mParking in the UAE – all you need to know

Dubai: Parking facilities in the UAE are managed by different emirate-based transport authorities and while there are quite a few options for free parking around the UAE, most public places and commercial areas have paid parking.

The charge per hour and methods of payment can also vary from place to place, so here is a breakdown of all you need to know about paying for parking using your mobile.

In Dubai, the Roads and Transport Authority has divided the parking zones into eight categories – Zones A to G and a separate category for multi-storey parking.

Parking zones, timings and charges

Timing: 8am-10pm

Fares:

Timing: 8am-10pm

Fares:

Timing: 8am-10pm

Fares:

Timing: 8am-10pm

Fares:

Timing: 8am-6pm

Fares:

Timing: 8am-10pm

Fares:

There are also a few other parking zones available: Zone I (Dh10 per hour) and Zone J (Dh2 per half hour, Dh4 per hour) have a maximum stay restriction of 3 hours.

Parking fees for Zones K and L range from Dh2 per half hour to Dh32 for 8 hours to 24 hours, wherein Zone K has a maximum stay period of 24 hours. Zones I, J and K are open for parking from 8am to 10pm while Zone L is open 24 hours.

Timing: Open 24 hours

Fare:

No, mParking services are available for number plates from anywhere within the UAE, as well as for cars from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. The service was earlier only for Dubai number plates.

Motorists need to send a text message to 7275 (PARK on the dial pad) with the following message:

Emirate/Country code followed by the plate code <space> plate no. <space> area no. <space> and duration in hours

These are the emirate and country codes for Dubai mParking:

If you have a Dubai number plate, you don’t need to enter the emirate or country code.

To register for a ticket for half an hour, which is valid for zone A, you can use the following time formats: 1/2, .5, .50, 0.5, 0.50, 30,30min, 30mins, 30minute and 30minutes.

Each SMS is charged at 30fils per text message. The reminder is free.

20 minutes before your parking ticket is about to expire, you will receive an SMS reminding you that the ticket is about to expire. If you want to extend the parking, you simply need to respond with a ‘Y’. This will extend the parking for an hour. If you want to extend for longer, reply with Y and the number of hours you wish to extend the parking for.

What if my ticket expires and I forget to move my car?

If you fail to extend your parking ticket, you can get fined by a Dubai traffic police officer for Dh100

Mawaqif is the paid parking system in Abu Dhabi, and has been implemented in the most densely populated areas of the city.

Premium parking areas

There are also multi-storey parkings operated by Mawaqif with the following charges:

Parking is free on Fridays, public holidays and for people of determination.

Additionally, parking bays in the vicinity of a mosque are free for 45 minutes starting from the call for prayer (Adhan).

All vehicles registered in the UAE can use the mParking method. They need to send an SMS to 3009 with the following text:

These are the city codes for vehicles:

User will receive a confirmation message upon the completion of the request and a reminder message 10 minutes before permit expiry, which could be extended for another hour by sending "E" via SMS to the number 3009.

Registered users can use their Mawaqif account credit to pay parking fees by sending a message from the registered number to 3009 in the following format:

Car colour and plate category <space> plate number <space> parking category "premium or standard" <space> duration in hours.

Example:

https://gulfnews.com/uae/transport/non-abu-dhabi-registered-vehicles-can-pay-for-parking-by-sms-1.2163929

Sharjah municipality has a standard charge for paid parking areas in the emirate. This means that if you have paid for an hour of parking, you can move your car from one paid parking zone to another without the need to pay for a new ticket.

Do I need to register mParking in Sharjah?

Vehicles with UAE-registered number plates do not need to register for mParking. GCC countries and non-private plate numbers need to register for the smsParking service here.

Motorists need to send an SMS to 5566 with the following text:

For plate source, motorists need to enter the emirate in which the vehicle was registered.

Payments are charged at 38fils per text message.

15 minutes before your parking ticket is about to expire, you will receive an SMS reminding you that the ticket is about to expire. If you want to extend the parking, you simply need to respond with a ‘Y’. This will extend the parking for an hour. If you want to extend for longer, reply with Y and the number of hours you wish to extend the parking for.

If you fail to extend your parking ticket, you can get fined by a Sharjah traffic police officer for Dh100.

In Ajman, motorists can send an SMS to 5155, following this format:

So for a Dubai number plate - A 2xx2 - you would need to enter the following text: DXB A 2xx2