Buying a plate safely
A checklist for buying a UAE number plate, from the first look to the transfer. It's general advice: for each emirate's official steps, see How to transfer a plate.
Before you make an offer
- Check the plate exactly: emirate, code and number. The same code and number can exist in more than one emirate, and they are different plates.
- If some digits are hidden in a listing (for example 6X9), ask for the full number before you go further.
- Compare the price with similar plates. Each plate's page on Plate Watch shows our estimate and similar plates for sale. The estimate is based on asking prices plus a small set of reference values: a guide, not a sale price (how estimates work).
- A price far below similar plates is a reason to check, not to hurry. Plate Watch marks these “Unusually cheap — check first”.
Check the seller and the plate
- Ask the seller to show that the plate is registered in their name, and check that the name matches the person you're dealing with.
- If someone is selling for the owner, ask to deal with the owner, or to see the owner's written authority to sell.
- Ask whether the plate is on a vehicle now, and how it will come off it. In Dubai, for example, the RTA says a number in use on a vehicle has its use on the vehicle cancelled before the transfer is completed (Dubai transfer steps).
Agree, then transfer
- Agree the price, what's included and when you'll transfer, in writing. On Plate Watch, keep it in your messages.
- Transfer the plate through the emirate's authority, and pay when the transfer happens, not before (how to transfer a plate).
- Pay in a way that leaves a record, such as a bank transfer.
Signs of a scam
- The price is far below similar plates, and the seller is in a hurry.
- You're asked for a deposit, or money to “hold” the plate, before you've met or seen proof of ownership.
- The seller won't meet, won't use the official transfer, or has a reason why the owner can't take part.
- You're asked to pay someone other than the owner, or to send the government fee to the seller.
- Proof of ownership arrives only as a photo or a screenshot that you can't check.
- Someone says they're from Plate Watch and asks you to pay them for a plate. Plate Watch never holds the money for a plate sale.
If something feels wrong
- Stop, and don't pay. You can always walk away before the transfer.
- On Plate Watch, use “Report this seller” on their seller page.
- Listings from other sites link to the original listing. Plate Watch doesn't check those sellers, so take the same care there.