After a car accident in the UAE, you must report it to the police or their approved channel within three hours, under Article 5 of Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2024 on traffic. If anyone is hurt, you must stop: leaving the scene of an injury accident is punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of AED 50,000 to AED 100,000. Minor accidents with no injuries in Dubai can be reported in the Dubai Police app, and the liable driver is fined AED 520.

Every accident needs an official report, even a scrape in a car park, because no repair center may fix accident damage without a police permit and no insurer will pay without one. What changes from case to case is the channel, who pays, and whether the accident becomes a criminal matter.

This guide covers the first minutes at the scene, your legal duties under the traffic law in force since 2025, how to report a minor accident in Dubai and elsewhere, what happens when someone is injured or a pedestrian is involved, damage to a parked car, and how the insurance claim and repair actually work.

The First Ten Minutes After an Accident

The order matters more than speed. Safety and injuries come first, then evidence, then the report.

  1. Stop and switch on your hazard lights. Check yourself, your passengers and the other people involved for injuries.
  2. If anyone is injured, call 999. Leave the vehicles where they are unless the police tell you otherwise, because the scene is evidence and the police may need to keep a vehicle.
  3. If nobody is hurt and the cars can move, move them out of the traffic lane to a safe spot before you do anything else.
  4. Photograph everything. Take all four sides of each car, the number plates, the road position and any signs or signals.
  5. Take the other driver’s details. Note their name, number plate and insurer, and photograph their license and vehicle registration if they agree.
  6. Report the accident within three hours. Use the police channel for the emirate where it happened, as set out below.

If the other driver refuses to share details, becomes aggressive or disputes what happened, stop negotiating and call the police. A disputed minor accident cannot be finished in the app anyway.

Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2024 replaced the 1995 traffic law and applies to drivers and to pedestrians on the road. The duties below come straight from its text, available on the UAE Legislation portal.

Duty What the law says Article
Report the accident To the police or their approved party, by an approved channel, within 3 hours unless there is an acceptable excuse Art. 5(1)(c)
Help the injured Give first aid if you have the medical knowledge to do so Art. 5(1)(b)
Show your documents Driving license, vehicle license and personal data when traffic police ask Art. 5(1)(a)
Do not leave an injury accident Up to 2 years in prison and a fine of AED 50,000 to AED 100,000, or either penalty Art. 38(1)
Owner must help identify the driver A vehicle owner who withholds information revealing the circumstances or the person responsible faces the same penalty Art. 38(2)
No repair without a permit No repair center may repair a vehicle showing accident damage without a repair permit from the traffic police Art. 28

The law also lets traffic police arrest a driver who tries to escape after an accident that harms someone (Art. 31(6)). They can also seize a vehicle linked to an accident involving a crime when it is needed as evidence (Art. 32(5)).

Everything above is criminal law. Ordinary traffic violations, such as the fine issued with a minor accident report, are administrative penalties that Article 45 leaves to a Cabinet resolution. How to check and pay Dubai traffic fines covers paying them, and contesting a traffic fine in Dubai covers disputing one.

Reporting a Minor Accident With No Injuries

For accidents with damage only, the police have moved the report onto phones. The channel depends on the emirate where the accident happened, not on where your car is registered.

How do I report a minor accident in Dubai?

Use the Dubai Police app, the Dubai Police website or a police station. The service covers minor or moderate accidents without injuries, and the driver found liable is issued a fine of AED 520. You must photograph all four sides of the vehicle, including the plate, live in the app, and the report stays valid for three months.

Those terms come from Dubai Police’s Minor Traffic Accident Report service, which also lists a one-working-day completion time and the 901 call center for questions. Photos cannot be uploaded from your gallery, so take them in the app at the scene.

Two conditions trip people up. The service covers only accidents inside Dubai, and if the drivers disagree about what happened, the service directs them to the relevant police station instead.

The same report is also available through the DubaiNow app. Digital Dubai launched that service with Dubai Police, and the police report is sent to you by email or text message to pass to your insurer.

Minor accidents in other emirates

Outside Dubai, report to the police of the emirate where the accident happened, or to the party that police force has approved. In Abu Dhabi, minor accidents run through SAAED, a national company founded in Abu Dhabi in 2008 that manages minor traffic accident reports in coordination with the authorities and runs accident towing with Abu Dhabi Police.

A report from one emirate’s police does not cover an accident in another. If you are unsure which channel applies, calling the police is always a valid way to meet the three-hour duty.

When Someone Is Injured

An accident with injuries is no longer a paperwork matter. It becomes a criminal case, and the police and the Public Prosecution take over.

Stay at the scene and call 999. Leaving is a separate crime under Article 38, and the penalty applies even where the accident itself was not your fault.

Why an injury accident can lead to a travel ban

Causing injury by fault is a criminal offence under the Crimes and Penalties Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021). While the case is investigated, Article 99 of the Criminal Procedures Law lets the prosecutor order that the accused be banned from travel, and Article 109 allows release on a travel ban.

That is why drivers are sometimes unable to leave the UAE for weeks after an injury accident. The ban is tied to the open case, so it ends when the prosecution closes the file or the court rules.

Who pays the injured person

Bodily injury to other people is covered by the at-fault vehicle’s compulsory insurance. The Unified Motor Vehicle Insurance Policy Against Third Party Liability covers bodily injury to a third party “either inside or outside the Motor Vehicle”, and the injured person can claim directly from the insurer.

Where a death is involved, blood money and its interaction with insurance are covered in how diya works in the UAE. For hospital bills on the day, see your right to emergency treatment.

Pedestrian and Jaywalking Accidents

The 2024 law made pedestrians legally responsible in a way the old law did not. Article 7(4) bans crossing except at designated places, bans crossing any road with a speed limit above 80 km/h, and says the pedestrian bears any civil or criminal liability that results.

Pedestrian conduct Penalty under Article 39
Crossing outside a designated place, causing an accident Imprisonment and a fine of AED 5,000 to AED 10,000, or either penalty
Crossing outside a designated place on a road with a limit of 80 km/h or more At least 3 months in prison and a fine of at least AED 10,000, or either penalty, whether or not an accident happens

This is how both people can end up with travel bans. If a pedestrian crossing illegally is hit, the pedestrian may be accused under Article 39 while the driver is investigated for the injury, and the prosecutor can restrict travel for either.

The driver’s duties do not shrink because the pedestrian was at fault. Stop, call 999 and stay: Article 38 does not depend on who caused the accident.

Damage to Your Parked Car

A large share of claims involve no second driver at all: a car hit in a car park, a keyed door, damage while a valet had the keys. All of them still need a report, but the route differs.

Hit and run, or damage by an unknown person

Report it to the police as damage by an unknown party, and do it quickly. Car park CCTV is not kept forever, and your report is what lets investigators ask for it.

A comprehensive policy covers this. The Unified Motor Vehicle Insurance Policy Against Loss and Damage lets the insurer apply the deductible to “cases that are deemed committed by an unknown person”. So you pay the excess even though you were not at fault.

A third-party-only policy pays nothing here. It covers the damage you cause to others, not damage done to your own car.

A keyed, scratched or tampered-with car

Deliberate damage is covered by a comprehensive policy: the same unified policy lists loss or damage “from a third party willful act” among the covered events. For theft or any other criminal act, it requires you to notify the police and the insurer promptly.

Photograph the damage before touching it, and note when you last saw the car undamaged. If you have a dashcam with parking mode, save the footage before it is overwritten.

Damage while a valet was driving

The valet is someone you authorized to drive your car. Under the unified loss-and-damage policy, the deductible applies to accidents caused by you “or by the person authorized by them to drive”, so your comprehensive cover responds, with you paying the excess.

Get the valet ticket and a written acknowledgement from the operator at the time, and make sure the police report names the valet driver. Asking the operator to reimburse your excess is reasonable. If it refuses, recovering it is a civil claim against the operator.

Do I need a police report for damage in a private car park?

Yes, in practice. The traffic law’s definition of a “road” includes any public place wide enough for vehicles that the public can enter, with or without permission and whether or not a fee is charged, which covers public car parks. Separately from that, Article 28 bars any repair of accident damage without a police repair permit, wherever the damage happened.

Claiming on Your Insurance

Motor claims in the UAE run on two standard policies set by the regulator, so the rules below apply whichever insurer you use. The loss-and-damage policy requires you to notify the official authorities immediately and the insurer promptly.

Late notice is not automatically fatal. Both unified policies say the insurer may not refuse a claim because of late notification if the delay has an acceptable excuse.

How much is the excess on a UAE car insurance claim?

The unified loss-and-damage policy caps the basic deductible for private cars with up to nine passengers by vehicle value: AED 350 up to AED 50,000, AED 700 up to AED 100,000, AED 1,000 up to AED 250,000, AED 1,200 above that, and AED 1,400 above AED 500,000.

An insurer can add a further percentage of the claim in specific cases. The main ones are up to 10% if the driver is under 25, 15% for sports and modified cars, and 20% for cars modified outside the factory. Only the highest applies to a single accident, and none apply to a total loss.

Situation Whose policy pays your repair Do you pay the excess?
Other driver at fault Their third-party liability cover No
You at fault, comprehensive cover Your own policy Yes
You at fault, third-party only Nobody. You pay for your own car. Not applicable
Unknown party or vandalism Your comprehensive policy Yes

If a claim is refused or the valuation looks low, how to challenge a rejected car insurance claim covers the exclusions insurers rely on and the escalation route. For the difference in cover, see comprehensive versus third-party insurance.

Getting the Car Repaired

The police report is what unlocks the repair. The workshop needs the repair permit that comes with it, and the insurer needs the report to open the claim.

Under the unified loss-and-damage policy, the insurer can repair the car, pay you in cash if you agree, or replace it after a total loss. Agency repair after the car’s first three years is not automatic: you ask for it when taking out the policy, and the insurer may agree for a premium within the regulated tariff.

If new original parts replace worn ones, you bear a depreciation share set by the car’s age: 5% in the first two years, rising to 30% from the sixth year. You are also entitled to have the repair checked by an approved vehicle examination agency. If the work falls below standard, the insurer must put it right.

Road damage from a pothole or a missing cover is handled differently, because the other party is the road authority. Claiming for road damage to your car covers that route.

What We Could Not Verify

The Executive Regulations of the 2024 traffic law, which set first-aid conditions and many procedural details, were not available to us. The widely repeated color-coded fault slips and per-emirate report fees outside Dubai are not published on any official page we could reach, so we have left them out rather than repeat them.

The Dubai Police service terms above come from the service page as archived in 2025, because the live site was unreachable when this guide was updated. Check the fee in the app before paying.

FAQ

Do I have to report a small scratch to the police in the UAE?

Yes. Article 5 of the 2024 traffic law requires you to report any accident you are involved in within three hours, and Article 28 bars workshops from repairing accident damage without a police repair permit. In Dubai, a no-injury scrape can be reported in the Dubai Police app in a few minutes.

What happens if I leave the scene of an accident?

If anyone was injured, failing to stop without an acceptable excuse is punishable under Article 38 by up to two years in prison and a fine of AED 50,000 to AED 100,000, or either penalty. Police may also arrest a driver who tries to escape after an accident that harms someone.

How much is the minor accident fine in Dubai?

Dubai Police issues a fine of AED 520 to the driver found liable when the minor accident report is issued. The report covers accidents without injuries inside Dubai and stays valid for three months.

Can I report an accident in Sharjah or Abu Dhabi with the Dubai Police app?

No. Dubai Police’s minor accident service applies only to accidents within Dubai. Report to the police of the emirate where the accident happened, or its approved channel, such as SAAED for minor accidents in Abu Dhabi.

Can a pedestrian be fined or jailed for jaywalking in the UAE?

Yes. Under Article 39 of the 2024 traffic law, crossing outside a designated place and causing an accident is punishable by imprisonment and a fine of AED 5,000 to AED 10,000. Crossing a road with a limit of 80 km/h or more carries at least three months in prison and a fine of at least AED 10,000, even without an accident.

Why did I get a travel ban after a car accident?

An accident with injuries opens a criminal case, and Article 99 of the Criminal Procedures Law lets the prosecutor ban an accused from travel during the investigation. The ban is tied to the case, so it lifts when the case is closed or decided.

Does insurance cover a hit and run on my parked car?

Only a comprehensive policy does. The unified loss-and-damage policy covers damage deemed committed by an unknown person, but lets the insurer charge your deductible. Third-party-only cover pays nothing for damage to your own car.

Who pays if a valet damages my car?

Your comprehensive policy responds, because the valet is a person you authorized to drive, and you pay the excess. Get the valet ticket, a written acknowledgement and a police report naming the driver, then ask the operator to reimburse your excess.

How long do I have to tell my insurer about an accident?

The unified policies require prompt notification rather than a fixed number of days, and your own policy wording may be stricter. An insurer may not refuse a claim for late notice if the delay has an acceptable excuse, but notify on the same day to avoid the argument.

Can I fix minor damage myself without a police report?

Not legally through a workshop. Article 28 bars any repair center from repairing a vehicle with signs of accident damage without a repair permit from the traffic police, so get the report first.

Official Sources

Information current as of September 2026. Verify with official authorities before proceeding.

This guide is for informational purposes only. UAE regulations and fees are subject to change. Always verify current requirements with the relevant official authority before proceeding with any application or transaction.