Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT)

About

The Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) is an emirate-level authority of the Government of Abu Dhabi. It was established by Abu Dhabi Law No. 30 of 2019, replacing the 2016 Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport. The earlier Abu Dhabi Department of Transport had been established in 2006.

DMT regulates urban planning, transportation and real estate in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and supervises the municipal councils of Abu Dhabi City, Al Ain and Al Dhafra. It is chaired by H.E. Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa. Key affiliates include the Integrated Transport Centre (operating under the brand Abu Dhabi Mobility, responsible for land, aviation, maritime transport and driver/vehicle licensing), the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC) and the Abu Dhabi Centre for Projects and Infrastructure (ADPIC).

For eVTOL, the relevant arm is the Integrated Transport Centre. The ITC was a co-signatory and co-launcher of the November 2025 emirate-wide vertiport network announced alongside ADIO, GCAA and Abu Dhabi Airports. Federal-level aircraft certification remains with the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).

Key facts

Timeline

1. 2006
   Abu Dhabi Department of Transport established as part of the emirate's transport sector reorganisation. [dmt-adm-page]
2. 2016
   Department of Municipal Affairs and Department of Transport merged into the Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport. [dmt-adm-page]
3. 2019
   Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) established under Abu Dhabi Law No. 30 of 2019 with its current mandate over urban planning, transport and municipal affairs. [dmt-adm-page]
4. 2024-12-06
   Integrated Transport Centre, an affiliate of DMT, listed among signatories to the multi-party cross-industry agreement on commercial eVTOL air-taxi operations in Abu Dhabi. [archer-cross-industry-2024-12-06]
5. 2025-11-10
   ADIO, GCAA, the Integrated Transport Centre (Abu Dhabi Mobility, an affiliate of DMT) and Abu Dhabi Airports jointly announce the launch of an emirate-wide vertiport network of more than 10 sites, with AUH and AZI as the first locations. [admo-vertiport-network-2025-11-10]

Practical info

How to get there

By metro

Abu Dhabi Metro is not operational. Public bus services run by Abu Dhabi Mobility (ITC) serve central Abu Dhabi.

By car

DMT central administration is located in central Abu Dhabi, accessible from Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Street and Hazza Bin Zayed The First Street.

From the airport

From Dubai International Airport (DXB), approximately 130 km by road to central Abu Dhabi via E11.

Regulatory status

DMT operates as an emirate-level government department of the Government of Abu Dhabi. It does not certify aircraft — that role belongs to the federal UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). Through its Integrated Transport Centre affiliate, DMT regulates emirate-level transport and was a co-launcher of the November 2025 vertiport network alongside ADIO, GCAA and Abu Dhabi Airports.

Current progress

Operational. As of 30 April 2026, DMT continues to oversee the emirate's transport regulation, with the Integrated Transport Centre actively engaged in the rollout of the AUH and AZI vertiports under the November 2025 network mandate.

Connected entities

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. [dmt-home] Abu Dhabi DMT — official portal (English homepage) regulatory · accessed 2026-04-30
2. [dmt-adm-page] Abu Dhabi DMT — Abu Dhabi City Municipality / DMT establishment history (Law No. 30 of 2019) regulatory · accessed 2026-04-30
3. [dmt-smart-transport-2023] Abu Dhabi DMT Media Centre — Accelerates Smart Transport Project (2023) regulatory · accessed 2026-04-30
4. [admo-vertiport-network-2025-11-10] Abu Dhabi Government Media Office — ADIO announces launch of vertiport network (10 Nov 2025) official-news · accessed 2026-04-30
5. [archer-cross-industry-2024-12-06] Archer Aviation IR — Cross-industry agreement, Abu Dhabi (6 Dec 2024) operator-ir · accessed 2026-04-30
6. [osm-dmt] OpenStreetMap — central Abu Dhabi reference point primary · accessed 2026-04-30

Verification flags

• GPS approximated from OpenStreetMap; not a DMT-published headquarters coordinate.
• The Abu Dhabi Mobility brand applies to the Integrated Transport Centre as a DMT affiliate; rebrand date is referenced on the dmt.gov.ae portal but no exact effective date was located in primary sources during this research.