Ready to sell your car in Dubai? Well if you’ve ever had a car loan there’s an extra step you need to go through…

Had your car on Dubizzle for a few weeks, and finally found the right buyer?

Well, just a heads up that if you have had a car loan – even if it’s paid off – you’re going to have to go to your bank before you can confirm the sale.

We know of a few expats who’ve been stung with the inconvenience of a transaction being delayed by up to 48 hours because they didn’t know this.

They’d turned up to Enoc Tasjeel in Al Barsha to have the car tested for Dhs140 (you will need the test certificate to sell the car), meeting the buyer there, expecting the whole thing to be sorted that day.

They then went into the office near the test centre where the buyer can buy insurance and a new Salik and the seller can cancel the Salik in their name and transfer the ownership of the car. This should be enough and the transaction can all be done there.

But, after going through much of the process they were told they’d have to come back as there was still a “mortgage” on the car. 

They’d paid off their car loan years ago and so thought it was a thing of the past.

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But no, once a car loan is paid off you still need to go into the bank you have the loan with to get the loan closed. Yes, you need to go into an actual branch. You’ll need your Emirates ID and the Mulkiya (or car registration card). You will pay Dhs100 and a release letter will be sent to the RTA. This isn’t an actual letter but is actually a code sent from the bank to the RTA electronically.

This can take from about 24 to 48 hours to go from the bank to the RTA, depending on the time of day etc. You’ll have to check with the branch at the time to see how long it takes.

Also note: Do not put a note in the window of your car to tell people it’s for sale – this is illegal and you will be fined (we learnt this the hard way). 

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Photo: Getty Images