How Toll and Parking Systems Work in the UAE.

Salik: Dubai's toll system

Salik is Dubai's electronic toll system, launched on 1 July 2007 and run under the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). There are no toll booths, barriers or cash payments. Each gate reads a small RFID tag stuck to the inside of your windscreen and deducts the toll from your prepaid Salik account as you drive through. The UAE Government portal (u.ae) states that all vehicles, including taxis, are subject to the toll when they pass through the gates, and that owners must buy a Salik tag — available online and at petrol stations — stick it on the front windscreen, and check the balance from time to time.

There are ten Salik gates in Dubai, after Business Bay Crossing and Al Safa South opened in November 2024. Since 31 January 2025 the toll depends on the time of day: AED 6 at peak times (6–10am and 4–8pm, Monday to Saturday), AED 4 off-peak, and free from 1am to 6am, with a flat AED 4 on Sundays. A 5% VAT applies to toll transactions from 1 June 2026, according to u.ae — so the amounts actually charged include VAT on top of the AED 4 and AED 6 bands. Check the current timetable on the official Salik site before relying on these figures, because toll rules change and public holidays and major events can alter the schedule.

To use Salik, buy a tag through the official Salik website, the Smart Salik app, or at RTA service centres and selected petrol stations, then activate it on the Salik website or app. A tag bought online typically activates once the payment confirmation arrives; tags bought through other channels must be activated before you cross a gate. If you drive through a gate before your tag is set up, you have a short window — reported as ten working days from the first trip — to register and activate it. Your Salik account is your responsibility regardless of who is driving the car, so keep the balance topped up and check it in the app or on salik.ae.

Darb: Abu Dhabi's toll system

Darb is Abu Dhabi's road toll system, run by the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC), part of Abu Dhabi Mobility. Unlike Salik it uses no windscreen tag: vehicles are identified automatically by their number plate, and you register and keep a balance on the Darb platform. The u.ae roadways page confirms that owners must set up and activate a Darb account through the Darb website or mobile app.

The four bridge gates onto Abu Dhabi island charge AED 4 per crossing during peak hours — Monday to Saturday, 7–9am and 3–7pm — and are free outside those hours, on Sundays and on public holidays. Two newer gates, Ghantoot (near the Dubai border) and Al Qurm, opened on 4 May 2026 and charge AED 4 per crossing around the clock, seven days a week. The old daily cap of AED 16 and the monthly caps were removed on 1 September 2025, so each charged crossing now costs AED 4 with no cap. Some published sources still show the older evening peak of 5–7pm, which is why this guide follows the ITC announcement of the September 2025 change — and why you should confirm the current hours on the Darb platform before you travel.

Exemptions exist for some categories, including vehicles of people of determination, pensioners, older adults and low-income families, but they must be claimed through the account — owners of vehicles registered in other emirates must log in to claim an exemption. If you drive a Dubai-registered car into Abu Dhabi regularly, register for Darb before your first peak-hour crossing rather than after a fine arrives.

Paid parking in Dubai

Public parking in Dubai is managed by the RTA and organised into lettered zones — A, B, C, D, E, F, G and beyond — each with its own rates and rules. Zone A covers premium roadside parking in commercial areas, Zone B covers parking lots in commercial areas, and Zones C and D cover residential and lower-density areas at lower rates. Always read the sign at the bay, which shows the zone code (for example “232C”); the sign, not a memory of the area, is what decides what you owe.

Paid hours are generally 8am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday, with Friday mornings free and parking free on Sundays and public holidays — though some premium areas, such as around Dubai Mall and JBR, may still charge, so check the signage. Within paid hours there are peak periods (8–10am and 4–8pm) and off-peak periods with lower rates, and since April 2025 the RTA has applied variable tariffs, with higher fees in high-demand areas at peak times. Reported hourly rates range roughly from AED 2 to AED 6 depending on zone and time, and some zones cap a continuous stay — Zone A, for example, is reported to cap stays at four hours.

You can pay by SMS (mParking), through the RTA Dubai app, at a parking meter with coins or a Nol card, or through seasonal parking cards. For mParking, send an SMS to 7275 (PARK) with your plate number, zone code and duration in hours, using a UAE-registered mobile number. The RTA app and DubaiNow also handle parking payment with UAE Pass login. Whichever method you use, pay before you walk away — an unpaid session is a fine, and fines are checked against the vehicle at renewal and transfer.

What to do before you drive

Before a trip across emirates, check three things: your Salik balance if you will cross Dubai, your Darb registration and balance if you will cross into Abu Dhabi at peak times, and the parking zone at your destination. All three are cheaper to sort out in advance than as a fine afterwards. Keep the Salik and RTA apps on your phone, and remember that toll and parking rules are set by the authorities and change — the figures in this guide were last verified on 2026-11-10, and the official sites (salik.ae, the Darb platform and rta.ae) are the final word on what applies today.

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