How to Apply for Dubai Police (CID) Car Colour Change Approval

The Dubai Police colour change approval is the step people worry about most, and the one that takes the least effort. It is an online form. The trouble starts when it is filled in from memory in a car park, with the wrong plate code, photos taken at night and a colour name copied from a film catalogue.

This guide covers only the application: what to have ready, how to take the photos, how to name the colour, the fee, and what the approval looks like when it arrives. Where it fits in the whole colour change is in our step-by-step colour change guide. What happens after the wrap is in the Mulkiya update guide.

What the CID approval is, and why it comes first

Dubai Police describe the Change Vehicle Color service as the way for owners who want to change their vehicle colour to obtain a security approval. The document that comes back is a no-objection certificate from the General Department of Criminal Investigations, which is why everyone calls it CID approval. It records the plate, the model, the current colour and the required colour.

RTA relies on it later. Its vehicle ownership amendment service asks for an eNOC from Dubai Police when the colour changes. Without the approval there is nothing for RTA to link to, and the registration cannot catch up with the car. That is why we do not start a colour change wrap until the approval email has arrived.

You need it when the new colour will cover more than half of the body. Door logos, a black roof or a change of finish in the same colour do not need it. Door logos that promote a business need a vehicle advertising permit instead, which our vehicle branding service in Dubai handles with the print.

What to have ready before you open the form

Most of this is on the Mulkiya. Lay the card next to you before you start, rather than typing from memory.

Taking the five photos properly

The form asks for the front, back, left side, right side and a classic view, which in practice means the three-quarter angle you would use to sell the car. The photos show the car as it is now, in its current colour, so take them before any film is fitted.

• Shoot outside in daylight. Basement parking under yellow or blue lights shifts colours: silver reads as beige, white reads as cream. Morning light in an open car park beats any filter.
• Fit the whole car in the frame. Step back far enough that both bumpers and all visible wheels are in the side shots.
• Make the plate readable on the front and back photos. After a dusty week in summer, wipe the plates first.
• One car per photo. Shooting between two parked cars of the same colour invites the question of which one is yours.
• No half-fitted film or big stickers that make the current colour look different from the Mulkiya.

When customers send us their photos on WhatsApp before submitting, this is the two-minute check we do. It is a lot quicker than a resubmission.

Applying step by step

The Change Vehicle Color service is in the Dubai Police app and on the Dubai Police website, under traffic services. Gulf News describes the website route like this:

1. Open Services, then Traffic Services, then Change Vehicle Colour, and press Access Service.
2. Enter the Emirates ID, plate number, category and code.
3. Choose the current colour, the new colour and, if your design needs one, a second new colour.
4. Enter and confirm your email address.
5. Upload the front, back, left, right and classic view photos.
6. Submit and pay the fee online by debit or credit card.
7. Note the transaction number so you can follow the request.

The app asks for the same information in a phone layout, and logging in with UAE Pass links the request to the owner. Government screens are updated from time to time, so if a label differs from this list, look for the same fields rather than the same words.

Naming the new colour so the inspection matches

The colour you choose here becomes the colour the inspector expects and the colour RTA records. Choose it with the finished car in mind, not the film box.

• Use plain colour names. A satin "dark grey" film is grey. A matte film sold as "midnight" may read as black or as dark blue: hold the sample against something black in daylight and decide.
• Two-tone designs use the second colour field. The certificate pictured above, for a Toyota HiAce, lists the current colour as white and the required colours as orange and brown. Put the colour that covers more of the body first.
• Colour-shift films change with the viewing angle. Pick the colour most people would call it when the car is parked in front of them, and tell your installer which one you chose.
• Printed liveries: name the background colour that covers most of the body, not the logo colours.

Not sure? Send us the film sample or a photo of it on the car. We tell you which colour to apply for before you pay anything.

The fee, and what you receive

The fee is AED 120. Gulf News breaks it into an AED 100 application fee and an AED 20 knowledge and innovation fee, both paid online at the end of the form.

The approval is sent to the email address on the application. Ours look like the one pictured: a certificate issued electronically that does not need a stamp, with a reference number, a security code, the plate, the model and the current and required colours. Its notes explain that authenticity can be checked on the Dubai Police website and remind you to deal with RTA vehicle licensing after the colour is changed. A request that has not come back yet can be followed from the service page with your transaction number.

Once you have it:

• Save the PDF on your phone and forward a copy to your installer.
• Check the plate, model and colours before any film is ordered. A mistake is easier to fix now than at inspection.
• Keep it with you in the car until the Mulkiya shows the new colour.

Why requests stall or come back

Dubai Police do not publish a list of refusal reasons on the pages we cite, and a security approval is their decision alone. When customers ask us for help with a stuck request, the cause is almost always on the applicant's side:

• The applicant is not the registered owner. A car registered to an employer or a leasing company needs that company to apply or authorise it. Ask them first; many want to approve the colour themselves.
• Details that do not match the Mulkiya. A wrong plate code or category points the form at a different record.
• Photos that do not show the car clearly: dark, cropped, plate unreadable or another car in the frame.
• An email address with a typo, so the approval went out and nobody saw it.
• The wrong colour approved. Not a refusal, but just as costly. If you change your mind, apply again for the new colour before the film goes on.

If a request is stuck and none of these apply, contact Dubai Police through the service page rather than submitting a second application and paying twice.

Frequently asked questions

Can my installer submit the CID application for me?

The application is made in the registered owner's name with their Emirates ID, usually through UAE Pass on the owner's phone. We can sit with you at our shop in Naif, check the photos and the colour name and go through it together, but the approval belongs to the car's owner.

Can I apply for two colours on one application?

Yes. The form has a field for a second new colour, which is what two-tone designs use. List the colour that covers more of the body first, because that is the main colour the inspection and RTA will expect to see on the car.

What if I change my mind about the colour after approval?

Apply again for the colour you now want before any film is fitted. The approval names a specific colour and the car is checked against it at inspection. Fitting a different colour on an old approval leaves you with a car that matches neither document.

Do I need CID approval to wrap a company van in its brand colour?

Yes, if the brand colour covers more than half of the body, for example a white HiAce wrapped in orange. The company applies as the registered owner. The logo and text on the van need a separate advertising permit from Mada Media, which the CID approval does not cover.

Will the approval change my Mulkiya automatically?

No. The approval only says Dubai Police have no objection. The colour on the registration changes when you complete the RTA steps after the wrap, starting with the inspection. Our Mulkiya update guide covers that part.

Send us the photos before you submit

WhatsApp your five photos, a picture of the colour line on your Mulkiya and the film you like to +971 56 925 9327. We check the photos and the colour name, tell you exactly what to apply for, and hold a slot in the bay for the day your approval arrives.