Dubai Car Parking 2026 - Parking Zones, Fees, Fines, & More

An Overview of Car Parking Dubai

Dubai has a well-organised parking system designed for both residents and visitors. The city has implemented clear regulations to manage parking and make it easier to find the right spot. Areas are divided into different parking zones, each with its own fee based on the location and how long you park. This system helps keep parking smooth and efficient across the city.

Dubai RTA Announces Free Public Parking on the Prophet’s Birthday

Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) has declared that all public parking will remain free on Friday, September 5th, 2025, on the holy occasion of Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. It will, however, exclude multi-level parking facilities and Al Khail Gate Parking (N.365). 

The paid parking will resume on Saturday, September 6th 2025. 

Furthermore, the RTA Customer Happiness Centres will remain closed on September 5th. Note that RTA’s head office and Smart Customer Happiness Centres at Umm Ramool, Al Tawar, Al Barsha, and Al Deira will remain operational.

Types of Parking in Dubai

There are different types of Dubai car parking zones: Zone A, Zone B, Zone C, Zone D, Zone E, Zone F, Zone G, Zone H, Zone I, Zone J, and Zone K. Each of these zones is further divided into three categories of parking: commercial, special, and non-commercial areas. 

• Commercial Car Parking in Dubai – Found in busy areas like business districts and shopping malls. These spots have higher fees and shorter time limits to ensure availability for shoppers and visitors.
• Non-Commercial Car Parking in Dubai – Also called residential parking, these are in residential areas. They have lower fees and longer time limits, mainly for residents and their guests.
• Special Car Parking in Dubai – Reserved for specific uses like loading zones, disabled parking, or VIP areas. Only vehicles with proper permission can park here, following set rules.

Dubai has introduced a new variable parking fee system aimed at optimising parking spaces and reducing traffic congestion. This system changes parking fees based on busy (peak) and quiet (off-peak) times and includes updated zone names.

Also Know - Dubai New Year Free Public Parking 2026

Dubai Parking Timings:

• Peak hours – 08:00 am to 10:00 am and  04:00 pm to 08:00 pm
• Off-peak hours – 10:00 am to 04:00 pm & 08:00 pm to 10:00 pm
• Free parking – Sundays & public holidays

Zone Updates:

• A – AP
• B – BP
• C – CP
• D – DP

Zones are now either standard (cheaper) or premium (costlier, especially during peak times). These changes help manage demand and offer smoother parking across Dubai.

Zone	Parking Type	Description	Areas Covered	Hours
A	Commercial Paid (RTA)	Roadside parking in high-traffic areas	Downtown, Business Bay	Monday to Saturday - 08:00 am to 10:00 pm
B	Commercial Paid (RTA)	Parking lots in commercial zones	Al Fahidi, Deira Creek	Monday to Saturday - 08:00 am to 10:00 pm
C	Residential	Free for residents with permits; short-term visitor parking	Al Barsha, Burj Khalifa	24/7
D	Residential	Long-term parking in residential/Tecom areas	Nad Al Hamar, Tecom	Monday to Saturday - 08:00 am to 10:00 pm
E	Special	Waterfront Market	Deira Fish Market	Monday to Saturday - 08:00 am to 11:00 pm
F	Special	Dedicated to Tecom Areas	Tecom	Monday to Saturday - 08:00 am to 10:00 pm
G	Special	DMCC	Jumeirah Lake Towers	Monday to Saturday - 08:00 am to 10:00 pm
H	Special	Business Bay	Business Bay	Monday to Saturday - 08:00 am to 10:00 pm
I	Special	Dubai Downtown	Dubai Downtown	Monday to Saturday - 08:00 am to 10:00 pm
J	Special	Dubai Media City	Dubai Media City	Monday to Saturday - 08:00 am to 10:00 pm
K	Special	Al Quoz	Al Quoz	Monday to Saturday - 08:00 am to 10:00 pm
–	Free Public Parking	Limited-hour parking lots near beaches, mosques, or parks	Jumeirah Beach	Off-peak hours
–	Free Mall Parking	The first 2 to 3 hours are free in the shopping mall	Dubai Mall, Ibn Battuta Mall	Mall operating hours
–	Residential Visitor	Free for visitors outside the peak hours	Al Barsha, Deira	Monday to Saturday - 08:00 am to 10:00 pm
–	Public Parks	Always free parking	Safa Park, Zabeel Park	24/7

A Breakdown of Parking Fees in Dubai

To park in paid parking zones, you need to pay certain fees. The fee varies from zone to zone. Here’s a breakdown of Dubai parking fees.

Zone AP Parking in Dubai

This Dubai parking zone is a public parking space and does not require a specific card. This zone includes designated roadside parking in commercial areas in Dubai. Below is the breakdown of this parking fee–

1. Standard Parking in Dubai

Parking Duration	Non-Peak Hours	Peak Hours
30 minutes	AED 2	AED 2
1 hour	AED 4	AED 4
2 hours	AED 8	AED 8
3 hours	AED 12	AED 12
4 hours	AED 16	AED 16

 

2. Premium Parking in Dubai

Parking Duration	Non-Peak Hours	Peak Hours
30 minutes	AED 2	AED 3
1 hour	AED 4	AED 6
2 hours	AED 8	AED 12
3 hours	AED 12	AED 18
4 hours	AED 16	AED 24

Zone BP Parking in Dubai

These Dubai car parking lots are in commercial zones. This parking zone is not as busy as Zone AP and is more affordable. 

1. Standard Parking in Dubai

Parking Duration	a Non-Peak Hours	Peak Hours
1 hour	AED 3	AED 4
2 hours	AED 6	AED 8
3 hours	AED 9	AED 12
4 hours	AED 12	AED 16
5 hours	AED 16	AED 20
24 hours	AED 30	AED 30

 

2. Premium Parking in Dubai

Parking Duration	Non-Peak Hours	Peak Hours
1 hour	AED 3	AED 6
2 hours	AED 6	AED 12
3 hours	AED 9	AED 18
4 hours	AED 12	AED 24
5 hours	AED 15	AED 30
24 hours	AED 40	AED 40

Zone CP Parking in Dubai

This is a non-commercial parking zone and contains roadside parking in residential areas. To help drivers identify the parking zones, there are signboards across all the parking areas. 

Standard Parking in Dubai

Parking Duration	Non-Peak Hours	Peak Hours
1 hour	AED 2	AED 4
2 hours	AED 5	AED 8
3 hours	AED 8	AED 12
4 hours	AED 11	AED 16

Zone DP Parking in Dubai

These are parking lots in non-commercial areas. The fees in these zones are most affordable. The zone includes residential areas like Al Qusais and Al Nahda. 

1. Standard Parking in Dubai

Parking Duration	Non-Peak Hours	Peak Hours
1 hour	AED 2	AED 4
2 hours	AED 4	AED 8
3 hours	AED 5	AED 12
4 hours	AED 7	AED 16
24 hours	AED 20	AED 20

 

2. Premium Parking in Dubai

Parking Duration	Non-Peak Hours	Peak Hours
1 hour	AED 2	AED 6
2 hours	AED 4	AED 12
3 hours	AED 5	AED 18
4 hours	AED 7	AED 24
24 hours	AED 30	AED 30

Zone E Parking in Dubai

This Dubai car parking zone has special parking areas. It covers both underground and public parking lots of Jumeirah Lakes Towers. 

Note: The underground parking is free. 

Parking Duration	Non-Peak Hours	Peak Hours
1 hour	AED 10	AED 10
2 hours	AED 20	AED 20
3 hours	AED 30	AED 30
4 hours	AED 40	AED 40

Zone F Parking in Dubai

This Dubai paid parking zone covers parking lots from the Tecom areas — The Knowledge Village Hotel, Dubai Internet City, and Dubai Media City. 

Parking Duration	Non-Peak Hours	Peak Hours
30 minutes	AED 2	AED 2
1 hour	AED 4	AED 4
2 hours	AED 8	AED 8
3 hours	AED 12	AED 12
4 hours	AED 16	AED 16
5 hours	AED 20	AED 20
6 hours	AED 24	AED 24
7 hours	AED 28	AED 28
24 hours	AED 32	AED 32

Zone GP Parking in Dubai

This Dubai car parking zone includes all the paid parking areas of Downtown Dubai, including Burj Khalifa, Dubai Health Care City Area, and Business Bay Area. 

Parking Duration	Non-Peak Hours	Peak Hours
1 hour	AED 4	AED 6
2 hours	AED 8	AED 12
3 hours	AED 12	AED 18
4 hours	AED 16	AED 24

Zone G Parking in Dubai

This Dubai paid parking zone covers the Dubai Hills Area. 

Parking Duration	Non-Peak Hours	Peak Hours
1 hour	AED 4	AED 4
2 hours	AED 8	AED 8
3 hours	AED 12	AED 12
4 hours	AED 16	AED 16

Zone H Parking in Dubai

This Dubai paid parking zone covers all the parking lots in Dubai Silicon Oasis. 

Parking Duration	Non-Peak Hours	Peak Hours
30 minutes	AED 2	AED 2
1 hour	AED 4	AED 4
2 hours	AED 8	AED 8
3 hours	AED 12	AED 12
4 hours	AED 16	AED 16

Zone I Parking in Dubai

This Dubai car parking zone is a prime parking area in the Jumeirah Lake Tower area.

Parking Duration	Non-Peak Hours	Peak Hours
1 hour	AED 10	AED 10
2 hours	AED 20	AED 20
3 hours	AED 30	AED 30

Zone J Parking in Dubai

This zone covers parking lots in Jumeirah Lake Towers, which offer only a short stay. 

Parking Duration	Non-Peak Hours	Peak Hours
30 minutes	AED 2	AED 3
1 hour	AED 4	AED 6
2 hours	AED 8	AED 12
3 hours	AED 12	AED 18

Zone K Parking in Dubai

This Dubai car parking zone is for vehicles for shorter stays with a maximum of 4 hours. It is a parking zone with 24/7 tickets in Dubai. 

Parking Duration	Non-Peak Hours	Peak Hours
30 minutes	AED 2	AED 3
1 hour	AED 4	AED 6
2 hours	AED 8	AED 12
3 hours	AED 12	AED 18
4 hours	AED 16	AED 24
5 hours	AED 20	AED 30
6 hours	AED 24	AED 36
24 hours	AED 40	AED 40

Zone L Parking in Dubai

This Dubai paid parking zone is dedicated to Jumeirah Lake Towers. 

Parking Duration	Non-Peak Hours	Peak Hours
30 minutes	AED 2	AED 3
1 hour	AED 4	AED 6
2 hours	AED 8	AED 12
3 hours	AED 12	AED 18
4 hours	AED 22	AED 28

Zone WP Parking in Dubai

The parking lots in this Dubai car parking zone are for vehicles in Al Kifaf. 

Parking Duration	Non-Peak Hours	Peak Hours
30 minutes	AED 2	AED 3
1 hour	AED 4	AED 6
2 hours	AED 8	AED 12
3 hours	AED 12	AED 18
4 hours	AED 16	AED 24

Zone W Parking in Dubai

This Dubai car parking zone in Dubai is assigned to Al Karama, Qusais First, and Madinat Dubai Al Melaheyah.

Parking Duration	Non-Peak Hours	Peak Hours
30 minutes	AED 2	AED 2
1 hour	AED 4	AED 4
2 hours	AED 8	AED 8
3 hours	AED 12	AED 12
4 hours	AED 16	AED 16

Zone X Parking in Dubai

Vehicles in Trade Centre Second, Trade Centre First, and Zaa’beel Second can be parked in this Dubai car parking. 

Parking Duration	Non-Peak Hours	Peak Hours
30 minutes	AED 2	AED 3
1 hour	AED 4	AED 6
2 hours	AED 8	AED 12
3 hours	AED 12	AED 18
4 hours	AED 16	AED 24
During Events	AED 25 per hour for 4 hours	AED 25 per hour for 4 hours

How to Pay for Dubai Car Parking?

Dubai has built an extensive public parking system to make it easy for drivers to find and pay for parking. There are multiple convenient payment options available, including SMS, WhatsApp, mobile apps, NOL cards, and seasonal parking cards. These methods help ensure smooth and hassle-free parking across the city. 

Below are the available ways to pay Dubai parking fees: 

• RTA Parking WhatsApp
• mParking
• RTA Mobile App
• Coins
• NOL Cards
• Seasonal Cards
• Other Methods

 

Via RTA Parking WhatsApp

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) offers an easy and quick way to pay Dubai parking fee through its Park & Pay system using WhatsApp. You just need to message the RTA chatbot, Mahboub. Here’s how you can do it —

•  Save Mahboub’s number – +971 58 800 9090
• Open WhatsApp and send a message to Mahboub
• Use this format: Plate Code+Number <space> Area Code <space> Time in Hours

 

Via mParking

One of the simplest and easiest ways to pay parking fees in Dubai is through RTA’s SMS service, mParking. This option is great if you're wondering how to pay parking fees using your mobile. If you use Du or Etisalat, you can pay by sending an SMS and get a virtual parking ticket. Here’s how it works —

• Register your vehicle for mParking using your plate number.
• Find your parking zone and decide how long you'll park.
• Send an SMS in this format:

Plate Code+Number <space> Zone Code <space> Time in Hours

• Send it to 7275 (PARK)

You’ll get a confirmation SMS which acts as your parking ticket—don’t delete it! If you don’t get a reply in 5 minutes, try another payment method or call 800-9090.

 

Via RTA Mobile App

Besides SMS and WhatsApp, another easy way to Dubai parking fee is through the RTA Dubai app on your smartphone. This app offers multiple RTA services, including a quick and convenient way to pay parking fees. The amount is automatically deducted from your mobile balance. Here’s how you can use the app –

• Download the RTA Dubai app from the App Store, Google Play, or HUAWEI AppGallery.
• Register your vehicle in the app
• Follow the steps to pay your parking fees

 

Via Coins

Paying with coins is the traditional method for paying parking fee in Dubai. Parking machines accept AED 1 and 50 fils coins. Just insert the right amount based on how long you plan to park, take the ticket, and place it on your car’s dashboard. The only drawback is that you need to carry coins, which many people don’t usually have on hand.

 

NOL Card

The NOL Card is a smart and easy way to pay for transport in Dubai. You can use it to pay for buses, metro, trams, and water buses without any hassle. It also works for parking. Special machines at parking lots in Dubai accept NOL Cards. Just tap your card on the machine, and the parking fee is deducted from your NOL balance. You’ll then get a ticket to place on your car’s dashboard.

 

Seasonal Cards

Seasonal parking cards allow you to park in public parking areas in Dubai without paying each time. Just place the card clearly on your dashboard. These cards are available for 3 months, 6 months, or 1 year. Prices vary depending on the zone and permit type. 

Here’s how to apply for a seasonal parking card—

On the RTA website —

• Add your vehicle and card details
• Choose card type and duration
• Fill in the required info
• Confirm and pay

On the RTA app —

• Log in and go to Parking Services
• Select ‘Seasonal Parking Card’
• Choose permit type, category, and start date
• Add your vehicle
• Pay the fees

 

Other Methods

• Apple Pay – Apple Pay is a quick and easy way to pay parking fees in Dubai using your Apple devices. It’s a simple online payment method that works smoothly with all Apple products.
• Galaxy Pay – Samsung Pay makes paying for parking simple and convenient. With its MST and NFC features, it works at more places than most other mobile payment options.
• RFID-Enabled Bank Cards – You can use the RFID service to pay for parking easily. It offers a quick, safe, and secure way to make payments.

Dubai Car Parking Fines

Dubai’s RTA strictly enforces parking rules to ensure proper use of parking spaces. Breaking these rules can lead to heavy fines, depending on the type of violation. Here are some common parking fines in Dubai: 

Description	Fees
Not paying the fees or the ticket is not visible	AED 150
Going over the maximum parking hours	AED 100
Parking car on a sidewalk or crossing the sidewalk	AED 200
Parking a car without a number plate	AED 1,000
Parking vehicle at a booked spot or parking without a valid permit	AED 1,000
Placing a parking umbrella over a car without permit	AED 1,000
Vehicle is parked past the parking duration	AED 100
Obstructing or misusing the parking space	AED 200
Parking a car in a forbidden parking space	AED 200
Using an expired permit or unauthorised use of special need parking	AED 1,000
Damaging a parking ticket machine, parking areas, or zone plates	AED 1,000

RTA/Driving License
Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)	Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) Dubai
Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) Sharjah	Transfer Car Registration
Driving License UAE	Driving License in Dubai

Frequently Asked Questions