Abu Dhabi free parking time: Sundays, holidays and paid hours

Public parking is free on Sunday in Abu Dhabi. All standard and premium Mawaqif street parking is free all day on Sundays and on official public holidays, while paid hours run Monday to Saturday from 8:00 am to 12:00 midnight. Outside those hours, standard and premium bays are also free every night between midnight and 8:00 am.

The catch is that “free” does not apply everywhere. Resident bays, villa zones, multi-storey car parks, Free Flow mall car parks and Zayed International Airport all follow their own rules, and that is where most Sunday fines come from. This guide covers the Abu Dhabi free parking time for every bay type, fees, permits, fines, Al Ain and airport parking.

Fewer fines and a clean driving record also count when it is time to insure your car. You can compare car insurance quotes online from UAE insurers in minutes, or go straight to car insurance in Abu Dhabi for emirate-specific prices and cover.

Is parking free on Sunday in Abu Dhabi?

Yes. Sunday is Abu Dhabi’s only weekly free parking day, and it covers both standard (black and turquoise kerb) and premium (white and turquoise kerb) Mawaqif bays across the emirate, including Al Ain. You can park in these bays from 12:00 am Sunday until 8:00 am Monday without paying.

Premium parking is free on Sunday too. Some guides claim otherwise, but Mawaqif’s published schedule lists Sundays and public holidays as free for both premium and standard bays. What does not change on Sunday is the rest of the rulebook: resident bays still become permit-only at 9:00 pm, and blocking traffic or using a People of Determination bay without a permit is fined on any day.

Bay type	Sunday daytime (8 am–9 pm)	Sunday night (9 pm–8 am)
Standard (black and turquoise)	Free	Free
Premium (white and turquoise)	Free	Free
Resident permit bays	Free for everyone	Permit holders only
Villa resident bays	Permit holders only	Permit holders only
Multi-storey car parks	Paid (AED 2/hour)	Paid (AED 2/hour)
People of Determination bays	Valid permit only	Valid permit only

Abu Dhabi parking timings: when you pay and when it’s free

Mawaqif parking time is simple once you know the three windows: paid during the day from Monday to Saturday, free overnight every night, and free all day on Sundays and public holidays.

Day	Paid hours	Free hours
Monday to Friday	8:00 am – 12:00 midnight	12:00 midnight – 8:00 am
Saturday	8:00 am – 12:00 midnight	From midnight, running into Sunday
Sunday	None	All day, until 8:00 am Monday
Official public holidays	None	Announced free period (start and end times vary)

Is parking free today in Abu Dhabi?

Parking is free today in Abu Dhabi if today is a Sunday, if an official public holiday exemption has been announced for today, or if the time is between midnight and 8:00 am. On any other day, Monday to Saturday from 8:00 am, standard and premium bays must be paid. The same check answers “is parking free tomorrow”: look at the day of the week first, then at any holiday announcement from Q Mobility or the Darb app.

Saturday night and parking after 12 am

Saturday is a normal paid day until midnight. From 12:00 am on Saturday night, free parking starts and continues through the whole of Sunday until 8:00 am on Monday. On any other night, parking after 12 am is free until 8:00 am, except in resident bays, which are permit-only from 9:00 pm.

Is parking free on Friday in Abu Dhabi?

No. Friday used to be the free day, but since the UAE moved to a Saturday–Sunday weekend the free day shifted to Sunday. Friday and Saturday are now both paid days from 8:00 am to midnight.

What is Mawaqif?

Mawaqif is Abu Dhabi’s public paid parking system. It sets the bay types, fees, timings and permits for on-street parking across Abu Dhabi city, Al Ain and a growing list of suburbs. Q Mobility, a company established by ADQ in 2024, runs Mawaqif and the Darb toll network day to day, under the supervision of Abu Dhabi Mobility and the Department of Municipalities and Transport.

The paid network keeps expanding. Recent additions include the Mussaffah sectors (introduced in phases from January 2026, adding close to 19,000 regulated spaces), commercial sectors in Mohamed Bin Zayed City, Al Shahama, Eastern Mangroves, Dolphin Park and stretches of Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street. Streets without turquoise kerb paint or Mawaqif signage remain free unless a sign says otherwise.

Watch for new area-code signs. Q Mobility has said they belong to a future zoning update that may move pricing from today’s bay-type model to location-based rates. Until it is officially launched, fees, timings and payment methods stay exactly as described here.

Mawaqif parking types, kerb colours and fees

The kerb colour tells you the bay type, and the bay type sets the fee and the maximum stay.

Bay type	How to spot it	Fee	Maximum stay	Sunday and holidays
Standard	Black and turquoise kerb	AED 2/hour or AED 15/day	24 hours	Free
Premium	White and turquoise kerb	AED 3/hour	4 hours	Free
Resident permit	Turquoise line or “Resident Permit Only” sign	Standard fee by day; permit-only 9 pm–8 am	24 hours (daytime)	Free by day; permit-only at night
Villa resident	“Villa Resident Permit Only” sign	Permit holders only	—	Permit-only all day
Multi-storey car park	ITC/Q Mobility building	AED 2/hour, AED 15/day	24/7	Paid

Standard parking costs AED 2 per hour, capped at AED 15 for 24 hours.

Premium parking costs AED 3 per hour, with a 4-hour maximum stay.

A paid ticket stays valid if you move to another sector, as long as you park in the same bay type. If you park in the same spot every day, a limited-term permit for standard bays costs AED 391 for one month, AED 1,174 for three months, AED 2,348 for six months or AED 4,695 for a year, and is issued instantly through the Darb app or TAMM.

Residential parking timing in Abu Dhabi

Resident permit bays are reserved for permit holders from 9:00 pm to 8:00 am every night, including Sundays and public holidays. Between 8:00 am and 9:00 pm, anyone can use them by paying the standard fee, or free of charge on a Sunday. Leave your car in one after 9:00 pm without a permit and you risk an AED 200 fine.

A resident permit costs AED 800 a year for the first car and AED 1,200 a year for the second, with six-month options at AED 400 and AED 600. Permits are free for Emirati citizens. You can apply through the Darb app (using UAE Digital ID) or TAMM; TAMM applications usually take two to five working days.

Villa parking and visitor permits

Villa resident bays are permit-only all day, every day. Guests need a villa visitor permit, which the resident requests by SMS from one of up to four registered phone numbers between 2:00 am and 8:00 am. The permit lasts six hours, is free for UAE nationals and costs AED 2 per hour for everyone else. Visitors should be parked correctly before 2:00 am.

Where Sunday parking is not free in Abu Dhabi

Sunday and holiday exemptions cover surface Mawaqif bays only. You still pay, or need a permit, in these places:

• Multi-storey car parks: charged 24/7 at AED 2 per hour (AED 15 per day), including weekends and public holidays. Subscriptions cost AED 1,369 for three months, AED 2,738 for six months and AED 5,475 for a year.
• Free Flow car parks: barrier-free facilities, including some malls and Mohamed Bin Zayed City sites, read your plate and charge your Darb wallet. Unregistered cars must pay by QR code within 24 hours of leaving, or a fine follows.
• Mall car parks: each mall sets its own free hours and tariffs, so check the signs at the entrance.
• Zayed International Airport: airport tariffs apply every day of the week (see below).
• Resident and villa bays: permit rules apply at night or all day, as above.

These rules apply only in Abu Dhabi emirate. Dubai and Sharjah keep separate systems, so check the Sharjah parking timings before you assume Sunday is free elsewhere.

Free parking on public holidays, Eid and Ramadan

Mawaqif surface parking is free on official public holidays, but the exact free period is announced by Q Mobility before each holiday, so the number of free days follows the length of the official break. Multi-storey car parks stay on normal tariffs during holiday exemptions, and Darb toll gates usually get their own announcement.

• Eid Al Fitr 2026: public parking was free from Thursday 19 March to Sunday 22 March.
• Eid Al Adha 2026: Mawaqif parking was free throughout the Eid break; multi-storey car parks stayed paid.
• Hijri New Year 2026: parking and Darb were free on Monday 15 June.
• UAE National Day and New Year’s Day: covered by the same rule, with dates confirmed in the run-up to each holiday.

Ramadan does not make parking free. Standard paid hours still apply Monday to Saturday, and Sunday stays free; what usually changes in Ramadan is the Darb toll gate timings.

Al Ain parking timing

Al Ain follows the same Mawaqif schedule as Abu Dhabi city: paid Monday to Saturday from 8:00 am to midnight, free on Sundays and public holidays, and resident bays permit-only from 9:00 pm to 8:00 am. Standard and premium fees are the same, and Q Mobility runs a customer happiness centre and a vehicle pound in Al Ain. If you drive there daily, it is worth comparing car insurance in Al Ain as well.

How to pay for parking in Abu Dhabi

You can pay for Mawaqif parking by SMS to 3009, in the Darb app, through TAMM, or at Mawaqif payment machines. The SMS format is plate code, plate number, bay type (S for standard or P for premium) and hours, separated by spaces. For example, AUH5 12345 S 1 pays for one hour of standard parking.

Wait for the confirmation SMS before walking away, and reply to the expiry reminder if you need more time. Our Abu Dhabi parking SMS guide covers plate codes for every emirate, GCC cars, extensions and balance checks. Driving an Abu Dhabi car in Dubai? The format there is different, as explained in our guide to paying for parking in Dubai.

For questions or complaints, Mawaqif’s toll-free contact centre is 800 3009, open daily from 7:00 am to midnight.

Abu Dhabi parking fines and how to avoid them

Abu Dhabi parking fines come from two rulebooks: Mawaqif fines for misusing paid bays and permits, and traffic-law fines for dangerous or obstructive parking. For Mawaqif, a 10-minute grace period applies after your paid time ends before an inspector can fine you.

Mawaqif parking fines

Violation	Fine (AED)
Parking without a valid ticket, or after it expires	200
Parking in a resident bay without a permit (9 pm–8 am)	200
Occupying two parking spaces	200
Using a ticket or permit issued for a different area	100
Parking in a bus or taxi bay	500
Using a fake permit or ticket	10,000
Towing to the vehicle pound	500 + 100 per day storage

Traffic-law parking fines: fire hydrants, blocking and pavements

Some of the most expensive parking offences are not Mawaqif fines at all. They fall under the UAE federal traffic law, enforced by Abu Dhabi Police, and apply on any street, any day, including Sundays and public holidays when Mawaqif bays are free.

Violation	Fine (AED)	Black points
Parking in front of a fire hydrant	1,000	6
Parking in a space for people with special needs	1,000	6
Stopping in the middle of the road without a valid reason	1,000	6
Parking behind other vehicles and blocking them	500	—
Leaving a parked vehicle unsecured	500	—
Stopping in a yellow box junction	500	—
Stopping on a pedestrian crossing	500	—
Parking on a pavement	400	—
Stopping in a way that blocks or endangers pedestrians	400	—

Pavement parking can cost more than the traffic-law fine. Abu Dhabi City Municipality separately fines motorists AED 1,000 for parking on sidewalks, sports tracks and other non-designated spaces, as a breach of rules protecting public assets.

Paying a Mawaqif fine within 60 days of issue earns a 25% discount, through the Darb app or TAMM. If you believe a fine is wrong, you can file an objection online within the same 60 days. Unpaid fines grow and can block renewing your Abu Dhabi car registration, so settle them before your renewal date. For speeding, red-light and other road offences, see our full list of Abu Dhabi traffic fines.

Abu Dhabi airport parking fees

Zayed International Airport parking is charged every day, including Sundays, and the first 10 minutes of short-term parking are free. Card payment is accepted at the exit barrier; cash only at the machines in the lift lobbies.

Short-term drive-up parking	Fee (AED)
0–10 minutes	Free
11–15 minutes	10
16–30 minutes	25
31 minutes – 2 hours	35
Up to 3 hours	55
Up to 4 hours	65
Up to 24 hours	125
Each additional day	100

For trips of two days or more, pre-booked long-stay parking is much cheaper than paying AED 100 a day at the drive-up rate.

Pre-booked long-stay parking	Fee (AED)
2–3 days	225
4–7 days	325
8–14 days	400
Days 15–30	+50 per additional day

Long-stay parking must be booked in advance on the airport’s website, with a free shuttle to the terminal. People of Determination get the first three hours free in accessible bays.

Parking, dents and your car insurance

Car parks are where many minor claims start: a reversing scrape, a door ding, a cracked mirror. Whether you are covered depends on your policy. Comprehensive car insurance pays for damage to your own car, while third-party car insurance only covers the damage you cause to others. Our guide to parking-lot damage explains what each policy pays.

If someone hits your parked car, report it to the police and get an Abu Dhabi accident report before you claim. Add-ons are worth a look too: a roadside assistance add-on helps when a flat battery strands you in a car park, and windscreen cover covers chipped or cracked glass.

When your renewal is due, you can get a car insurance quote and spread the cost instead of paying upfront: buy car insurance with Tabby in interest-free instalments, or choose car insurance with Tamara to split your premium into monthly payments. Popular choices with Abu Dhabi drivers include:

• ADNIC car insurance
• Al Ain Ahlia car insurance
• Alwathba car insurance

Final words

Abu Dhabi parking is free on Sundays, on announced public holidays and every night from midnight to 8:00 am, and paid Monday to Saturday from 8:00 am to midnight at AED 2 or AED 3 an hour. Before you leave the car, check three things: the kerb colour, any resident or villa sign, and whether you are in a multi-storey or Free Flow car park. Holiday dates and the coming zoning update are announced by Q Mobility on the Darb app and TAMM.

Frequently asked questions