When you live in a commercial hub like Dubai, you are expected to follow all the rules and regulations of the state strictly. And when it comes to the parking rules in Dubai, you should be aware of the free parking in Dubai.
You can find free parking in Dubai at some specific hours of the day and days of the week. Don’t worry if you don’t know about the details of free parking in Dubai. Here are the details of free parking in Dubai. Dive into these details to take the most advantage of it!
Legal parking spaces in Dubai-Paid or unpaid?
You will find all the paid legal parking systems in Dubai. The charges vary from zone to zone, but you must pay to park your car in Dubai. When you pay, you look for the free car parking facilities announced by RTA.
What are the free parking days in Dubai?
In the previous schedule, the government announced free parking on Fridays. However, the new car parking rules have been announced by the Government. Now you can avail of free car parking in Dubai on Sundays as per the new schedules.
Sundays are now the free parking days in Dubai
The previous schedule announced Friday as a free car parking day in Dubai. But in January, the days from Monday to Friday were announced as working weekdays. Since the weekend is Saturday and Sunday, the RTA revised the free parking schedule in Dubai.
In March 2022, Sunday has been specified as the free parking day in Dubai.
Public Holidays as the parking days in Dubai
Public holidays are to put the public and ease. Dubai government kept this fact in mind while designing the free parking rules in Dubai. Yeah! You got it right. Parking is free in Dubai on public holidays. For instance, the RTA announced this free parking facility on the occasion of Eidul Adha.
National Day is another special occasion on which Dubai offers free parking to its people.
Free Parking Hours in Ramadan
Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims. RTA Dubai has announced special hours of free parking in Dubai during Ramadan. Parking is free for two hours during Iftar time in Ramadan.
Daily free parking hours in Dubai
In Dubai, paid parking hours start at 8 am and end at 10 pm. It means the parking is free in Dubai when it’s 10 pm and these free parking hours last till 8 am.
Time limits regarding public parking in Dubai
Although you seek free parking in Dubai on Sundays and public holidays, you need to keep in mind the time limits for parking. The maximum limit is four hours i.e., you can park your vehicle consistently at a place for a maximum of four hours.
Areas that offer free parking in Dubai
Other than the specific days, there is another way to grab the opportunity of free parking in Dubai. Many spots in Dubai offer free car parking facilities all week. Here we have mentioned some of these places.
Shopping Malls
Shopping malls are places that make Dubai a true paradise. You can find several malls in Dubai which offer free parking spaces to visitors. The malls have massive parking spots and garages, making the shopping experience much easier for customers.
Some malls offer free parking for three to four hours while others offer full-day free parking. It depends on which mall you are visiting.
Commercial District
Dubai’s design district offers free parking spots to its visitors. You don’t need to show any token for parking your vehicle in such districts. All thanks to free parking in Dubai!
Parks and leisure attractions
People visit amusement parks and other leisure attractions to relieve their stress and enjoy the moment. Therefore, most of the amusement parks in Dubai offer free parking to their customers. These include City Walk, Dubai Frame, Al Seef, and Downtown Dubai.
Restaurants
Not all restaurants offer free parking in Dubai, but some restaurants charge very little or no parking fees. Check out the parking schedule of the restaurant you are visiting to make yourself crystal clear about the parking charges of that place.
Metro station
If you are a metro user, you can find a free parking spot for your vehicle at the metro station. For instance, Rashidiya station, the tower station on the red line offers red parking spots to their customers.
Don’t make the mistake of using the free parking spots of metro stations if you are not a metro user. They are free only for metro users and fines will be imposed if other people dare to use them.
Exception for the multi-story parking
This free parking rule in Dubai is not valid for multi-story parking systems. They can still charge you for parking your vehicle even on Sundays. The multi-story parking systems will not offer you any free parking period in Dubai.
Beware of Parking fines
You are saving your money by keeping an eye on free parking in Dubai. Don’t forget to save yourself from parking fines. Don’t break the rules and you will not charge any fine. here are the cases when you have to pay heavy parking fines in Dubai.
- If you don’t pay for the parking ticket, you will be charged a fine of Dh 150.
- Don’t use the forbidden parking. In case you use the banned parking, the parking fine will be AED 200.
- If you don’t have a parking plate, you will be charged AED 1000.
- There are some unauthorized parking spaces in Dubai. Don’t use them otherwise get ready to pay a fine of Dh 1000.
- When the parking time exceeds, a fine of AED 100 is imposed.
Follow these rules and you are likely to avoid all sorts of parking fines in Dubai.
Conclusion
Free parking in Dubai is a great offer to avail of on weekends and public holidays. However, public places are super crowded on holidays in Dubai. So be careful while parking your vehicle, follow the rules, and get the most from the free car parking in Dubai.