Abu Dhabi SMS Parking Guide
Mawaqif, Abu Dhabi’s extensive parking initiative, allows motorists to pay parking by SMS in Abu Dhabi. The Department of Transport (DoT) launched Mawaqif in 2009 to facilitate the residents of Abu Dhabi in finding a parking spot and paying the fee without hassle. Mawaqif offers numerous ways to pay your parking fee, but SMS is considered one of the most convenient ways to do it on-the-go.
Here is a breakdown of how to pay for parking through SMS in Abu Dhabi.

How to pay parking by SMS in Abu Dhabi
Given below is the new parking SMS format for Abu Dhabi cars:
Open ‘new message’ on your mobile phone
Type 3009 in the Sender’s field. Type the new parking SMS format for Abu Dhabi cars in the Message field. The new format is:
City and Plate Code category <space> Plate number <space> Parking type <space> Duration
Your Mawaqif parking SMS for an Abu Dhabi registered vehicle should look like this for instance – AUH8 3214 S 1.
The ‘S’ in the sample format is for Standard Parking, which is the parking type. It will be denoted by ‘P’ for Premium Parking. The parking charges for Standard Parking are AED 2 per hour and Premium Parking costs AED 3 per hour.
Make sure to pay your parking on time and adhere to the law to avoid traffic fines in Abu Dhabi. In addition to fines sometime black points are also assigned to the motorists who violate the laws. Check your black points to drive more vigilantly if you have accumulated some in the past.
How to get a parking extension
After you send the message using the correct format, you will get a confirmation text. Furthermore, you will also receive another message as a reminder 10 minutes before the expiration of the allocated parking spot. You can get an extension by typing an ‘E’ sending it to 3009.

Abu Dhabi SMS Parking Payment for Vehicles Registered in Other Emirates
Previously, most of the parking spaces in the capital would be pre-assigned to Abu Dhabi registered vehicles. You could not pay parking fee in Abu Dhabi if your car was registered in a different emirate. Thankfully, this is not the case anymore. You can now pay Abu Dhabi parking SMS for Dubai plate without worrying. The new updated Abu Dhabi Mawaqif SMS parking system has made parking in Abu Dhabi easy for vehicles from other cities. All you need to know now is the required code.
Here is a table for Abu Dhabi parking SMS codes for vehicles registered in other emirates of the UAE.
City | SMS Parking Code |
---|---|
City Abu Dhabi | SMS Parking Code AUH |
City Dubai | SMS Parking Code DXB |
City Sharjah | SMS Parking Code SHJ |
City Ras Al Khaimah | SMS Parking Code RAK |
City Ajman | SMS Parking Code AJM |
City Umm Al Quwain | SMS Parking Code UAQ |
City Fujairah | SMS Parking Code FUJ |
The rest of the SMS parking format for vehicles registered in other emirates is the same as for Abu Dhabi with the only difference in the parking code. For instance, the SMS parking format for a vehicle from Dubai will be DXBA 00000 S 1. Similarly, SMS format for a car registered in Ras Al Khaimah will be RAKN 00000 S 1.
Other ways to pay parking charges in Abu Dhabi
There are quite a few other ways to pay parking in the capital city. Let’s have a brief look at them:
Mawaqif Pay & Display Machines
Installed near every parking area in Abu Dhabi are the turquoise Mawaqif Pay & Display machines. These are easily recognizable due to their colour and the Mawaqif logo. You can pay your car parking via cash through these machines.
Mawaqif Customer Service Centres
Another way to pay your parking fees via cash is through Mawaqif customer service centres. Just visit the nearest centre and top-up your Mawaqif account.
Mawaqif Rechargeable Cards
You can also pay your parking fees with Mawaqif rechargeable cars. Easily available at the Customer Happiness Centre, these rechargeable cards cost AED 50. However, you can top-up your account up to AED 500 via these cards.
DARBI
Another simple way to pay your parking fees in Abu Dhabi is via DARBI website or mobile app. The process is simple if you are a registered DARBI user. However, you can avail the service even if you are not registered by providing a few details such as your car number plate, phone number and your vehicle type.
For more details on these parking methods, have a look at Abu Dhabi parking guide.
FAQs
Is parking free in Abu Dhabi?
Parking is free only on Sundays and public holidays in Abu Dhabi.
How to renew a Mawaqif online?
You can apply for a new parking permit or its renewal via the website of the Department of Transport, Abu Dhabi.
This is all the information about how to pay parking by SMS in Abu Dhabi. Among all the payment methods for parking in Abu Dhabi, SMS payment is the easiest, most convenient method for many. Thanks to this system, you can pay the parking fees for vehicles registered anywhere in the UAE via SMS parking system. If you currently do not have a UAE-registered car, you can check out these cars for sale in Abu Dhabi to be able to benefit from the SMS parking system.
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