Starting next month, motorists in Dubai will no longer be able to feed coins into parking meters. Parkin, the emirate’s largest public parking operator, confirmed that cash payment options at its meters will be discontinued from June 1 as part of Dubai’s Cashless Strategy for 2026.
Nol cards — already embedded in the daily routines of commuters using the city’s public transport — will remain an accepted payment method. Parkin is also directing drivers toward its mobile application, which supports remote session extensions, payment history tracking, and expiry alerts. Parking fees can additionally be settled through the Dubai Now and RTA apps.
The company noted that using the app sidesteps the extra charges that come with SMS-based parking payments — a practical nudge for drivers who haven’t yet made the digital switch.
June 1 also brings a separate but related cost change: Parkin will begin applying a five percent Value Added Tax to its parking tariffs, implemented in coordination with relevant government authorities under UAE tax regulations. Salik, Dubai’s sole toll gate operator, made a parallel announcement on Friday, confirming it will apply the same five percent VAT on toll usage tariffs and tag activation fees from the same date.
Drivers who rely on paid public parking are advised to have either an active Nol card or the Parkin app ready before the deadline. Parkin manages hundreds of thousands of parking spaces across Dubai, and the removal of cash handling is expected to cut the operational costs tied to meter-level cash collection and processing.
