How do you get a Motorbike Road Legal in Dubai?

So as a follow on to my post about bringing a Bike – motorbike that is – to Dubai titled –  Should you Export a UK Bike to Dubai, UAE

I thought  I’d share more on the actual process.

1. Customs and Duties – I entrusted an import agent, to deal with the local authorities but if you are up for it you can of course enter that particular world of pain yourself. You’ll need the official V5 or an Invoice as proof of ownership, you then pay release and unloading fees as well as a percentage of the declared value.
2. They clear it through customs, submit the paperwork, have it inspected, or in my case take one look inside the Box, check its a motorbike and then let it through.
3. I had an issue, in that I didn’t have an Invoice for the Bike as I had built it myself – I had the V5 but duty is payable on the stated value, so you need something to back that up. Get a valuation certificate or Invoice if you can, it helps a lot. In the end I paid a fine which basically waved it through the process. I never stepped foot at the port and though I tracked it across the oceans, next thing I knew I got a call saying they were about to deliver it. 6 weeks went by from UK Van to Dubai Apartment.

Eventually you get one of these…

1. Unloading – next 6 Indian gentleman turned up and manually hosted out of it’s wooden shipping container and outside my Apartments – before you sneak it in behind your  car parking slot. 
2. Parking – Is free for Bikes on the road but if you have an Apartment you should be able to sneak it into a gap at home and work. Don’t leave Bikes outside if you can as they generally start to Melt!
3. The lower you declare the lower you pay. I had no official Invoice as I had built  it myself, so instead you pay a fixed fee as a kind of fine to release it.
4. Registration and Testing – You then need to rock up at a local RTA Test centre, either by trailer or in person and get the Bike tested. You hand over the paperwork, the tester checks the VIN number with the V5 and proceeds to prod and poke around the machine riding it on or off a rolling road. Again another issue for me, the Bike was registered as Blue, but it was now sporting a Black tank. The RTA don’t dig colour changes – they want to be able to track you down. I got round it by saying the Blue was on the BMW badge – ha ha, then paid for a change of colour on the actual registration paperwork.
5. My Bike was also, is also the only R65 in the UAE, so it didn’t come up on the RTA system. You’ll need to find something close as not all Bikes have made it here as the market is much smaller and so no look up exists for machines with weird model numbers or old bikes never sold in the UAE – again I got away with it by picking something similar and it was registered and issued a Dubai number.
6. The main items are Brakes and Lights of course. The test though is fairly straightforward as long as the Bike is safe. Coming from the UK means it has probably been well maintained, unlike the 100’s of food delivery Bikes here in Dubai which are of variable standards I’d say.
7. From here you have to pay to register the bike, get a number issued and purchase a set of plates. For an extra £2 a kind chap actually  comes out and fits the plate for you withe a drill in the Car Park – I used the RTA centre at Al Barsha, which is located near to the Union Cooperative – or CoOp as we know them back home. All easy enough and done in 2 hours!
8. Insurance – Once that’s all done, or preferably before you get the machine Insured and you’re on your way. I did mine over the phone before it arrived, again getting them to understand the model, cc and make was a challenge but easy and cheap enough to put in place before arriving. I rang and used AXA Insurance which cost 728 Dhms for a year – or around £140 – not bad.

Riding in Dubai

Is pretty easy if you avoid the main highways. If you  want to use the SZR or 8 lane highway you need a Salik sticker for the tolls. Personally I’m staying well clear of it myself and restrict myself to bobbling about down the beach road or in and out of Tecom, The Greens and Media City near to where I live.

Keep your whits about you and remember the life saver looks over the shoulder and you’ll be OK. Get to the front  at traffic lights and roar out of the way. Also watch the speed limits, make sure your speedo is accurate as fines are expensive.

Beyond that at £5 for a tank of fuel and Winter sun, motorbiking in Dubai really is quite pleasurable.

Update – 2017

I’ve had the R65 for 2 years in Dubai now and took it for it’s second annual inspection, MOT, with the RTA recently.

It’s been great and I’ve enjoyed riding it up the Beach road. I keep away from the Main highway which keeps my life expectancy up and have purposely still not purchased a SALIK or Toll card.

Various groups exist that go riding early on Friday mornings and the Sunsets and scenery are spectacular. I’ve exhibited the Bike at a Port Rashid Cafe and Bike Show – link here – plus had numerous nice comments.

All in all it was definitely worth the hassle, especially if the Bike is unique which is easy in the UAE. I ride it most weekends from October to May, but when the heat gets up in May it’s not comfortable so I’ve decided to leave it and do work on it until it cools again.

All in all, I’ve had more hours on it here than I ever did in an English Winter and if you’re careful, own the road, and watch out for the nutty driving it brings a lot of smiles and enjoyment to life in Dubai.

If you are in the same position, and have a Bike you love in the UK and can’t part with – my advice. Do It.

How much did it cost?

I reckon about £1,100 – £500 UK collection and Shipping/Handling, £600 Import/Handling Costs – here’s the breakdown on my import costs…

 

Enjoy!