Student NOL Card in Dubai

Who qualifies for a student NOL card

The concession covers ages 5 to 23 and requires enrolment at a UAE school or university. RTA verifies most Dubai schools automatically through KHDA; other institutions need a letter from the school or university confirming that the applicant is enrolled.

Children aged 5 or under ride free with no card at all, so the student card starts to matter from the first year of school. At the other end, a student past 23 loses the concession and the same card reverts to adult fares of AED 3 to AED 7.50.

Only 1 concession card may be active per person at a time, inside a limit of 5 Personal or registered cards. A student who also holds a Sanad card should take the People of Determination card instead, which travels free rather than at half fare.

Student NOL card price and what is included

The standard student card is a Blue Personal card at AED 70: a AED 50 application fee plus AED 20 of travel credit. At the concession fare of AED 1.50, that opening credit covers thirteen one zone trips before anything needs adding.

The ISIC version costs AED 95 and puts the international student card onto the same piece of plastic, and a special design card is AED 100. Replacements are charged at the full new issuance rate every time, so a lost student card costs another AED 70.

Every NOL card and pass price is listed side by side if you want to compare the options before applying.

What a student pays per trip

Concession fares are half the adult rate at every tier: AED 1.50 within one zone, AED 2.50 across two adjacent zones and AED 3.75 for anything crossing more than two. The discount applies on Metro, Tram and Bus, though not on intercity or seasonal routes.

Payback is quick for a daily commute. A student crossing two zones twice a day pays AED 2.50 a leg rather than AED 5, which clears the AED 50 application fee in ten school days. The fare calculator prices any pair of stations at the concession rate.

How to apply for a student NOL card online

Applications run through the RTA website, the RTA Dubai app or the NOL Pay app under service 634, Request Personal nol card. You need an Emirates ID or UAE Pass login, a photo, and proof of enrolment wherever KHDA cannot confirm it automatically.

Delivery is free and takes 2 working days when KHDA verifies the enrolment automatically, against 4 working days for applications that need a manual check. The card arrives with AED 20 already loaded.

Until it turns up, a AED 25 Silver card at adult fares covers the gap. The Blue Personal card page walks through the same application in more detail, including the versions that cost more.

Yearly renewal and student travel passes

The card is valid 5 years but the concession on it lasts 1 year. Renew it annually through the same RTA account, or the card quietly goes back to charging adult fares of AED 3 to AED 7.50 with no warning at the gate.

Student passes are the other half of the saving. A 30 day all zones pass is AED 175 against AED 350 at the adult rate, and a full year is AED 1,335 against AED 2,670. At AED 3.75 a trip, the 30 day all zones pass pays for itself at 47 journeys.

The 30, 90 and 365 day passes can be renewed from five days before expiry, and travel outside the pass zones is billed at the normal concession fare. Pass prices for every duration are collected on one page.