Dubai Court fines vehicle owner Dhs5,000 for changing car’s number plate

The Misdemeanour Court in Dubai convicted an Asian in absentia and fined him Dhs5,000 after he deliberately concealed a number on his vehicle's plate while it was parked in a public parking lot to avoid fees.

In October 2024, during a security patrol's inspection of vehicles in Al Qusais area, a police man noticed that the vehicle's licence plate was unclear after one of its numbers had been obscured.

The court clarified that the actual inspection conducted by the competent authorities revealed that the plates did not comply with legal specifications due to the deliberate obscuring of some numbers. It also indicated that the suspect admitted during the interrogations that he marked one of the numbers to avoid parking fees.

The court emphasised that obscuring or altering vehicle plate data constitutes a serious violation affecting traffic regulations and road safety, affirming that merely driving a vehicle with unclear or altered plates is considered a crime even if it does not result in actual damage or even if the alteration is not complete. Consequently, the vehicle owner was fined Dhs5,000.