The Absher or Dubai Police message pings and you are about to be very unhappy. It might be SAR 300, or it could have the hefty AED 3,000. In either case the question is always the same, how do I make this go away?
This Dacmaf guide will answer that question, and it will be the most honest answer you ever get. There won’t be a secret traffic department code. We won’t tell you about a cousin that’s bribing traffic workers. We won’t offer a WhatsApp service to clear fines within minutes. What we have is knowledge on the official channels that most residents never bother to learn, and we’ll show you how to minimize the fine to 25%, 50%, or even zero.
Dacmaf quick answer: There are four official ways to get rid of Dubai and Saudi fines: discount for early payment, an accepted objection, a government amnesty, or, on occasion, a fine waiver. Outside of this, nothing is real.
What “removing a fine” actually means
First we need to touch on the wording because this is how most people lose most of their money.
In both Saudi Arabia and the UAE a fine will only leave your record in four ways:
- You pay it
— ideally within the early payment window which sets the fine to a lower value. - Dissatisfaction is expressed
and the authority amends or revokes it because it was released incorrectly. - A discount or amnesty offer
reduces the amount. - A waiver is issued
— unusual, and typically humanitarian or immigration related.
This is the complete list. Anyone offering a fifth option is providing a fraudulent, and more than likely, an illegal option. The Dacmaf stance is clear and simple: if the route is not within a governmental application or system, it is not a route.
Why fines are incurred in Saudi Arabia
Most people think it is just speeding incidents. That is not the case, and it is that belief that leaves expats at the passport control desk with a travel block.
There are eight classes of traffic violations in the Kingdom, and each class is subject to a monetary range of approximately SAR 100 to SAR 10,000 for the most serious class. The Saher camera network, which is controlled by the General Department of Traffic among other violations, operates day and night, and in various places like school zones, intersections, and tunnels. The newer cameras employ artificial intelligence to catch violations that would have otherwise required an officer to be present.
Common violations:
- Speeding and red-light violations.
Jumping a red light is on the more expensive end, in the SAR 3,000-6,000 range, along with black points. - Using a mobile phone while driving.
SAR 500-900. Only hands-free is allowed. - Firmly placing your hands on your steering wheel.
Charged for every unbelted passenger, not per vehicle. - Driving with an expired istimara or insurance.
Quiet, preventable, and cumulative. - Stopping or parking in a prohibited area.
Particularly in and around commercial zones. - Iqama not renewed on time.
Following the grace period, fines start accruing each month. - An exit/re-entry visa issued and then never used or cancelled.
The Ministry of the Interior lists an escalating series of fines for this, starting at approximately SAR 1,000 for the first instance and increasing for subsequent instances.
What Dacmaf has identified is that a traffic violation is usually not the real problem. The real problem is the fine associated with paperwork that was not processed.
Reasons for fines in Dubai and the rest of the UAE
Dacmaf gets the most questions about Dubai and the answer is almost always the same and catches the person off guard. The system is almost fully automated. When a violation is recorded, it is usually added to the person’s record within a few days and an SMS is sent. There is no traffic stop.
Violations are usually recorded by:
- Radar and AI cameras used for speed, cell phone, and seatbelt violations
- Unpaid Salik (road toll) crossings, which accumulate in the background
- Parking violations from RTA and municipality inspectors
- Expired mulkiya (vehicle registration) or lapsed insurance
- Illegal tinting, noise and modified exhausts
- Visa overstay, which is the largest fine category for expatriates
It is important to note the traffic fines do not expire. They block the renewal of mulkiya, driving license, and vehicle transfer until paid. Black points, however, disappear after a year.
Step one: Assess your debts accurately
Do not pay a rial or a dirham before checking your official record. Dacmaf cannot stress this enough. It has to be the official portal. Not a screenshot that someone sent you. Not an email you received with a payment link.
Saudi Arabia
- Absher (absher.sa)
— My Services → Inquiries → Comprehensive Traffic Violation Inquiry. Search using National ID, Iqama or plate number. - Muqeem
— The public validity check at vv.muqeem.sa is accessible without a login and is available from outside the Kingdom. - Efaa portal
and the Moroor app — both show and/or settle active violations. - Sadad
with any Saudi Bank’s app or ATM by using the Ministry of Interior’s traffic biller code.
Dubai and the UAE
- Dubai Police
— Obtain transaction detail via the dubaipolice.gov.ae site or app or via the 901 hotline. - RTA, Emirates Vehicle Gate (EVG), and the DubaiNow app
— Some services require registration and/or payment. - GDRFA
(gdrfad.gov.ae) — Visa fines for Dubai visas. Quick Dacmaf tip: If your Visa file number starts with 201, it is Dubai and you use GDRFA. If it’s any other prefix, it is ICP Smart Services. - Amer centres
in Dubai and ICP-registered typing centres outside Dubai, if you prefer to do it in person.
Most services are free. Only payment incurs a service charge.
Step two: for Saudi Arabia — object, then pay justified
You have a legitimate right to contest, and the time limit is short.
Objecting.
You have to raise an objection to the case within 30 days of notification. This can be done via Absher or the Moroor app or at the traffic department. Make sure to attach supporting documents to your objection, such as photos, dashcam footage, sale documents, or proof of transfer of ownership if you sold the car. If the objection is accepted, then the fine and black points are voided.
Paying.
Article 75 of the Traffic Law states that if you settle a violation within the legal time period, you get a 25% discount. There is also a time extension request for paying the fine, but this is not a discount. During the previous initiatives by the Kingdom to clear fines, older accumulated fines had a 50% discount, so you have nothing to lose by checking your account via Absher or Efaa.
Two important notes:
- An objection does not stop the countdown for the discount.
If your objection is rejected, the fine is due, and the time has been running. - Unpaid fines have consequences.
If you have an impending fine that has not been paid, your Iqama cannot be renewed, and you cannot register your vehicle or leave the country. Under article 75, the consequences of ignoring a fine that is past the legal time to pay will go beyond a financial penalty.
Your Dacmaf rule: raise an objection if you have a case; if no case, pay the fine. Do not stay in the middle.
Step three: Dubai — the 60-day window is all you need to know
The system that is in place in Dubai is a discount system, and this has been optimized to give you the best reward for acting quickly.
- Payments made within 60 days of the SMS notification have seen around a 35% reduction, easing to about 25% after that.
- Seasonal amnesties
typically grant up to 50% reductions around Eid Al Etihad (National Day), Eid, and Ramadan, as well as during the clean-record initiatives. - Some types of violations (reckless driving, DUI, running a red light, etc.) are excluded. Larger campaigns generally exclude Salik and parking violations as well.
Here’s an important detail that most guides forget to cover: these reductions are campaign based and not a guaranteed reduction. There are no extra forms to fill out to receive a reduction. You have to use the Dubai Police app or the RTA portal, and if the violation is eligible for the reduction, it will show the reduced amount to be paid. If you receive a message saying that in exchange for a fee a reduction is guaranteed, it is a scam.
To dispute a fine in Dubai.
Visit dubaipolice.gov.ae → Traffic Services → Fine Objection/Request for Modifying Traffic Violations. You can also visit the Deira and Bur Dubai traffic departments. Submissions for fine disputes have to be done quickly since the window is days rather than months. Valid grounds for fines include unclear signage, faulty equipment, wrong plate reading, and if the vehicle has been sold. In these cases the points and fine are removed.
For disputes over large fines, there are instalment plans in all of the banks based in the UAE as well as in the official government outlets, so don’t assume you have to pay it all in one payment.
Visa overstay fines: the expensive one
Dacmaf sees a lot of panic over this one, especially since the rules have changed.
UAE.
Effective on 11 February 2026, the ICP will charge a standard AED 50-per-day fine for overstays for every emirate and every visa type – tourist, visit, residence, and cancelled residence permits. The former system of tiered rates and the first-day surcharge for Dubai are eliminated. Of note, the pre-arranged tourist and visit visas will no longer have a grace period. The fine will be incurred the day after the visas expire. Grace periods for cancelled residence permits are generally 30 days for standard employment visas and up to 180 days for Golden and Green visas. Overstay of the 30 days would also require a paid exit permit.
Saudi Arabia.
Dacmaf readers should know that there are two changes pertaining to the Iqama. It will incur a monthly penalty for each month that it is lapsed past the grace period. Conversely, the final exit visa will incur a penalty, and the employer can only cancel the visa once the penalty is paid. The good news is the three-year re-entry ban is no longer in effect. The impacted employees can now return with a new sponsored work visa.
There are no warnings. The system goes into effect instantly and starts tallying the amount owed.
The fine-removal scam — and why it is worse than losing money
Every few months the police forces in the Gulf do the same routine and issue the same warnings. Dacmaf will say this bluntly: there is no insider and there never was.
Abu Dhabi Police alert social media users to accounts that provide fictitious offers of discounts of 90%, waived impound fees, and erased black points. Unlike the fictitious promotions that the Abu Dhabi Police warned against, the Dubai Police launched an operation and arrested a team that was advertising and promoting a fictitious discount of 30-70% and making people pay a fee via stolen credit cards. As for the Dubai Police, it is important to note that an apparent accomplice of the crime is a customer who pays to for the discount.
The scams target the victims by sending SMS, emails, and voice calls to impersonate the Dubai Police, ICP, or UAE PASS, and provide a payment link with call center background noise.
Here are some key warning signs to remember.
- A payment link sent via SMS, WhatsApp, or email.
- Urgent call to pay or the offer will disappear.
- A discount offer not published by any authority.
- Unidentified sender, spelling errors, and request for card information via a phone call.
- Redirection through a “hotline” or “special channel.”
Official portals do not chase you. They wait for you to log in.
The Dacmaf prevention checklist
Fines are cheaper to avoid than to argue with. Save this Dacmaf checklist somewhere you will actually see it
- Check Absher, Dubai Police or ICP/GDRFA once a month, not year
- Write down the dates of every expiry: Iqama, mulkiya, istimara, insurance, visa, exit/re-entry
- Cancel an exit/re-entry visa you no longer need. This single habit prevents a very common fine.
- Clear small fines immediately, while the discount still applies.
- cars that you rent or sold shouldn’t remain linked to your file.
- save all payment receipts for one year.
Dacmaf Quick FAQ
Can anyone actually delete a fine for me?
No fine can be deleted without the authority that issued the fine approving a formal complaint.
Do fines expire if I ignore them?
No. This is the most frequently asked question at Dacmaf. In Dubai, fines remain active indefinitely. In Saudi Arabia, fines prevent you from renewing your travel documents or traveling, and the fines become increasingly difficult to ignore.
I left the country. Are the fines still there?
Yes. Fines remain associated with you and typically become known to you when you next apply for a visa or when you next enter the country.
Is the discount automatic?
Yes, if you meet the requirements. The discounted amount is visible on the official portal prior to payment. There is no need to fill out a form or use a code.
How current are these figures?
Rates and promotions are subject to change. For general descriptions and portals, you may refer to Absher and the websites of the various government ministries and services.
Final word
Almost every horror story follows a similar pattern: a minor fine that was ignored that ultimately resulted in the inability to renew or travel. The unglamorous solution is to open the app, read what the actual fine is, and if you have no grounds to object, pay the fine.
Dacmaf will continue to update this guide, as they always have in the Gulf.
This Dacmaf article is intended to provide general information only and is not a source of legal advice. Please check the particulars of your own case on the official government portal before proceeding.
