Summary : Dubai (UAE) Salik Toll Rates in 2026
A Salik crossing costs AED 6 at peak and AED 4 off-peak, plus 5% VAT since 1 June 2026. There are ten gates. Two pairs of them charge once if you cross both within an hour. Every figure here is sourced.
In short. Monday to Saturday, a Salik crossing costs AED 6 at peak and AED 4 off-peak, plus 5% VAT since 1 June 2026 — so AED 6.30 and AED 4.20 at the point of use. Between 01:00 and 06:00 every day there is no toll, and no VAT, because there is nothing to tax.
Salik Toll Rates Dubai 2026: Free Hours, Peak Pricing and the New 5% VAT
Written by the GIG Gulf Motor Team. Reviewed by Vaibhav Shah, ACII.
Published 3 September 2026. Last updated 9 September 2026.In short. Monday to Saturday, a Salik crossing costs AED 6 at peak and AED 4 off-peak, plus 5% VAT since 1 June 2026, so AED 6.30 and AED 4.20 at the point of use. Between 01:00 and 06:00 every day there is no toll, and no VAT, because there is nothing to tax. There are ten gates. Two pairs of them charge once if you cross both within an hour.
How much is Salik in 2026?
AED 6 per crossing at peak and AED 4 off-peak, plus 5% VAT, so AED 6.30 and AED 4.20. The tariff is set by the Roads and Transport Authority. The amount you pay is that tariff plus 5% VAT, which Salik began collecting on 1 June 2026 and remits to the Federal Tax Authority. The tariff itself was unchanged; the VAT is charged on top of it (Gulf News, 22 May 2026).
"We inform our users that, effective from 1 June 2026, a 5% value-added tax will be applied to the usage fees for Salik gates and the activation fees for toll cards."
Salik, official statement, as published 22 May 2026
Salik toll, Monday to Saturday
Sundays. Sunday runs on a single off-peak rate rather than the peak/off-peak split: AED 4, or AED 4.20 with VAT. The overnight free window from 01:00 to 06:00 still applies, as it has since variable pricing went live on 31 January 2025.
Note: one source conflict, stated openly. One report described Sunday as a flat AED 4.20 all day without mentioning the overnight window. Two other reports, and the original variable-pricing launch coverage, state the 01:00–06:00 free window applies seven days a week. We have printed the seven-day version. Confirm on salik.ae before relying on it for a Sunday night journey.
Public holidays. The Sunday flat rate does not apply on public holidays. Gates stay active and the normal peak/off-peak timetable is used. The 01:00–06:00 free window still applies.
When did Salik prices change?
Twice: peak went from AED 4 to AED 6 on 31 January 2025, and 5% VAT was added on 1 June 2026. Variable pricing started on 31 January 2025. The 5% VAT started on 1 June 2026. A rate quoted without VAT is a pre-June figure.
Salik toll rates before and after each change
What it adds up to. A driver crossing four gates a day at peak paid AED 24 before VAT and pays AED 25.20 after. Over a 22-working-day month that is AED 554.40, of which AED 26.40 is VAT. The same four crossings off-peak come to AED 369.60 a month. Two of the four gates in a paired set crossed within the hour count as one, so the true bill can be lower.
How many Salik gates are there in Dubai?
Ten. Al Safa South and Business Bay Crossing opened in November 2024 and are the two most often missed (Gulf News, 29 July 2025).
The paired-gate rule. Two pairs of gates are linked. If you pass both gates in a pair, in the same direction, within one hour, you are charged once. This rule was in place before variable pricing and did not change when the tariff did.
- Al Safa North and Al Safa South, Sheikh Zayed Road
- Al Mamzar North and Al Mamzar South, Al Ittihad Road
How to pass through Salik Gates for free
Between the hours of 1am and 6am every day, passing through all Salik gates is now completely free. Otherwise, Salik toll fees are Dhs6 at rush hour between 6am and 10am and Dhs4 between 10am and 4pm, 8pm to 1am and all day on Sunday.
What are the Salik fines?
AED 50 for a low balance, AED 100 then 200 then 400 for an unregistered plate, and AED 10,000 for tampering. Salik fines relate to the account behind the tag, not to the road itself. There are three (Gulf News, updated 16 August 2026).
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Insufficient funds: AED 50
If your balance is too low when you cross a gate and you do not top up within five working days, you are fined AED 50. The limit is one violation per day per vehicle. Salik sends an SMS alert when the balance is low, but only to the number registered on the account. If your number has changed and you have not updated it, you will not be warned.
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Unregistered plate: AED 100, then AED 200, then AED 400
If you drive through a gate in a vehicle with no Salik tag, you have 10 working days from that first trip to buy, activate and fit one. Miss that and the fines are AED 100 for the first offence, AED 200 for the second and AED 400 for each subsequent offence, limited to one violation per day per vehicle (Gulf News, updated 31 July 2025).
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Tampering or damage: AED 10,000
Tampering with a Salik tag through fraud or manipulation, or damaging a toll gate, a self-service recharge machine or other Salik property, carries a fine of AED 10,000 and may lead to further legal consequences.
Two limits. Salik violations are capped at AED 10,000 per vehicle per calendar year. If you believe a violation was issued in error you have 13 months from the date it was added to your traffic file to dispute it.
Dormant accounts lose their balance. Salik's terms state that an account with no tolls, payments or top-ups for five years becomes inactive, is deactivated, and the remaining balance is forfeited. It applies to drivers who leave the UAE without closing the account.
Where to check. Trips, pending trips and violations are visible on the Smart Salik app, the RTA Dubai app, and salik.ae, where fines can also be paid. Salik's toll-free number is 800 72545.
What should a new driver in Dubai do about Salik?
Get a tag before the first crossing: a tag does not always come with the car. The 10-working-day deadline starts at your first crossing, whether you knew about it or not.
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Get the tag before you drive, not after.
If you cross a gate untagged, you have 10 working days to register, activate and fit one before the AED 100 / 200 / 400 ladder starts.
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Check whether the previous owner's tag transferred.
A tag is linked to a plate. On a used car, confirm the account is in your name, not the seller's, or their low balance becomes your AED 50 fine.
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Know what the starter package covers.
The AED 120 package is AED 50 tag fee, AED 50 prepaid toll credit and AED 20 delivery. Since 1 June 2026 the tag fee carries VAT, so AED 50 becomes AED 52.50.
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Put your current mobile number on the account.
Every low-balance and violation warning goes by SMS to that number and nowhere else.
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Learn the two free windows.
01:00–06:00 daily, and the paired-gate hour.
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Budget for it.
Four peak crossings a day is roughly AED 25.20, or about AED 554 over a 22-working-day month.
How do I buy and activate a Salik tag?
Online at salik.ae for AED 120 delivered, or over the counter at Emarat, EPPCO / ENOC and ADNOC stations, in the Careem app, or at AW Rostamani dealers. If you have already crossed a gate untagged, you have 10 working days from the date and time of that first unpaid trip to buy a tag, activate it and stick it to the windscreen. If you already hold a Salik account, you must also link the new tag to that account inside the same window.
Salik tag purchase routes
Since 1 June 2026 the AED 50 tag fee attracts 5% VAT, making it AED 52.50.
How to activate it. A tag bought online activates itself on payment. A tag bought over the counter does not work until you activate it. Four channels:
- salik.ae
- Smart Salik app, iOS and Android
- RTA Dubai app
- Phone: 800 SALIK (800 72545). Dial, press 1 for Arabic or 2 for English, then press 4 for activation and follow the prompts.
How to fit it. A tag the gantry cannot read counts as no tag, and the AED 100 / 200 / 400 fines apply. One tag per vehicle.
- Position. Stick it 1 cm below the rear-view mirror. On a metallic windscreen, use the dotted area. Never on dark tint.
- Clean. Wipe and dry the exact spot first.
- Peel. Hold the tag by its edges and remove the clear backing.
- Stick. Press one side to the glass, then smooth across so no bubbles form.
How do I recharge Salik?
Nine ways, and one of them, auto top-up in the DubaiNow app, prevents the low-balance fine altogether. The AED 50 fine applies if you do not top up within five working days of a low-balance crossing. There are nine ways to do it (Gulf News, updated 18 January 2025).
The one that prevents the fine: auto top-up. On the DubaiNow app, sign in with UAE Pass, go to Driving, then Salik, add your account number and Salik PIN, set a recharge amount and switch on auto top-up. It recharges automatically once the balance falls below AED 4. With auto top-up on, the balance should not fall low enough to trigger the fine.
The other eight
- salik.ae. Sign in, or create an account with your mobile number plus plate or Salik account number and confirm by OTP. Dashboard, then Recharge, then online payment or a recharge-card number.
- Smart Salik app. Sign in with your Salik account, or set up a profile with plate and mobile, or account number and PIN.
- Dubai Drive app (RTA). Sign in with UAE Pass, select Salik, then Recharge card, enter the amount and pay by card or Apple Pay.
- Careem app. Pay your bills, then Salik, add the account by registered mobile, then plate number and code.
- Tamm app. My utilities, then Salik, select the vehicle, then Top up.
- Banking app. Utilities section of your bank app or online banking. Needs your Salik account number and PIN.
- Kiosk machines. At malls across the UAE. Cash, credit or debit.
- Recharge card. From petrol-station shops in AED 50, AED 100 and AED 200 denominations. Redeem four ways: call 800 72545 and choose recharge, SMS the card number to 5959, enter it at salik.ae, or enter it in the Smart Salik app.
Note: the published guidance does not give a minimum recharge amount. Check salik.ae for that figure.
What goes wrong with Salik most often?
A low balance and a missing tag account for most fines. The ten most common problems, most frequent first:
Note: rows 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9 and 10 are drawn from the sources listed at the end of this article. Rows 5, 7 and 8 are our own reading: the practical consequence of rules that are sourced, not separately reported facts.
Is there a daily cap on Salik?
No. Salik charges every crossing separately, with no daily or monthly ceiling. London's Congestion Charge is one flat daily fee (£18) and Stockholm caps its congestion tax per day; Dubai does not. That is why the 01:00–06:00 window and the paired-gate hour are worth using.
In the first half of 2026 Salik billed 102.9 million trips at the AED 6 peak rate and 146.2 million at the AED 4 off-peak rate; in Q1 2026 peak-hour trips rose 36.6% year on year to 53.7 million while off-peak trips fell 29.4%.
Does Salik affect my car insurance?
No. Salik tolls and Salik fines do not change your premium or your no-claims discount. Unpaid fines do block your annual vehicle registration renewal, and valid insurance is a condition of that renewal, so clear both before the mulkiya is due.
Salik you can budget for. An accident you cannot. GIG Gulf motor policies cover comprehensive and third-party liability across the UAE. If your fine relates to a collision, see our guide to getting your Dubai accident report, and for the rest of the fines schedule see Dubai traffic fines, black points and more.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Salik free at night?
Yes. There is no toll between 01:00 and 06:00, every day. No VAT applies either, because no toll is charged.
How much is Salik now?
AED 6 at peak and AED 4 off-peak, Monday to Saturday. With the 5% VAT added on 1 June 2026 you pay AED 6.30 and AED 4.20 per crossing.
How many Salik gates are there in Dubai?
Ten. Al Safa South and Business Bay Crossing were the most recent, opening in November 2024.
Do I get charged twice for Al Safa North and South?
No. Pass both gates of a pair in the same direction within one hour and you are charged once. The same applies to Al Mamzar North and South.
What happens if I drive through a Salik gate with no tag?
You have 10 working days from that trip to register, activate and fit a tag. After that the fines are AED 100, then AED 200, then AED 400 for each subsequent offence, limited to one per vehicle per day.
What is the fine for a low Salik balance?
AED 50, if you do not top up within five working days of the crossing. One violation per day per vehicle.
Can I dispute a Salik fine?
Yes, within 13 months of the violation being added to your traffic file.
Does Salik cost more on a Sunday?
No. Sunday runs at the off-peak rate all day, AED 4 or AED 4.20 with VAT, with the 01:00 to 06:00 free window still applying.
What is Lighthouse?
Lighthouse is a series of Guides that cover the legalities and practicalities of owning and driving a car in the UAE.
"The UAE is one of the safest and well run countries in the world to own and drive a car. That is due to the Police and RTA's commitment to building the best roads, licencing and safety systems. However, it does mean that those rules, prices and apps change regularly. At GIG, our goal it to make that easier for you by assembling and checking that information".Candace Hildebrandt, Head of Engagement, GIG Gulf
We aim to keep this guide factual and current. Rates, timings and penalties change, so we cite the operator and reputable UAE media, and update this guide as they revise them. Confirm current figures on salik.ae and rta.ae before acting on them.
Sources
- Gulf News, Dubai Parkin, Salik to cost more from June 1, 22 May 2026 (tariff, VAT-inclusive figures, Sunday rate, tag fee, worked example)
- Gulf News, Using Salik in Dubai? New 5% VAT rule starts June 1, 22 May 2026 (the Salik statement quoted above)
- Gulf News, Dubai parking and Salik go up: here is when to drive and park for free, 1 June 2026
- Gulf News, When are Salik gates free in Dubai?, 29 July 2025 (ten-gate list)
- Gulf News, Watch: Variable Salik rates in Dubai from January 31, 30 January 2025
- Gulf News, Petrol, parking and Salik costs rise in Dubai, 31 May 2026
- Gulf News, Eid Al Adha: Salik to apply variable toll rates, 4 June 2025
- Gulf News, Salik fines in Dubai explained, updated 16 August 2026
- Gulf News, Dubai Salik fines capped at Dh10,000 annually
- Gulf News, What to do if you drive through a Salik gate without a tag in Dubai, updated 31 July 2025
- Gulf News, Dubai: 9 ways to recharge your Salik account, updated 18 January 2025
- Gulf News, Changed your mobile number? Update your Salik account to avoid daily fines of Dh50
- Gulf News, Dubai traffic nears normal in June: Salik CEO, 5 August 2026
- Gulf News, Salik Q1 revenue slips on slower Dubai traffic, 11 May 2026
- Transport for London, Land Transport Authority Singapore and Transportstyrelsen Sweden (scheme rates as published by each operator)
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