It’s a name given to the electronic toll road system in Dubai. It is developed using the RFID technology which automatically deducts the fee as soon as the toll approaches.
In early 2008, Dubai had two toll stations, one at the Garhoud Bridge and the other at the toll booth of Sheikh Zayed Road in the Mall of the Emirates. Later, two toll stations were introduced at Maktoum Bridge and Al Safa.
The purpose of Salik is to reduce the traffic flow at the toll gates. Imagine you are going for some important business deal or you have an emergency to attend to and you get stuck at the toll gate traffic because you forgot to get your Salik account recharged. Salik tolls impose fines for not having any money in your Salik wallet. The automated system saves a lot of time and keeps the traffic moving smoothly.
Salik tag is attached to the windshield of the car so that it is easily identifiable by the RFID technology. As soon as the car approaches the toll the RFID sensor technology scans the tag and deducts the fee accordingly. The tag does not work on batteries or any other sort of powering the motor. It is to be attached to the car for a lifetime and the money has to be recharged. Cars should have unique Salik tags and no two cars can have the same tags. The tag can be bought for AED 100 out of which AED 50 is transferred to your Salik wallet.
Before getting to the recharging process, one has to get set up an account and get registered. The way to set up an account is to visit the Salik official website and fill out the form with your details and the details of your car.
To get register with a Salik account, you should have a Salik tag number, your mobile number and a T.C number, which can be found on the vehicle registration number. The Salik label received in the email after setting up the account should be affixed to the window below the rearview mirror.
In this busy life, no one has the time to visit an office and get in the line for hours just to get a recharge. Nowadays everything is at the palm of our hands. Everything is done digitally and online. Then why not recharging the Salik Account
Recharging Salik Online:
1- Through the Smart Salik Application
To recharge your Salik using smart salik application, you have to first be a registered user and the required fields to be filled for the registration are
- Name
- Country
- Emirate
- Plate number
- Country code and mobile number
After filling the details, recharge profile will be created and you can either recharge your Salik account with
- PIN and 12 digit recharge card number or
- Via online payment or e pay using your credit card.
You can even recharge your Salik account with the help of various banks that provides the recharge option through their bank apps or online banking facility.
Different kinds of Salik recharge cards are available online depending upon the amount that can be filled in each of them.
- Salik card with a recharge of AED 50
- Salik card with a recharge of AED 100
- Salik card with a recharge of AED 200
On the Salik Website
- Recharge your Salik with an electronic voucher
- Use the recently launched Smart Salik app
- By using the website, you can top up Salik in two ways.
One is to refill your account with an online payment method and the other is to use the 12-digit top-up card that appears behind the Salik card to recharge. To charge your Salik online, you should log in using the credentials for the Salik account which should be an account number and a password. License plate number and Salik tag number.
Benefits of using online recharge
- With the online method, you don’t have to worry and you can get the flexibility of re-charging from the comfort of your home.
- You can choose how to top up your Salik account using the website or using the Smart Salik app from the UAE government.
- The VAT is only applicable to offline recharge of Salik accounts, but when an online recharge is involved, no VAT is imposed on the recharge.
Things to remember when charging Salik online
- You can top up your account for a maximum of 50,000 Dirhams.
- Recharge does not require validity, and two methods can be used to complete the Salik recharge.
- It is important that you recharge regularly once you are experiencing insufficient funds, as overcharging a toll booth may result in a fine of AED 50.