Background

If you drive in Dubai, Salik is almost impossible to avoid. While most motorists know that toll fees are automatically deducted when passing through a Salik gate, fewer people are familiar with the rules surrounding insufficient balance, unregistered vehicles, inactive accounts and outdated contact information — all of which may potentially lead to penalties or other issues.

Based on the latest Salik Terms and Conditions and information published by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), the following are some of the key rules Dubai motorists should understand.

1. Insufficient Salik Balance: Recharge Within 5 Working Days

If your vehicle passes through a Salik toll gate without sufficient balance in the account, the system does not immediately stop the vehicle from completing the journey.

However, the outstanding toll amount must be covered by recharging the Salik account within five working days from the date of the trip.

If the account is not recharged within the applicable grace period, an Insufficient Funds (ISF) violation may be issued.

According to Salik information, the penalty is:

AED 50

Only one Insufficient Funds violation per vehicle per day may be recorded.

Important Reminder

Saturdays, Sundays and officially declared public-sector holidays are excluded when calculating the five-working-day grace period.

Motorists who use Salik regularly should therefore monitor their account balance and avoid relying solely on reminder messages.

2. Vehicle Not Registered with Salik: 10 Working Days to Complete Registration

This rule is particularly relevant for motorists who have:

• Recently purchased a vehicle;
• Changed vehicles; or
• Started using Salik for the first time.

If a vehicle passes through a Salik toll gate before being properly registered with the Salik system, the owner generally has 10 working days from the first trip to register the vehicle and activate the relevant Salik Tag.

If registration is not completed within the permitted period, penalties may apply progressively:

• First violation: AED 100
• Second violation: AED 200
• Third and subsequent violations: AED 400

Only one unregistered-vehicle violation per vehicle per day is generally recorded.

The practical point is straightforward:

Do not assume Salik registration can be postponed after purchasing or changing a vehicle.

Once the 10-working-day period expires, subsequent Salik trips may begin generating violations.

3. Salik-Related Fines Are Capped at AED 10,000 Per Vehicle Per Calendar Year

An important rule that many motorists may not be aware of concerns the annual cap on Salik-system penalties.

Under Salik’s current Terms and Conditions, the aggregate amount of fines relating to Salik-system violations imposed on a single vehicle is capped at:

AED 10,000 per calendar year

For this purpose, the calendar year runs from 1 January to 31 December.

This does not mean that every Salik violation carries a AED 10,000 penalty.

Rather, AED 10,000 is the aggregate annual ceiling for relevant Salik-system fines imposed on one vehicle.

The specific amount applicable to any individual violation remains subject to the relevant Salik and RTA rules and the official determination of the competent authorities.

Motorists should also never attempt to conceal, manipulate, relocate, misuse or deliberately interfere with a Salik Tag or related Salik infrastructure.

4. Think a Salik Violation Is Wrong? A Dispute May Be Submitted

If you believe that a Salik violation has been issued incorrectly, you may be able to submit a dispute.

However, there is an important time restriction.

A Salik toll violation may generally only be disputed where it was posted to the relevant Traffic File within the previous 13 months from the violation issuance date.

Whether a particular violation remains eligible for dispute should be confirmed through the Salik system.

Available Dispute Channels

A dispute may currently be submitted through official channels including:

• Smart Salik App;
• RTA Dubai App;
• Salik official website;
• Salik Call Centre: 800 72545.

After submitting a dispute request, the applicant will receive a reference number that can be used to track the case.

If the dispute is approved, the violation may be cancelled.

Where a fine has already been paid, Salik’s service information indicates that the relevant amount may be refunded where applicable.

5. Salik Account Inactive for 5 Years: Remaining Balance May Be Forfeited

This rule is particularly important for people who:

• Have left the UAE for an extended period;
• Have sold their vehicle;
• Rarely use Salik; or
• Maintain an old Salik account with an unused balance.

According to Salik’s Terms and Conditions, an account may become inactive where, for five consecutive years, there are no qualifying account activities such as:

• Toll transactions;
• Payments; or
• Balance top-ups.

The account may then be classified as an Inactive Salik Account.

Once an account becomes inactive, any remaining balance may be forfeited in accordance with the applicable terms.

Therefore, motorists should not assume that funds left in an unused Salik account will remain available indefinitely.

If you rarely use Salik but intend to keep the account active, periodically review the account status and ensure appropriate account activity where required.

6. Changed Your Mobile Number? Update Your Salik Account

Many Salik-related issues do not occur because motorists deliberately ignore their accounts.

Instead, they may arise because the account holder never receives a notification.

If you change your UAE mobile number without updating the contact details linked to your Salik account, you may miss:

• Low-balance notifications;
• Violation alerts;
• Account notifications;
• Other important service messages.

However, Salik’s Terms and Conditions also clarify that SMS, WhatsApp and email notifications are supplementary services.

The account holder remains responsible for ensuring that:

• Vehicle information is accurate;
• Contact information is up to date; and
• Sufficient account funds are available.

Therefore, not receiving an SMS or other notification does not automatically remove responsibility for a Salik violation.

7. Where Can You Check Salik Trips, Balance and Violations?

Motorists who regularly drive in Dubai should develop the habit of reviewing their Salik account periodically.

You can currently check Salik information through:

• Smart Salik App
• RTA Dubai App
• Official Salik website: salik.ae

These platforms can be used to review information such as:

• Account balance;
• Registered vehicle details;
• Toll transactions;
• Trips;
• Violations.

Salik penalties may also be checked and paid through authorised official channels.

8. 2026 Update: 5% VAT Applies to Salik Tolls

Another development motorists should note is the application of VAT to Salik toll charges.

From 1 June 2026, Salik tolls are subject to the UAE standard VAT rate of 5%.

VAT is charged in addition to the applicable toll amount and deducted from the Salik account.

For motorists who regularly use Salik, this means maintaining slightly more account balance than previously may help reduce the risk of falling into an insufficient-balance position.

Key Numbers Every Dubai Motorist Should Remember

5 Working Days

Grace period to recharge after an insufficient-balance Salik trip.

10 Working Days

Period generally allowed to register a previously unregistered vehicle after its first Salik trip.

AED 50

Insufficient Funds violation penalty.

13 Months

Relevant time limit for disputing an eligible Salik toll violation.

5 Years

Period of inactivity after which a Salik account may become inactive and the remaining balance may be forfeited.

AED 10,000

Aggregate annual cap on relevant Salik-system fines imposed on one vehicle per calendar year.

Practical Reminder

For motorists driving regularly in Dubai, Salik compliance is not limited to simply keeping enough balance in the account.

It is also important to:

• Register newly purchased or changed vehicles promptly;
• Keep mobile numbers and contact information updated;
• Review toll transactions and violations periodically;
• Submit disputes within the applicable time limit;
• Monitor old or rarely used accounts;
• Maintain sufficient balance to cover tolls and applicable VAT.

Regularly reviewing your Salik account is one of the simplest ways to reduce avoidable penalties and administrative issues.