Quick answer: Salik.ae is the official site (not salik.gov.ae) to recharge your tag, view tolls (AED 4–6 per crossing), and dispute charges. Register via the portal or app.
If you're trying to pay a toll, check a fine, or recover a missing trip, you've probably typed "salik gov ae" into Google and landed on something that didn't look quite right. Here's the straight story on which site is real, what you can do there, and where most people get tripped up.
There is no official UAE government portal at "salik.gov.ae". Salik is operated by Salik Company PJSC, a publicly-listed Dubai company, and its official website is salik.ae — not a .gov.ae domain. You can recharge your tag, view trips, dispute charges, and check violations there or through the Salik mobile app. The RTA (Roads and Transport Authority) regulates the system, but day-to-day account management runs through salik.ae and the app. If you saw "salik gov ae" somewhere, double-check the URL before entering card details.
Salik started as an RTA toll system in 2007. In 2022, it was carved out and listed on the Dubai Financial Market as Salik Company PJSC (ticker: SALIK). The RTA still holds a concession-style relationship and regulates tolling, but the operator is now a listed company — not a government department. That's why the domain is salik.ae, not salik.gov.ae. [1][2]
Honestly, the confusion is fair. Most UAE public services do sit on .gov.ae subdomains (think mohre.gov.ae, moi.gov.ae). Salik is the outlier because it was privatised. If a site shows up as "salik.gov.ae" in a search snippet or an SMS link, treat it as suspicious. Phishing sites mimicking Salik have circulated for years, usually asking you to "pay a pending toll" or "update card details." Real Salik notifications don't ask for full card numbers by SMS link.
If you remember one thing: salik.ae is the real site. Anything else is not.
The official portal and the Salik app cover the full account lifecycle:
The mobile app does almost everything the website does, and frankly it's faster for recharges and checking violations on the go.
A standard Salik crossing is AED 4. From the variable pricing rollout, peak-hour crossings at certain gates went to AED 6, and off-peak late-night/Sunday crossings can be AED 4 or lower depending on the gate. Check salik.ae for the current matrix — it has been updated more than once. [4]
If you pass a gantry with insufficient balance or no tag, the violation fee is AED 50 per crossing, on top of the toll itself. Unpaid violations escalate:
Watch out: Rental cars. If you drive a rental through a Salik gate, the rental company will charge the toll back to you, usually with an admin fee of AED 5–25 per crossing. That admin fee is the rental company's, not Salik's. Read your rental contract.
These scams follow a recognisable pattern. An SMS or WhatsApp message will say something like: "Your Salik account has an unpaid toll of AED 7. Pay now to avoid a fine: [link]." The link looks vaguely official — sometimes literally "salik-gov-ae.com" or "salikuae.net" or a shortened bit.ly URL.
Red flags:
If you're unsure, close the message, open the Salik app directly, and check your account. Report phishing to the UAE's aman service (police non-emergency) or via the eCrime platform run by Dubai Police. [6]
Most Salik issues — wrong charges, tag malfunctions, account problems — get resolved through Salik's own customer service (800 72545) or the dispute function on salik.ae. Give them 5–10 working days.
If Salik refuses a legitimate dispute, or if violations are blocking your vehicle registration unfairly, the next step is the RTA, since it remains the regulator. You can file a complaint through the RTA's customer happiness channels or the Dubai Government's TAMM-equivalent (in Dubai, it's the Dubai Now app and rta.ae).
For genuinely large disputes — say, a billing error running into thousands of dirhams, or a refused refund — you may need to consider a civil claim. The Dubai Courts' small claims tribunal handles disputes up to AED 50,000 and is usually the proportionate venue. Before going that route, send a formal written demand and keep every screenshot and trip log.
For more on traffic and tolling rules, see our traffic law category.
Salik is privatised. The site is salik.ae, not salik gov ae. Pay your tolls, set auto-recharge, and ignore any SMS link that doesn't go to the real domain.
---
Citations
[1] Salik Company PJSC, Investor Relations — corporate structure and IPO listing on DFM, 2022. salik.ae/investors [2] RTA Dubai, Salik concession overview. rta.ae [3] Salik Company PJSC, "Get a Salik Tag" — registration and pricing. salik.ae [4] Salik Company PJSC, "Toll Gates and Tariffs" — variable pricing details. salik.ae [5] RTA Dubai, traffic fines and vehicle registration renewal rules. [6] Dubai Police eCrime platform — ecrime.ae.
Need this checked for your situation? Talk to a UAE-licensed lawyer →
Sub-questions our research cluster pulls together — each links to its full Tier-B/C answer.
RTA Ras Al Khor is Dubai's vehicle testing and registration hub with Tasjeel, Shamil, Tamam, and Wasel centres. Tests cost around AED 170 and take 30–45 minutes.
# RTA Theory Test in Urdu Language: What You Need to Know If you're a learner driver in Dubai who's more comfortable in Urdu than English or Arabic, here's the short version: yes, you can sit the RTA theory test in Urdu language, and it's been an option at Roads and Transport Aut
Renew Dubai vehicle registration online or in-person with valid inspection, 13-month insurance, and AED 420 fee. Late renewal costs AED 500/month.
This is general legal information, not legal advice. For advice tailored to your specific situation, consult a UAE-licensed lawyer.
Did this answer your question?
© 2026 uaelaw.ai