Running a car in Sharjah

Rules are as of 6 November 2026. The insurance policy is the same in every emirate, so this page covers what changes when you live or drive in Sharjah. Cover itself is in the unified policy guide.

Who do you call after a crash in Sharjah?

Rafid, on 80092 or through the Rafid app, for a minor accident with nobody hurt. Call 999 if anyone is injured.² Rafid Traffic Solutions states it is the official provider of minor accident reporting in Sharjah, 24 hours a day.³

The app route is for two vehicles, no ambulance and no dispute over fault. With more than two vehicles, or a disagreement, contact Rafid on 80092.²

Rafid reports are valid for 30 calendar days and renewal costs extra. If you think the report is wrong, visit a Rafid office within 72 hours of issue to dispute it.² The federal channels, Dubai’s petrol station route and the other emirates are in the accident report guide.

Flood or storm damage. Sharjah Police issues a To Whom It May Concern certificate that covers vehicle damage and vehicle loss, applied for on its website. The service card shows no fee.⁵ Gulf News reported that Sharjah Police issued the certificates free to everyone affected by the April 2024 rains.⁶ What the insurer then needs is in the flood insurance guide.

Where do you register and test your car?

Through Sharjah Police’s traffic and licensing services, in person, online or at a customer service centre. The Sharjah government services directory lists vehicle licence renewal under Sharjah Police General Command. Renewal is yearly after an electronic inspection and insurance. A vehicle under 3 years old needs no inspection, and the insurance must run 13 months.⁷ u.ae says a vehicle is registered with the traffic authority of each emirate, through the service centres, websites and apps of the emirates’ traffic departments and the Ministry of Interior.⁸

Settle all fines on the vehicle first, and buy the policy before you book the test. The order of steps, the 30-day grace period and the 2027 changes are in the registration guide.

Do you pay a toll in Sharjah?

Not in a car. u.ae lists two road toll systems, Salik in Dubai and Darb in Abu Dhabi.¹¹ Sharjah’s gates are for trucks: the Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority launched the implementation phase of Masar, an electronic fee collection system for commercial trucks, in February 2025.¹² In May 2026 the Sharjah Ports, Customs and Free Zones Authority, with SRTA, exempted cargo trucks entering from Oman through the Khatmat Malaha and Al Madam crossings from truck toll gate fees on approved routes, in a WAM release reported by Gulf Business.¹³

Salik starts the moment you cross into Dubai. Gate locations, prices and the 5% VAT from 1 June 2026 are in the Salik guide.

What is the speed limit on your road?

The number on the sign. Neither Sharjah Police nor SRTA published a road-by-road list of radar settings as of 6 November 2026. Sharjah Police’s street speeds page has columns for street speed and radar setting, and it showed no entries on that date.¹⁴ The one limit in federal text is 40 km/h on internal residential streets, Article 33 of the executive regulation.¹⁵

SRTA said the Al Ittihad change matched the speed on the Dubai side and that the road’s peak-hour average speed was 40 km/h or less. Dubai’s RTA had cut its section, from the Sharjah border to Garhoud Bridge, from 100 to 80 km/h on 20 November 2023.¹⁶ Dubai’s published radar margins, Abu Dhabi’s no-buffer rule and the 2027 rule that fines are calculated from the sign are in the road rules guide.

How much do you save by paying a fine early?

35% if you pay within 60 days of the offence. The Sharjah Executive Council’s July 2025 decision applies the 35% to the fine, the impound period, vehicle storage fees and late penalties. From 60 days to one year the discount is 25% on the fine only. Serious violations are excluded.¹ Gulf News published Sharjah Police’s list of 40 excluded violations, which includes red lights, phones at the wheel and failing to keep a safe distance.¹⁸ The Executive Council’s text does not mention black points. Sharjah Police, announcing a points waiver in November 2025, said serious violations and traffic points are excluded from the discount.¹⁹

Pay through the Sharjah Police website or the Ministry of Interior app.¹⁹ Sharjah Police’s FAQ says points that are a year old and have not reached the cumulative limit are erased.²⁰ Dubai publishes no discount, and Abu Dhabi’s scheme and the National Day campaigns elsewhere are in the fine discounts guide.

What happens if your car is impounded?

Two routes: Al Labsah yard, or smart impound at home. Sharjah Police’s FAQ puts the smart impound device at AED 10 a day, allows the car to sit in private parking instead of at home, and says the impound period is up to 30 days. Buying out impound time is AED 100 a day.²⁰ Fine amounts and the impound periods that go with them are federal, in the traffic fines guide.

Sharjah Municipality runs a separate impound for neglected cars. In 2019 it said a plated vehicle gets a 24 to 72 hour warning notice before removal, an unplated vehicle or one offered for sale outside designated areas is towed at once, and release is a three-step process: confirm the car is in the yard on the municipality website, clear any Sharjah Police hold, then pay at the Inspection and Control Department in Industrial Area 5.²¹ In July 2026 the municipality gave owners of vehicles held for more than six months four days to collect them before public auction.²² Before a long trip, move the car off the street or into paid parking with a subscription.

Where and when do you pay for parking?

From 8am to midnight in every paid zone in Sharjah city, Kalba, Khorfakkan and Al Dhaid, since 1 July 2026. Khaleej Times reports the municipality’s figure of about 124,000 paid spaces, free parking on Fridays and official public holidays except in zones charged seven days a week, and unchanged seasonal subscription fees, with the subscriber’s daily exemption rising from 14 to 16 hours.²³ Before that, blue-sign zones had charged until midnight since 1 November 2024 and the rest until 10pm.²⁴

Pay by SMS to 5566 in the form “SHJ 12345 2” for two hours, with the plate source first. The municipality adds 38 fils per SMS to the ticket price. Non-private plates and GCC plates must register first on the Public Parking Department site.²⁵ The Digital Sharjah app and seasonal subscriptions are the other channels.²³

How safe are Sharjah’s roads?

Sharjah Police reported 1.76 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2024, down 24% on 2023, after 12 traffic campaigns.²⁶ For January to October 2025 the rate was 1.18, according to federal traffic coordination reports cited by the force.²⁷ The emirate’s population was 2,135,888 in the 2025 census.²⁸

TomTom’s 2025 index gives Sharjah a congestion level of 50.1%, up 2.4 points, with 79 hours lost in rush hour, the highest of the eight UAE cities ranked. Dubai is 42.7% with 72 hours. Khor Fakkan, in Sharjah’s Eastern Region, is 19.4% with 21 hours.³⁰ National accident, injury and death figures by year are in the UAE traffic statistics study.

Which insurers are based in Sharjah?

Sharjah Insurance Company and Al Buhaira National Insurance Company, both national insurers on the Central Bank register. The register lists names and licence numbers, not addresses.³¹

Where an insurer sits does not change the policy wording, which is in the unified policy guide. Company detail, third-party ratings and claims contacts are on the Sharjah Insurance and Al Buhaira pages.