This is a complete guide of what you need to know about parking in Dubai. Figuring it out on your own when you’re new in the city can be a bit confusing and especially now with the recent changes in tariffs and parking hours. We wanted to keep it short and sweet , so here is the most important information your need to know about parking in Dubai.
Paid public parking in Dubai
Most public places in Dubai are paid parking zones and they can be identified by the orange boards as shown the picture below. The Arrow indicates the direction of the closest parking meter. The number below identifies the location of the parking and the parking zone that this parking is covered under.
Zone A | Zone B | Zone C | Zone D | Zone E | Zone F | Zone G | |
Area | Commercial | Commercial | Non-Commercial | Non-Commercial | Deira Fish Market | Tecom | Downtown |
Timing | 8am-10pm | 8am-10pm | 8am-10pm | 8am-10pm | 8am-11pm | 8am-6pm | 8am-10pm |
Parking Card | A | A,B | A | A,B | N/A | N/A | N/A |
30 min tariff | 2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
1 hour tariff | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
2 hours tariff | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
3 hours tariff | 12 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
4 hours tariff | 16 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
*All tariff prices are in AED |
How to Pay
There six methods of paying for parking in Dubai.
Coins
You can use 1 AED coins and deposit them directly into the parking machine. Please keep in mind that they do not accept notes, so you must keep coins handy if you want to pay using this method. Insert the correct amount of coins into the machine and you will receive a receipt which you need to place in a visible location on your dashboard inside your car.
NOL card
The NOL Card is a Travel card and can be used on any public transportation in Dubai. The Parking meter will also accept your NOL card as a form of payment.
Pre-paid card
Prepaid parking cards are available in most supermarkets and grocery stores. these can be used at the parking machines, similar to the NOL cards.
Parking Card
This is a good solution for residents who need to park in paid parking areas on a regular basis. These cards can be purchased for a duration of 3 or 6 month up to 1 year and will allow to park indefinitely in Paid parking areas.
Make sure your Card matches the Zone as listed above. Parking in a wrong zone will result in a fine.
MParking
Mparking allows you to pay for your parking using your cell phone. This only works for people who have a UAE sim card, so you need to has a simcard from either Du or Etisalat.
Send an SMS to 7275 in the following format: number plate-space-area code-number of hours. e.g. “A12345 336C 1”. You will then automatically receive a reminder SMS once your time is complete and you can renew your parking tickets at an extra charge of 30 fils per SMS.
Smart App
The government has created an app that allows you to pay for your parking and will send you reminders when the parking is due for renewal. This is probably the easiest and most convenient way to pay for your parking in you have mobile data.
Itunes App store – here
Google play store – here
Paid Private Parking
In some highly congested areas in Dubai you will occasionally see a sign for as Private paid parking. They operate independently and will usually charge between 5-10 AED and occasionally even 20 per hour.
Free Parking
Outside the hours mentioned in the table above, parking in paid parking areas is free.
Most hotels 4* and above will provide free parking and even valet service for guests and visitors.
Shopping malls and other large attractions like global village or Ferrari world usually have Free parking. Valet service usually costs approximately 50 AED.
Parking Fines in Dubai
AED 100 Exceeding the maximum allowed parking time limit
AED 100 Parking in a paid parking area beyond what you paid for
AED 150 Parking in a paid parking area without payment
AED 200 Double parking
AED 200 Illegal parking
AED 500 Using parking space allotted for people with special needs without permit
AED 500 Displaying “vehicle for sale” in banned areas