You’ll need the following documents to request a change to the colour of your car in Sharjah:
- Emirates ID (must be valid)
- Car registration (mulkiya)
First, go to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of Sharjah Police (Tahariat) and obtain a clearance letter. This will be required to give to the car colour changing company.
Overall, this costs AED 150.
Once the CID has approved your request, you can proceed to get your car colour changed.
Registering a change to the colour of your car in Sharjah
Once you’ve got the vehicle colour changed, go to the car registration facility to have the registration card changed to reflect the new colour of the vehicle.
The documents required for this are:
- Emirates ID (must be valid)
- Registration card
You will have to pay AED 150 to register the colour change.
How much does it cost to change the colour of your car in the UAE?
When it comes to changing the colour of your car in UAE, you can either have the vehicle repainted or wrapped/foiled.
Having the car repainted, wrapping and foiling all generally start at AED 1,500, with higher prices reflecting a better quality repaint.
How to change your car’s interior colour
You don’t need a permit to change the interior colour of your vehicle. Simply get in touch with a professional service to get the job done!
However, please be aware it is not advised to install anything that can impact or distract you while you drive.
And that’s how to change your car paint colour in the UAE!
If you have any questions or other helpful tips, feel free to comment down below.
Haven’t got a car to wrap? Find new and used cars for sale in Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Ajman today.
