How to Get a Personal Nol Card for Students

Since February, because Hubby often has errands to attend to or has to work on Saturdays, Caila and I have been commuting more frequently during weekends when we have to go out.  This led me to find out how to apply for a personal Nol card for her because students get a 50% discount on the original fare!

Fortunately, the steps to get one are pretty easy.

Requirements for a Student Card:
1) Completed form (you can get this from any ticket office located at Metro or Bus stations or any RTA Customer Service Centres)
2) Letter from the school where the student is studying
3) Emirates ID copy (front and back)
4) 2 Passport-size photographs (with white background)
5) Dhs70 payment (includes Dhs20 e-purse value)

I submitted all the requirements at one of the Metro station counters on the 26th of March. As soon as the application had been registered (while I was still at the counter), I received an SMS confirmation with a reference ID number.

On the 2nd of April, I received another SMS saying that the Nol card had been issued, a tracking number and PIN code were given, and I should expect to receive it within 3 business days. Unfortunately, the address I provided was incomplete (well, according to Zajel) and I didn't know until I called them to ask about the status.  So I had to wait a couple more days for the card to be delivered.

The information provided by the RTA website states that it takes up to 15 working days to have the card delivered. In my case, it took 12 days.  Still in the period they stated, but I could have received it sooner if I had mentioned the nearest landmarks or someone from Zajel called to ask me the missing information they needed.

Things to Remember: 
• State complete information in the address.  This includes nearest landmarks where you want the card to be delivered.
• Students between 5 and 23 years old are entitled to apply for the Student card.
• Validity period of cards for 5-15 years old is 5 years, 3 years for 16 years old, 2 years for 17 years old, and 1 year for 18-23 years old.
• Discounted cards can also be applied by senior citizens (60 years old and above) who are UAE nationals and special needs people. For people with permanent disability, they have to submit their special needs card issued by the Ministry of Social Affairs
• The card can only be used by the person whose name and photo is on the card.  It cannot be used by anyone else, otherwise he or she will be issued a fine.
•  Don't forget or lose the PIN code. This is needed to retrieve information in case the card is lost.

You can also apply online for a personal Nol card here.