Dubai Salik system

The government of the UAE invests millions of dollars into its transportation system. The result is very impressive — the country has perfect roads. But there is a huge problem—heavy traffic. During the rush hours, traffic jams may stretch for dozens of kilometres. That’s why the road user fee system, called Salik, was introduced in 2007. RTA claimed that this road charge could decrease the traffic jams on main roads by 25%.

So now, certain roads have tollgates (special checkpoints), passing each of them you have to pay 5 AED. Among these roads are Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Garhoud Bridge, Airport Road, Al Maktoum Bridge, Al Ittihad Road. You can see a complete list of tollgates on the government’s official website.

So, if you plan to drive in Dubai, you have to be aware of the Salik payments and the location of tollgates. We recommend you build your route using a GPS navigator and plan driving on the free roads if you do not need to hurry.

If you plan an extended stay and rent a car monthly in Dubai, you must install the official RTA app and create a Salik account online. When you log into your account, you will see your balance that must be regularly recharged. Each time you pass a tollgate, the fee will be charged automatically. If there isn’t enough money in your account to pay Salik, you have to recharge it within five days. Otherwise, you will get a significantly larger fine than the regular payment of the Salik fee.

For a short-term car rental, the Salik fee will be covered from the deposit money after Di Marca company receives the information about the number of Salik gates you passed.