Many people in Dubai know the big road fines. Few people know the small daily fines. A short metro ride can still cost you money. A drip from your air conditioner can cost you money too. Bolo Asan made this guide for people who live here. It lists common fines in Dubai from official law pages only. Every amount below comes from a law or an official page. Bolo Asan read each page before writing this guide.
Dubai does not use one single fines list. Each authority sets fines inside its own law. The Roads and Transport Authority sets public transport fines. Dubai Municipality sets cleanliness fines for streets and homes. Federal traffic rules add fines for drivers and riders. Each law prints its own table of acts and amounts. This guide follows those tables one by one. You can open each law from the links in this post. Check your own fine on the RTA fines page before you pay.
Metro and Bus Fines Riders Miss
The metro and bus fines sit in one official schedule. Executive Council Resolution No. 3 of 2026 changed that schedule. The new schedule started on 17 February 2026. It replaced the old Schedule 3 on public transport fines. The law calls the travel card the Unified Card. Riders in Dubai know this card as the Nol card. Bolo Asan lists the acts riders meet most often below.
| Act on public transport | Fine |
|---|---|
| Riding without paying the fare | AED 200 |
| Failing to show the Unified Card on request | AED 200 |
| Using a card made for another person | AED 200 |
| Using an expired card | AED 200 |
| Using an invalid card | AED 200 |
| Using a counterfeit card | AED 500 |
| Selling Unified Cards without RTA permission | AED 200 |
| Smoking inside public transport or its buildings | AED 200 |
| Spitting or littering on public transport | AED 200 |
| Eating or drinking in a banned area | AED 100 |
| Placing feet on seats | AED 100 |
| Sleeping in shelters or banned sleeping places | AED 300 |
| Sitting in areas kept for set groups | AED 100 |
| Bringing animals inside, guide dogs aside | AED 100 |
| Causing a disturbance to other users | AED 100 |
| Damaging or breaking equipment or seats | AED 2,000 |
| Carrying alcoholic drinks inside | AED 500 |
| Carrying risky items like weapons or sharp tools | AED 2,000 |
| Selling or promoting goods inside | AED 200 |
| Ignoring inspectors or blocking their work | AED 200 |
| Misusing lifts, escalators or travelators | AED 100 |
| Climbing or jumping on transport buildings | AED 100 |
| Entering restricted areas past warning signs | AED 100 |
| Standing or sitting in non passenger areas | AED 100 |
| Using transport against RTA signboard rules | AED 200 |
Some amounts in this list surprise long time riders. Opening doors on a moving vehicle now costs AED 400. The 2026 schedule raised that act from older lists. Carrying items that annoy or endanger users costs AED 400. Blocking the driver view or distracting the driver costs AED 400. These three acts sat lower in older printed lists. The new schedule treats them as safety acts now. Read the full schedule on the Dubai legislation portal. The portal holds the law text for anyone to check.
The Safety Device Fine Few Riders Know
One metro fine stands far above the rest. Using a safety or security device without need costs AED 4,000. The schedule names emergency exits inside that same act. The old schedule charged AED 2,000 for this act. The 2026 schedule doubled it to AED 4,000. No other daily rider act comes close to it. Keep your hands off emergency buttons and exits. Use them only in a real emergency. This single rule saves more money than any other tip. Bolo Asan puts it first in every talk on common fines in Dubai.
Parking near the metro carries its own daily fine. Leaving a car in metro user parking too long costs money. The schedule charges AED 100 for each extra day. The total for this act stops at AED 1,000. Drivers who leave cars there all week pay most. Plan your parking time before you start your trip.
Clean Streets Fines at Home and Outside
Dubai Municipality fines keep streets, beaches and parks clean. The hygiene schedule sits under Local Order No. 11 of 2003. Executive Council Resolution No. 14 of 2015 updated that schedule. The schedule lists 42 acts with fixed amounts. Many acts happen during normal home life. Bolo Asan lists the acts residents meet most below.
| Cleanliness act | Fine |
|---|---|
| Spitting in public places | AED 500 |
| Spitting or littering paan residue in public | AED 1,000 |
| Littering waste in public places | AED 500 |
| Disposing of waste outside set disposal sites | AED 1,000 |
| Dumping waste in sea, beaches, creek or ports | AED 1,000 |
| Dumping tree or garden waste in wrong places | AED 1,000 |
| Spilling car wash water in wrong places | AED 500 |
| Air conditioner water dripping on pavements or roads | AED 100 |
| Disposing of waste by open burning | AED 1,000 |
| Making a fire or barbecuing in a banned public place | AED 500 |
| Leaving a pet waste in a public place | AED 500 |
| Affixing posters or ads that spoil public views | AED 1,000 |
| Moving a Dubai Municipality waste container without approval | AED 200 |
| Picking recyclable waste from a Municipality container | AED 1,000 |
| Damaging a waste container or its base | AED 1,000 |
| Parking near a waste container and blocking emptying | AED 1,000 |
The balcony rule catches many flat residents by surprise. The schedule fines items that spoil the view of a building. Leaving goods on a balcony can cost AED 500. The act covers roofs and public places too. The law looks at the look of the whole building. A tidy balcony keeps you clear of this fine.
Neglected cars also appear in this same schedule. Leaving a vehicle unattended in a public place costs AED 500. The act must harm health, safety or the environment. The law then allows impoundment after the notice period ends. Washing that same car in a wrong place costs AED 500. Both acts sit in one row of daily life. Keep your car clean and move it on time.
Buildings carry cleaning duties inside this schedule too. Failing to clean or manage a building properly costs AED 1,000. Failing to keep waste containers ready costs AED 500. Putting harmful items inside a waste container costs AED 1,000. These rows hit building owners and managers most. Tenants feel them through building service charges later. Ask your building team how it handles waste rooms.
Tram Fines Drivers Forget Near the Tracks
The Dubai Tram runs along normal roads in some areas. Drivers share road space with the tram every day. Executive Council Resolution No. 1 of 2014 regulates the tram. Its Schedule 2 lists fines for acts near the tracks. Crossing the tracks outside marked crossings costs AED 1,000. Entering a prohibited tram zone costs AED 1,000. Throwing waste on the tracks costs AED 500. Blocking the tram on its right of way costs AED 3,000. Interfering with tram safety or operations costs AED 2,000. Few drivers expect common fines in Dubai at a tram crossing.
The red light rule at tram crossings hits hardest. Driving through a red light there costs AED 2,000 to AED 5,000. That amount applies with no accident at all. An accident with bodily injury raises it to AED 15,000. The fine range for injury starts at AED 5,000. An accident with a death raises the range again. That range runs from AED 10,000 to AED 30,000. Each case also brings a licence withdrawal period. The shortest withdrawal period lasts thirty days. Schedule fines double for a repeat act within one year. The tram law caps that doubling at AED 500,000.
Rain and Valley Fines From Federal Traffic Rules
Rain in the UAE brings fines many drivers never heard about. The Ministry of Interior announced new rain violations in 2023. The changes sit inside Ministerial Resolution No. 178 of 2017. Article 113 covers gathering near valleys, torrents and dams. Gathering there during rainy weather costs AED 1,000. That act also adds six traffic points. Article 114 covers entering valleys with flowing rainwater. Entering a flowing valley costs AED 2,000. It also adds twenty three traffic points. The law adds sixty days of vehicle impoundment there.
Article 117 covers blocking the work of authorities. Blocking traffic, ambulance or rescue work costs AED 1,000. That act adds four traffic points. It also adds sixty days of vehicle impoundment. These fines apply during emergencies, disasters and heavy rain. Bolo Asan lists them among common fines in Dubai for one reason. Many residents drive out to watch rain water for fun. That fun trip can turn into three separate fines. Stay away from valleys and dams on rainy days. Follow police and civil defence instructions on the road.
E-Scooter Fine Riders Learn Too Late
Many riders buy an e-scooter and ride the same day. Dubai asks riders on set streets to hold a permit. The RTA runs a free online permit platform. Riders pass a short awareness course on the RTA website. The course teaches scooter rules, signs and safe areas. Riders must be at least sixteen years old. Riding without a permit on those streets costs AED 200. The RTA news page states this fine in plain words. It names Executive Council Resolution No. 13 of 2022 below it.
Some riders do not need the RTA permit. A valid vehicle driving licence covers the rider. An international driving licence also covers the rider. A motorcycle licence also covers the rider. Everyone else needs the free permit first. The permit costs nothing and the course sits online. Taking it early removes this fine from your life. Bolo Asan counts it among the easiest common fines in Dubai to avoid.
Common Fines in Dubai Inside Multi Storey Car Parks
Multi storey car parks in Dubai now read your plate. Parkin runs these buildings for the RTA. Its multistorey page explains a service called PayLater. PayLater gives you forty eight hours to pay after leaving. The page states the trap in one clear line. Unpaid fees after forty eight hours bring a fine. That fine is AED 1,000 for one missed payment. The same page lists the normal parking prices. One hour costs AED 5.25 including VAT. One full day costs AED 42 including VAT.
The page also gives drivers a small safety window. Paying inside the building gives you twenty minutes to exit. Those twenty minutes carry no extra charge. Use that window and leave without stress. Set a phone reminder when you use PayLater. A forgotten small fee grows into a big fine here. Public car park fines sit in Executive Council Resolution No. 5 of 2016. Check any parking fine on the RTA fines page too.
Licence and ID Fines People Miss at Renewal Time
Some common fines in Dubai grow quietly month by month. The RTA driving licence renewal page names one of them. A late licence renewal costs AED 10 per month. The RTA counts it from the licence expiry date. The total for this fine stops at AED 500. The same page says an eye test stays valid three years. Renew on time and this fine never starts.
Emirates ID fines work in a similar daily way. The u.ae Emirates ID page states the late renewal fee. Renewing more than one month after expiry costs AED 20 daily. The total late fee stops at AED 1,000. The same page sets a duty to report data changes. Card holders must tell ICP about changes within one month. The ICP issuance page fines late reporting of data changes. Late reports cost AED 20 for each day of delay. That total also stops at AED 1,000. Update your phone number and address with ICP early. Bolo Asan sees this fine surprise many long term residents.
How Bolo Asan Readers Check and Pay a Fine
The RTA fines enquiry page covers vehicle and passenger fines. You can open it on the RTA website today. You enter your details or log in with UAE Pass. The page then shows your fines for payment. RTA also takes fines through its Mahboub chatbot. The RTA Dubai app carries the same service. You can pay fines for other people on the app. The service gives a payment receipt by email. Passenger transport fines send the receipt by SMS too. The whole service runs instantly on every channel.
Keep one extra charge in mind at payment time. RTA adds a Knowledge and Innovation fee per fine. That fee is AED 20 for each fine. It sits on top of the fine amount itself. The RTA page also lists what you need ready. You need one detail from a short list. The list holds fine number and plate details. It also holds licence number and traffic file number. You can pay Dubai fines and other emirate fines there. The page even covers municipality and GCC country fines. Cash and credit card both work at counters.
How to Dispute a Fine You Think Is Wrong
The RTA fines page explains the dispute route in full. You can dispute illegal transport fines free of charge. You start on the RTA website dispute page. Many common fines in Dubai end at this dispute desk. You log in with your username or UAE Pass. You then enter the fine information on screen. You upload the documents the page asks for. The list starts with the fine number itself. It also asks for your Emirates ID copy. It asks for vehicle ownership papers as well. A bank letter helps if you already paid. That letter must show your bank account number. A payment receipt joins the same document list.
RTA saves your dispute inside its grievances system. You receive a reference number for the dispute. RTA sends the result by SMS to you. The page promises that reply within thirty working days. That period can grow if RTA needs more time. An approved dispute cancels the fine in the system. RTA then refunds the money to your bank account. The refund lands within five days of approval. Keep every receipt until the refund arrives safely. Bolo Asan asks readers to dispute only fines with real errors.
Daily Habits That Keep Your Money Safe
Small habits block most common fines in Dubai each week. Keep your Nol card balance ready before every trip. Eat and drink before you enter the metro. Keep your feet on the floor inside trains. Carry a small bag for your daily rubbish. Use bins on streets, beaches and parks. Clean up after your pet on every walk. Book barbecue spots only where the Municipality allows fires. Check your balcony from the street once a month. Fix air conditioner drips as soon as you see them.
Drivers can build the same kind of habit list. Give the tram its space at every crossing. Never cross tram tracks outside marked crossings. Keep away from valleys and dams during rain. Renew your driving licence before its expiry date. Update your Emirates ID details within one month. Pay multi storey parking fees the same day. Take the free e-scooter course before your first ride. These habits cost little time and save real money. Share this list with family members who drive here.
Questions Readers Ask Bolo Asan
Why did my friend pay less for a metro act last year?
The public transport schedule changed in February 2026. Executive Council Resolution No. 3 of 2026 replaced Schedule 3. Some acts kept the same amount as before. Some acts rose under the new schedule. Opening doors on moving transport now costs AED 400. Misusing a safety device now costs AED 4,000. Always check the current schedule before you compare fines.
Does the eating fine cover chewing gum on the metro?
The schedule fines eating and drinking in banned areas. It sets that act at AED 100. The schedule does not print a separate chewing gum row. Inspectors treat food and drink acts under that row. Keep snacks and drinks closed inside your bag. Eat at the station food areas instead.
Can I pay a Sharjah fine on the RTA page?
Yes, the RTA fines page covers other emirates too. The page says you can pay fines issued in other emirates. It also covers municipalities and GCC countries. Unpayable fines stay with the authority that issued them. The page sends you to that authority for those.
What happens if I dispute a fine and win?
RTA cancels the fine inside its system first. It then refunds the money to your bank account. The refund arrives within five days of approval. You track the dispute with its reference number. RTA shares the result with you by SMS.
Is the e-scooter permit really free in Dubai?
Yes, the RTA permit platform charges no fee. RTA launched it as a free electronic platform. You pass an awareness course on the RTA website. Licence holders skip the permit under the same rules. Riding without one on set streets costs AED 200.
Why does RTA add AED 20 to my fine payment?
The RTA fines page lists a Knowledge and Innovation fee. RTA charges AED 20 for each fine you pay. The fee sits apart from the fine amount. It appears on vehicle and passenger transport fines. Your receipt shows the full amount you paid.
Can a building fine reach me as a tenant?
The hygiene schedule fines the person who breaks its rules. Some rows target building owners and managers directly. Other rows target the person doing the act. A pet waste act fines the pet owner. A dirty building row fines the building side. Read your tenancy contract for shared building costs. It is one of the common fines in Dubai tenants debate most.
Where can I read the full official fines lists?
The Dubai legislation portal holds the law texts online. It holds the public transport schedule from 2026. It also holds the hygiene schedule from 2015. It holds the tram resolution from 2014 too. The Ministry of Interior site holds the rain violations. Read the law text before you rely on any summary.
A Short Word Before You Go
Common fines in Dubai punish small acts by design. The city wants clean streets and safe shared spaces. It also wants calm and safe public transport. Every fine in this guide links to a real law. Bolo Asan checked each amount on its official page. Then pay it or dispute it with your papers ready. A few careful minutes today protect your salary tomorrow.
This article gives general information about fines in Dubai. It does not give legal advice for any single case. Laws and fine schedules can change after publication. Check the current amount before you pay or dispute a fine. Use the official RTA or Dubai Municipality pages for that check. The Dubai legislation portal and Ministry of Interior pages help too.
Last Updated: 20 October 2026
