Dubai: If you are new to Dubai, you may have come across parking meters and signboards showing that a certain area is a paid parking zone. While motorists often pay for an hour or two, or even four hours – which is the maximum duration for which you can pay for a ticket, did you know that you can also pay for half an hour in certain parking areas?
Where can I pay for half an hour?
Half hour payments are accepted in Parking Zones that end with the code A. You will see the parking zones clearly listed on signboards around parking areas.
The parking fare for this zone is Dh4 for an hour. If you choose to pay for half an hour, you would need to pay Dh2.
How to pay for half an hour
Normally, to pay for a parking ticket through mParking, you need to follow this format:
Emirate/Country code followed by the plate code <space> plate number <space> parking area number <space> duration in hours
You would need to send the text message to 7275 (PARK on the dial pad).
To register for a ticket for half an hour, which is valid for zone A, you can use the following time format for the last part of this text message, where you mention the duration in hours:
1/2, .5, .50, 0.5, 0.50, 30,30min, 30mins, 30minute and 30minutes.
How to pay for mParking in Dubai if your car is registered in another emirate
If you have a car with an Abu Dhabi or Sharjah number plate, or even one registered in GCC countries, you can still use the mParking service in Dubai, as long as you have a mobile phone SIM card registered in Dubai.
These are the emirate and country codes for Dubai mParking:
Abu Dhabi Emirate AUH
Sharjah Emirate SHJ
Ajman Emirate AJM
Umm Al Quwain Emirate UAQ
Ras Al Khaimah Emirate RAK
Fujairah Emirate FUJ
Saudi Arabia KSA
Kuwait KWT
Bahrain BAH
Oman OMN
If you have a Dubai number plate, you don’t need to enter the emirate or country code.
No grace period
If your ticket is about to expire, it is important to ensure you send a message for renewal before the ticket expires. This is because there is no grace period for motorists after their ticket expires and before a fine is issued.
If you are a regular user of paid parking services, you can consider buying a parking card for a short or long term, which may make more financial sense compared to hourly parking tickets.
