Vehicle Branding Permits in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman: RTA, CID and Municipality Rules

Ask ten people whether a company logo on a van needs a permit and you will get ten answers. The confusion is understandable. The UAE has no single federal rule for vehicle advertising: each emirate decides who regulates it, and a second, separate approval kicks in the moment a wrap changes the colour of the car.

This guide sets out what each authority actually asks for in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman, what the published fees are, where the public information runs out, and the questions to ask before anyone prints a single panel.

Two approvals, two questions

Before looking at any emirate, ask two questions about the vehicle:

1. Does it carry advertising? A logo, trade name, phone number, website, product photo or offer all count. This is the advertising permit.
2. Will it look like a different colour? A full wrap in a new colour, colour-change paint protection film or a respray changes what is printed on the registration card (Mulkiya). This is the colour change approval, handled by the police and licensing side.

The two are independent. A white van with door logos needs the first but not the second. A private car wrapped satin black needs the second but not the first. A van wrapped from white to bright green with a company livery needs both. In Dubai, it looks like this:

Dubai: the RTA vehicle advertisement permit

Dubai's advertising law, Decree No. 6 of 2020, states that no advertisement may be displayed without a permit. For advertising on vehicles, the issuing authority is the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). Applications are made online through the RTA's permits services under advertising on vehicles. One permit covers one vehicle and one approved design, and permits are normally issued for a year.

Documents

• A Dubai trade licence. Only activities listed on the licence can be advertised.
• The Mulkiya of the vehicle, registered to the business.
• The design on every side plus a mock-up on the actual vehicle model.
• For a leased or rented vehicle: a no-objection letter from the leasing company. This is the document that most often holds up an application.
• For real estate projects: a no-objection certificate from the Dubai Land Department.
• For another company's brand: proof of trademark ownership or the owner's no-objection letter.
• For trailers and semi-trailers: approval from the RTA's vehicle licensing department.

Design rules

Most refusals are design problems, not paperwork. The published conditions include:

• Arabic must make up at least half of the advertising content, and the Arabic trade name must match the licence and the Mulkiya exactly. Languages other than Arabic and English are not accepted.
• Nothing on the windscreen or the front upper part of the vehicle. Wrap categories exclude glass.
• No more than five images on each side.
• No images of real people, flags, smoking, religious slogans or symbols, or 3D images.
• Front-door logos only on doors without windows for the logo-and-name category.

The Arabic rule is the one that trips up international brands. A layout built around an English tagline cannot simply have a translation added underneath: once Arabic must carry half the message, the whole composition changes. It is far cheaper to design both languages together from the first sketch.

Published fees

Fees depend on the vehicle category, the coverage and the permit's duration. These are annual figures from the RTA's fee table as reported by Khaleej Times in November 2024:

A AED 20 knowledge and innovation fee is added to each permit, amending or replacing a permit costs AED 100, and businesses registered with Dubai SME have been eligible for a 50 percent discount. Processing typically takes three to seven working days. Fines for unapproved stickers have been reported from AED 500 upwards. Fees are revised from time to time, so check the current figure on the RTA website before budgeting.

Dubai: colour change approval (the "CID NOC")

Changing a vehicle's colour in Dubai, with paint or vinyl, needs Dubai Police approval before the work starts. The service is called Change Vehicle Colour and runs through the Dubai Police app and website. The old name, CID NOC, comes from the days when the clearance was issued by the Criminal Investigation Department.

1. Apply with the current colour and the new colour. The registered owner applies.
2. Pay the fee, published at about AED 120 including levies. Approval usually arrives within one working day.
3. Carry out the wrap or respray while the approval is valid. It is short, so book the installation before applying.
4. Pass the inspection for the colour change.
5. Update the Mulkiya so the registration, and the insurance that relies on it, describes the car that is actually on the road.

A fine of AED 800 has been reported for changing colour without permission. The bigger cost usually comes later: a car that no longer matches its registration causes trouble at renewal, at police checks and with insurers after an accident.

When a wrap needs both approvals, lock the artwork first, because the RTA approves the exact design that will be fitted. Then run the colour application and the advertising application side by side, and fit nothing until both are approved.

Sharjah: the municipality is the regulator

In Sharjah, the competent authority for outdoor advertising permits is Sharjah City Municipality, under a decision of the Sharjah Executive Council. Its outdoor advertising department does not only look at billboards. It runs periodic inspection campaigns aimed specifically at vehicles and motorcycles carrying advertising, much of it from delivery companies, along with stickers on vehicles and ads on transport vehicles parked in main squares and busy streets.

What the municipality checks, according to its officials:

• The ad meets its specifications and has been authorised.
• The content is accurate, written in sound and correct language, and suits the community's culture.
• The ad is maintained. Faded, peeling or damaged graphics count as a problem, owners are asked to renew them, and those who do not respond face legal action.

That last point is often missed. A wrap that was compliant when it went on can become a violation two summers later when the colours have faded. Budget for replacement panels, not just the first installation.

Two more Sharjah details are worth knowing:

• Selling or distributing from a vehicle is a separate municipal permit. For non-food distribution, Sharjah City Municipality lists a fee of AED 1,000 a year for Sharjah-plated vehicles and AED 3,000 for vehicles from other emirates, with the permit displayed on the windscreen. A branded van that also sells needs this as well.
• Outlying towns can have their own systems. Al Dhaid Municipality, for example, introduced its own outdoor advertising permit system in June 2025. If vehicles are based outside Sharjah city, check with the local municipality.

For a colour change in Sharjah, the clearance comes from Sharjah Police before the registration is amended. Older guides quote AED 150 for the clearance and a similar amount for re-registration. No current official figure is published, so confirm it at the time.

Ajman: no single vehicle advertising permit

Ajman is the hardest emirate to give a simple answer for. As of October 2026, the Ajman government service catalogue does not list a stand-alone permit for advertising on vehicles, unlike Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah. That does not mean anything goes. Several related permits are published:

In practice, three rules still apply to a branded vehicle in Ajman. Advertise only what is on the trade licence, use the trade name exactly as licensed, and follow the same content standards as the rest of the country. If the vehicle delivers or carries food, the delivery or health permit applies whatever is printed on it.

For a colour change, the registration amendment goes through Ajman Police traffic and licensing. No colour change fee is published in the Ajman catalogue, so ask before booking the wrap. For anything unclear, the Municipality and Planning Department's toll-free line is 80070, and the Department of Economic Development can confirm whether a livery falls under one of its advertising permits.

The three emirates side by side

Vehicles that work across emirates

Plenty of fleets are licensed in one emirate and spend the day in another. Keep three things in mind:

• The RTA permit is tied to a Dubai trade licence. A company licensed only in Sharjah or Ajman whose vans work mainly in Dubai should ask the RTA which route applies before printing.
• Approval in one emirate is not recognised in another. Each authority regulates advertising in its own territory.
• Design to the strictest standard once. A bilingual layout with Arabic carrying at least half the content, clear glass, licensed activities only and no restricted imagery meets Dubai's rules and is a sound basis everywhere else.

Mistakes that cost money

1. Wrapping first, applying later. If the design is refused, the wrap comes off at your expense.
2. Treating a colour wrap as "just branding". The advertising permit does not cover the colour change, and the colour approval does not cover the advertising.
3. English-first artwork. Adding Arabic afterwards to reach half the content rarely looks right and often fails a second time.
4. Forgetting changes. A replacement vehicle, a new plate or an updated design can each mean amending the permit.
5. Letting the graphics fade. In Sharjah especially, a worn ad is treated as a violation, not an eyesore.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides: RTA vehicle advertisement permit in Dubai · Dubai Police colour change permission · vehicle branding in Dubai · vehicle branding in Ajman