Abu Dhabi parking
With an initiative to provide the best parking facilities to the residents, the government has adopted the best parking methods for parking in Abu Dhabi.
Parking in Abu Dhabi
Earlier, there used to be free parking in public areas of Abu Dhabi but due to the insufficient parking space, paid parking system has been introduced and residents have to pay and get parking permits in order to park their vehicle in public places of Abu Dhabi. Mawaqif was introduced by Transport authorities to ensure smooth flow of traffic.
Check : RTA parking cards – What you need to know
Abu Dhabi Parking Rules
Mawaqif is a public parking system which operates as a paid zone. The free parking is available on Sundays and on national holidays. Throughout the city, there are thousands of parking meters which will ensure easy access to slots in the city.
How to pay for parking on street in Abu Dhabi parking?
Though there are several options to pay for parking, paying through machines always stands in the first place. Paying through machines can be done either by using coins or through a prepaid card that can be bought through Mawaqif customer service center or Department of Transport’s customer service centers.
Mawaqif
In order to provide the best facilities to the people, Abu Dhabi government provides easy and accessible car parking.
Department of Transport launched Mawaqif in the year of 2009 to develop world-class parking management. Vehicle drivers can get registered for paying their parking tickets using mobile phones for purchasing parking tickets. This was introduced as a solution to the shortage of parking space.
Places like Al Muroor, Al Bateen which were used to be free parking areas earlier are paid now.
People living in these areas should obtain parking permits. Areas designated for residents can be easily identified through Mawaqif.
In order to pay parking fees in Abu Dhabi, Mawaqif provides Mawaqif rechargeable cards that are available at Mawaqif customer care centers from AED 50.
Registration to Mawaqif
Registration to Mawaqif can be done by using Etisalat and DU numbers at “New User Registration”.
After registering, you should select Mawaqif account link to top up your Mawaqif account with a valid credit card you have
After the top up, you can use this amount to pay for your m mawaqif service by sending an SMS in the below-mentioned format.
LINK<SPACE>CARD NO<SPACE>CVC to 3009
Registration of the driver is mandatory in order to make payment using their mobile phone.
Recharging Mawaqif account
You can recharge your Mawaqif account by means of
- Mawaqif website using a credit card
- Mawaqif customer service centers in cash/ credit card
- Self-service machines that provide Mawaqif services in cash/credit card
Parking permits
Parking permits are granted to people based on whether they are emiratis or expats.
For residents, the parking permit can be Dh 800 for the first vehicle and Dh1200 for the second vehicle.
People who violate the rules and who don’t have a parking permit are fined be it expats or nationals and parking fine can be Dh 200 per violation.
A penalty of Dh 100 is issued on people who exceed the maximum parking limits.
Types of parking permits
Mawaqif has a variety of parking options and the drivers have the facility to choose and apply where it suits them. Below are the different parking permits which are available.
Residential parking
The residential owners and the tenants can apply for a parking permit. This permit is also given to the relatives such as the mother, father, wife, brothers and sisters of the house owner or the tenant. This is given only if they are living in the same house.
The Emiratis family members who are residing in the house are eligible to get four free parking permits and or as per the inspection report. The inspection is conducted on the Villas and according to that allotment of permits is given.
Every permit will serve only one vehicle and the residents can get residence permits from the Mawaqif centers. The process for applying is simple and quite easy.
Complete the application and arrange the documentation:
- Make the required payment
- Get a parking permit from the Department
- It is important to note that Abu Dhabi parking rules do not apply to visitors
- The visitors can park vehicles in villa areas free of charge till 2:00 am, if the car is parked beyond 2:00 am then visitor permission is required.
- For UAE Nationals, the service is free of charge. Whereas, Non-Emiratis have to pay AED 2 per hour.
- To acquire this permit you can send an SMS at 3009 with the relevant details. The maximum permit is six hours.
Limited-term Public Parking
This facility is available for residents, customers, individuals and companies. There are limited parking permits in standard surface public parking spaces. The areas such as multi-storey parking, parking lots for residents, premium parking and others are not included in the limited-term public parking.
Parking charges for
- 1 month- AED 391
- 3 months- AED 1174
- 6 months- AED 2348
- 1 year- AED 4695
You can apply for a limited-term parking permit by visiting www.itc.gov.ae and browsing the e-services. The motorists are required to provide correct details and documents like Emirates ID and vehicle registration.
Documents required for resident permits
- Valid Passport
- Valid Resident Visa
- Vehicle Registration Card
- Electricity bill
The documents mentioned above are mandatory to have parking permits in Abu Dhabi.
Being the second most populous city in the UAE, Abu Dhabi makes sure that the parking facilities it provides are easy and accessible taking into consideration the population present in the city.
Terms and conditions for limited term parking
- Mawaqif’s limited term permit will not replace the resident parking permit.
- It will replace daily parking tickets which are AED 2 per hour and AED 15 per day
- It will forbid users to reserve parking or use reserved parking spaces for vehicles in prohibited areas
- It will not allow parking in residential areas. Premium parking, villa parking, and parking spaces with blue and white paint
- If a permit holder is traveling out of the country or city they should submit storing vehicle request in the decided spot; this will help the police to consider the vehicle as non-abandoned vehicle.
