Street parking in Dubai has been run by Parkin since 2024, and the rules are the same across the city: look at the sign by the bay, note the zone code and pay for the hours you need. Trouble usually comes from small things: not knowing Sundays are free, paying a commercial rate in a residential zone, staying longer than allowed, or leaving the ticket in a pocket instead of on the dashboard. A parking fine lands on the car, and on a rental the renter pays it, so five minutes on this guide pay for themselves.
When parking is paid
Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm. From 10 pm to 8 am, on Sundays and on public holidays street parking is free. During Ramadan the hours change, usually splitting into a morning and an evening block; Parkin publishes the schedule before the month starts and repeats it on the signs.
Free hours waive the charge, not the rules: the ban on parking by hydrants, bus stops and junctions and in disabled bays applies around the clock.
Zones and rates
Street bays fall into four main zones. The letter on the sign tells you the type of area and the price. A and B are commercial, C and D residential. Besides the price, the zone sets the maximum stay.
| Zone | Type | Rate per hour | Maximum stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | commercial | AED 4, up to 6 at peak | 4 hours |
| B | commercial | AED 4, up to 6 at peak | 24 hours |
| C | residential | AED 2 | 4 hours |
| D | residential | AED 2 | 24 hours |
Since 2025 the busiest commercial zones, around Downtown, the Marina, DIFC and Business Bay, carry a peak rate: from 8 to 10 am and from 4 to 8 pm an hour costs AED 6 instead of 4. Outside those hours it is back to 4. There is no per-minute billing; you pay in half-hour and hourly blocks.
The zone code and sector number are on the orange or blue sign at every row of bays, for example 312C. That is the code you enter when paying, and the one an inspector checks against your ticket. Paying for the neighbouring zone does not count; it is treated as unpaid parking.
How to pay
- The Parkin app. The easiest option for a visitor: register with a phone number from any country, add a foreign card, pay by plate number and zone code. A reminder comes 10 minutes before time runs out and you can extend without going back to the car.
- SMS to 7275. Works only with a UAE SIM card. The message is the plate number, the zone code and the number of hours separated by spaces, for example A12345 312C 2. The charge is taken from your phone balance.
- Meters. One every 50 to 100 metres, taking coins, bank cards and the Nol card. Put the ticket face-up under the windscreen: inspectors look for it, and a payment without a ticket on the dashboard counts as no payment.
Parkin inspectors and cameras on patrol cars check the plate against the database, so with the app or SMS no paper ticket is needed.
Malls, hotels and beaches
The big malls have made parking part of their marketing. Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates give the first hours free, then charge hourly, and waive the charge if you shop there. Hotel parking is almost always free for guests; for a delivered car, ask reception where to put it. Kite Beach, JBR and the Marina have ordinary Parkin bays at zone A or B rates. Metro stations have park-and-ride car parks, free if you continue by train.
Parking fines
| Offence | Fine |
|---|---|
| Unpaid parking | AED 150 |
| Expired ticket | AED 100 |
| Parking in a prohibited place | AED 200–500 |
| Obstructing traffic or blocking an exit | AED 500 |
| Disabled bay without a permit | AED 1,000 |
Only cars that genuinely obstruct get towed: blocking a lane, an exit or a disabled bay. Ordinary unpaid parking simply puts a fine on the plate. You can check it on the Dubai Police website by plate number and pay by card there.
Parking by district
Marina and JBR. The busiest spots in town, with almost no free street bays in the evening. It is easier to leave the car at Marina Mall or in your hotel car park and walk to the promenade. Downtown. Street bays around Burj Khalifa are zone A with the peak rate; Dubai Mall's car park with its free first hours is more convenient and closer to the fountains. Deira and Bur Dubai. Narrow streets, zones A and C mixed together, many residents-only bays in the evening, so read the signs carefully. Jumeirah and the beaches. Parkin bays along Jumeirah Beach Road, full from the morning at weekends. Business Bay and DIFC. The AED 6 peak rate; an hour at lunch on the street costs more than the underground car park of an office tower.
Multi-storey and private car parks
Covered car parks at malls, office towers and hotels are not part of Parkin and set their own rates, usually AED 10 to 20 an hour with the first hour free or waived against a shop receipt. There is no maximum stay, so for several days it is better to leave the car there. You pay on exit by card or at a machine; do not lose the entry ticket, or you pay the maximum daily rate. In summer a covered car park is worth the money: a car left in the sun passes sixty degrees inside within an hour.
Tips for a rental car
- Install Parkin before you land and add the plate number from the contract; it will be in your WhatsApp confirmation.
- Photograph the zone sign every time you park. If a fine arrives, the photo makes it easy to show you paid correctly.
- In residential areas do not park at villa gates or on the sand between houses: neighbours call an inspector faster than you would think.
- Fines on a rental car arrive within one to two weeks of return. We send them with the photo and amount and pass them on at cost, with no handling fee; we take no deposit for this.
