How to Get Your RTA Advertisement Permit in Dubai Yourself

You have a van or a couple of company cars, the artwork is nearly done, and you would rather file the advertising permit yourself than pay someone to do it. That is a reasonable call. Companies with an in-house PRO do it all the time, and the application itself is not difficult.

What makes it slow is preparation. When a half-finished self-filed application lands on our desk in Deira, it has almost always stalled on the same few things: a company name spelled two ways, a vehicle category that does not match the Mulkiya, or a mockup that leaves the reviewer guessing. This guide walks you through the application on Mada Media in the order we do it ourselves, so you get it right the first time.

Is a DIY application right for your vehicles?

Since Dubai Decree No. 20 of 2024, the Permit to Advertise on Vehicles is issued by Mada Media, which works with the RTA and Dubai Municipality under a concession agreement. Its unified platform, madamedia.com, opened to applicants on 24 April 2025 and replaced the old route through the RTA website. Most people still call it RTA approval.

Doing it yourself works best when the job is simple. Use this rule of thumb:

If you fall into the right-hand column, the application is still possible, but each extra item adds a document or a second approval. Fees and the full list of what the permit covers are on our vehicle advertising permit page, so this guide sticks to the application itself. For a mixed fleet of vans and pickups, our van branding and truck branding pages show how we prepare one permit file per model.

Build your file pack before you log in

Portal sessions time out, so put every file in one folder first and name each one clearly, for example tradelicence-2026.pdf or mulkiya-plate-12345.pdf.

Some jobs need more. In the last published RTA terms, real estate adverts needed an NOC from the Dubai Land Department, adverts for a brand you do not own needed proof of trademark ownership or the owner's NOC, and vehicles that were not registered as commercial needed a request letter explaining the activity. Dubai SME members were offered a fee discount with an official letter. Check on the platform whether each of these still applies before you rely on it.

Scan in colour, flat, with all four corners visible. A Mulkiya photographed at an angle on a car seat is one of the simplest reasons for a return. Check the upload limits shown on the portal and save each file as a PDF or image in the format it asks for.

The application on madamedia.com, step by step

Mada Media's platform is still young and its screens get updated, so the steps below describe what you do rather than quoting button labels. If a screen looks different, look for the same information under a new name.

1. Register the company. Create the account as the business, not as an individual, using the trade licence details and the contact details of the person authorised to act for the company. Use an email and mobile number someone actually checks, because comments come back that way.
2. Choose the vehicle advertising service. Pick the Permit to Advertise on Vehicles. Do not choose a general outdoor or building advertising permit by mistake; the platform covers several types.
3. Enter the vehicle. Type the plate number, plate code and vehicle details exactly as they appear on the Mulkiya. More on this below.
4. Describe the branding. Select the coverage that matches your mockup: logo or door stickers, partial wrap or full wrap. The fee depends on this choice, so do not pick a smaller category hoping to save money.
5. Upload the file pack. Trade licence, Mulkiya, any NOCs and the mockup. Check each file opened correctly before moving on.
6. Submit and record the reference. The old RTA system sent a transaction number by email and SMS. Keep whatever reference Mada Media gives you; you will need it for every follow-up.
7. Watch for comments. Review typically takes 3-7 working days once the application is complete. Check the account and your email daily, because the clock effectively stops while a comment waits for you.
8. Pay and download the permit. Pay the fee when the platform asks for it, then download the permit. Keep a PDF with the fleet manager and a copy the driver can show if asked.

Only then send the vehicle for installation, and fit exactly what was approved.

Getting the vehicle details right

The vehicle entry looks like the easy part. It is where self-filed applications quietly go wrong.

Use the category on the Mulkiya

Permit categories follow the vehicle type, not how you use it. The last published RTA fee table put light vehicles and buses up to 16 passengers in one band, and pickups, pickups with a box and cooler trucks in another. A Toyota HiAce panel van and a Mitsubishi Canter with a chiller box are not the same entry, even if both do deliveries for you. Read the vehicle type on the Mulkiya and pick the matching option.

Match the owner name exactly

If the Mulkiya says Al Noor Technical Services LLC and the licence says Al Noor Technical Services L.L.C, that is usually fine. If one says Al Noor Tech and the other has the full name, expect a question. If the vehicle is registered to the owner personally rather than the company, check on the platform what it accepts before you design anything; this is the most common dead end we see for sole traders. Our guide on putting a logo on your car covers the ownership options.

Check the colour field

The Mulkiya colour is the colour of the vehicle now. If your wrap will change more than half the body colour, that is a separate Dubai Police step with an AED 120 fee, followed by a Mulkiya update. Do not change the colour field on the permit application to the future wrap colour.

The mockup is where DIY applications lose days

The reviewer never sees your vehicle before approval. They decide from the mockup, so it has to answer every question about placement, glass and content without anyone explaining it.

The minimum is every branded side of the exact model (left, right, front, rear, and the roof if it carries graphics), with the size of each element marked and the artwork shown on the real base colour. A photo of your van from the car park with a logo dropped on top rarely passes: the angle distorts the sizes and half the vehicle is missing. What a permit mockup needs, view by view, is in our vehicle branding mockup guide, and the content rules a reviewer checks are in the design guidelines article.

Two DIY habits to drop: uploading a design that is "nearly final" with a plan to tweak it later, and leaving off small items such as a QR code or an Instagram handle. Whatever goes on the vehicle must be on the approved mockup.

When the application comes back with a comment

A returned application is not a refusal. It is a list of things to fix. Read the comment slowly, change only what it asks for, and resubmit the same day if you can. If the platform lets you edit and resubmit the same application, do that rather than starting a new one.

If you get the same comment twice, the fix did not address what the reviewer meant. That is the moment to call the platform's support line or ask someone who files these weekly to look at it.

Timing the install around the permit

Plan backwards from the day you need the vehicle on the road. Design and internal sign-off come first, then the 3-7 working days of review, then production and fitting: same or next day for door stickers on a car, 2-3 working days for a partial wrap, 3-5 for a full wrap. Working days means weekends and public holidays do not count.

You can save most of the waiting by printing while the application is under review, as long as the artwork is final. If the reviewer asks for a change, you reprint one panel rather than the whole job. What you should not do is fit the graphics before the permit is issued. A branded vehicle without a valid permit is an unpermitted advert, and the last published RTA fine for unauthorised stickers on a vehicle was AED 500.

If you would rather not chase comments yourself, our permit service takes over from any step, including an application you have already started.

Frequently asked questions

Is the old RTA website still used for vehicle advertising permits?

No. Since 24 April 2025 new applications go through Mada Media's platform at madamedia.com, which issues the Permit to Advertise on Vehicles with the RTA and Dubai Municipality. Older guides that send you to an RTA menu for vehicle advertising describe the previous system.

Do I need a PRO or a typing centre to apply?

Not usually. The application is online and can be made by anyone authorised to act for the company. What matters more than who clicks submit is a complete file pack and a mockup that shows every branded side at true scale.

Can I apply before the vehicle is registered to my company?

Wait until you have the Mulkiya. The permit is tied to a specific registered vehicle and its owner, and the reviewer checks the owner name against your trade licence. Applying with a temporary or previous owner's registration creates a mismatch that has to be corrected later.

What if my trade licence expires while the application is under review?

Renew the licence first if it is within a few weeks of expiry, then apply. A licence that expires during review is a common reason for a return, and the permit should not outlast the licence it was issued against.

How do I know which branding category to choose?

Pick the one that matches your mockup: logo or door stickers, partial wrap, or full wrap. If you are unsure whether a design counts as partial or full, describe the coverage honestly and let the reviewer decide. Choosing a smaller category than the artwork shows only causes a return.

Stuck halfway through an application?

Send us your trade licence, Mulkiya and the comment you received on WhatsApp at +971 56 925 9327. We will tell you what the reviewer is asking for and, if you want, redraw the mockup or take the application over from where you left it.