2025 Guide to Car Parking in Sharjah

The SMS parking in Sharjah has transformed the way residents and visitors handle their parking needs for the better. This smart and cashless parking system eliminates the need for obtaining physical permits or dealing with old-school parking meters.

The city of Sharjah is known for its innovation-driven infrastructure that aims at making living easier both for residents and tourists. One major step in this direction is the advent of the SMS parking system which has considerably improved parking efficiency and convenience in this Emirate.

This detailed guide covers the ins and outs of parking in Sharjah in 2025. This blog will share everything from the parking process to charges to potential fines for violations. So, keep on reading till the end to learn all about car parking in this dynamic area of the UAE.

SMS Parking in Sharjah
The Process for SMS Parking in Sharjah
Methods for Paying Parking Charges in Sharjah
Cross-Emirate Parking in Sharjah
Registration Process for Non-GCC and Non-Private Cars
Sharjah SMS Parking Fees and Timing
Paid Parking Zones in Sharjah
Common Parking Violations and Fines in Sharjah

SMS Parking in Sharjah

With just a simple text message, anyone in Sharjah can initiate their parking sessions in the specific paid parking spots located throughout the Emirate.

You can access this system using all mobile networks in Sharjah such as Etisalat, Virgin Mobile or Du. Users simply have to send a text message to 5566 using a specific format which we will look at shortly. This straightforward and user-friendly method ensures everyone can get a convenient parking spot in no time.

The Process for SMS Parking in Sharjah

Here is how you can use SMS parking in this Emirate

Before initiating the parking, you need to ensure your private vehicles or cars for rent are registered with Sharjah Municipality.
Next, you need to determine your nearest parking zone and its unique zone code by looking at nearby display signs.
After that, you have to send an SMS to 5566 as per the following format

Plate sourcePlate numberDuration

For example, if you wish to park for 3 hours with a plate number AB12 in Sharjah then you will send the message as follows

SH AB12 3

Here

SH: is the source code of the plate (In this case Sharjah)

AB12: is the plate number

3: is the parking duration

After sending this message, you will receive a confirmation text stating that your payment is done and the parking is now active.
If you wish to park longer, you can send another text before the time expires to extend the duration.

Methods for Paying Parking Charges in Sharjah

There are different channels one can use to pay parking charges in Sharjah. You can either use physical machines, Sharjah Municipal Corporation’s website, or the SMS parking process as discussed above to pay your parking fee. In the case of SMS, the parking charges are deducted from your SIM’s balance.

Here are a few more ways you can pay parking fees in Sharjah

Parking Machine

You can find different parking machines near specific parking spots which you can use to pay the fee and print the receipts. Based on parking time, you may have to pay between AED 1 to AED 500 and display the receipt on the dashboard to avoid violations.

Website

Here is how you can pay car parking charges from the official website of the Sharjah Municipal Corporation.

Visit the Sharjah City Municipality’s official website and click on the “Smart Services” option. Then select “Public Parking Department Services” and then choose “Parking subscription”. You can pay the parking fee from here with ease after submitting the required information.

Bank Account

If you frequently need a specific parking spot near the place of your work or your residence, then you can subscribe to annual, semi-annual, or quarterly car parking packages using your bank account details. You can either pay the fee from your mobile banking apps or you can visit any POS terminal and pay in cash.

Cross-Emirate Parking in Sharjah

If you own a vehicle that has a number plate from some other Emirate, you are subject to specific rules when it comes to SMS parking in Sharjah. People from other Emirates can also use SMS parking. However, there is a slight difference in the format that these car owners have to follow.

Plate Source Abbreviations for Vehicles from Other Emirates

For Abu Dhabi car: AUH

For Dubai plate: DXB

For Ajman plate: AJM

For Umm Al Quwain plate: UAQ

For Ras Al Khaimah plate: RAK

For Fujairah plate: FUJ

Registration Process for non-GCC and Non-Private Cars

Here are some quick steps you can follow

Visit the website www.shjmun.gov.ae
Input information such as the username associated with your vehicle’s registration on the website.
Then you can use the format: username (space) number of hours and send it to 5566.
For example, if your username is Ali and you wish to park for 2 hours, you can do it by texting “Ali 2” to 5566.
You can also add the prefix “A” to this format to get the message in Arabic. For example, “A Ali 2”

Alternative Method

You can also use the format i.e., Plate Source Plate Number Number of Hours" and then send this SMS to 5566 to initiate parking.

For example, if your vehicle belongs to Umm Al Quwain and you wish to park in Sharjah for 4 hours, here is how you can do it

Type: UAQ AB12 4

Here

AB12 is the plate number

4 is the number of hours

UAQ represents Umm Al Quwain

You can also use the prefix “A” in this case to get the text in Arabic. For example, A UAQ AB12 4

Sharjah SMS Parking Fees and Timing

Timing

Sharjah has announced the new parking timing of 8:00 AM – 12:00 AM in blue zone paid parking areas which can be identified with blue signage. This signage placed strategically at these parking stations gives you a detailed breakdown of parking usage and fees. The parking hours in the blue zones apply every day of the week and even on the official holidays.
The regular zones follow the old parking timing from 8:00 AM to 10: 00 PM. In these parking zones, parking regulations stay in effect until 10:00 PM.
During public holidays and Fridays, the regular parking zones offer free parking. Zones with blue signage charge the fee on Fridays.
During Ramadan, the parking time in regular zones is extended to 8:00 AM to 12:00 to ensure people can park freely even during the late-night hours.

Parking Fees

Here are the general parking fees in Sharjah