You’re rushing to renew your vehicle registration. You get to the RTA centre at 5pm. The doors are locked. A sign says “closed.” You had no idea hours changed for Ramadan.
Or you’re planning a late-night iftar dinner with friends. You check if the metro runs after midnight. You assume it does. It doesn’t always.
These are real situations that catch residents and visitors off guard every single year. Getting your timings wrong during Ramadan in Dubai costs you time, money, and serious frustration.
So let’s fix that right now. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) just released all updated Ramadan 2026 timings. Here’s everything broken down clearly so you don’t get caught out.
RTA Customer Centres: Your New Visit Windows
RTA’s customer happiness centres don’t follow the same schedule during Ramadan. Each location has different hours. Walking in at the wrong time means a wasted journey.
Here’s the updated breakdown for every major centre:
Deira, Al Twar, Al Manara and Al Kifaf centres: Monday to Thursday open from 9am to 5pm. Friday hours run from 9am to noon only. Plan your visits carefully around the Friday half-day.
Al Barsha centre: Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm. This centre runs five days without the Friday cutback, giving you slightly more flexibility.
Umm Ramool centre: Open around the clock, 24 hours a day. If you need RTA services outside normal hours, this is your only option. Keep this one saved in your phone.
The Friday window is the one that trips people up most. A standard Friday noon cutoff means you have three hours of morning access at best. If you wake up late, you’ve missed your chance entirely. Set an alarm. Go early.
Vehicle Testing and Registration: The Split Shift System
This is where Ramadan schedules get interesting. Service provider centres including Tasjeel and other registration and technical inspection facilities across Dubai are switching to split shifts.
Morning sessions run from 8am to 4pm at most locations. Then services pause. Evening sessions kick back in from 8pm until midnight. This gap in the middle exists so staff can break their fast and rest.
There’s one important detail to watch. Between 4pm and 8pm at selected centres, only technical inspection services are available. Vehicle registration stops during that window. So if you need to register your vehicle, don’t show up at 7pm expecting full service. You’ll only get inspection.
Friday schedules work like this at most locations: morning from 8am to noon, then evening sessions starting from either 4pm or 8pm depending on the specific centre. Check which applies to your nearest location before driving there.
Several inspection facilities operate evening services during Ramadan to manage the volume. Al Awir, Nad Al Hamar, Al Jaddaf, and Motor City all have evening availability. Some of these centres will also provide limited inspection services on Sundays, which is unusual and worth taking advantage of if weekdays don’t work for you.
The evening window from 8pm to midnight is genuinely useful. You finish work, break your fast, handle a few things at home, and still have time to get to a testing centre. It works surprisingly well once you plan around it.
Paid Parking: Two Windows, One Important Gap
Parking rules during Ramadan in Dubai change significantly. The RTA is running paid parking enforcement in two separate windows each day.
Window one: 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.
Window two: 8pm to midnight, Monday to Saturday.
That gap between 6pm and 8pm? Free parking across all paid zones. The timing aligns with iftar. It’s a genuine consideration for residents who drive to break their fast somewhere outside home.
Plan your evening outings around this. Arrive before 8pm and you park without paying. Stay beyond midnight and you don’t pay either. The paid window ends at midnight for surface-level zones.
Multi-storey parking buildings don’t follow the same rules. These operate 24 hours without interruption. If you need overnight parking or parking outside the standard zones, multi-storey options remain available regardless of Ramadan timing changes.
Salik toll gates continue operating normally throughout Ramadan. The tolls don’t pause. Factor this into your travel planning, especially if you’re making multiple daily trips during the adjusted schedule.
Metro and Tram: The Extended Hours That Change Everything
This is the good news section. Public transport during Ramadan in Dubai actually gets better in some ways. Metro hours extend on key days. The tram runs late. You have more transport options than you might expect.
Dubai Metro timings during Ramadan:
Monday to Thursday, both Red and Green lines run from 5am to midnight. That’s a solid 19-hour window covering most needs.
Friday brings extended service. Trains run from 5am right through to 1am on Saturday morning. Late-night Friday plans are very much possible.
Saturday maintains the midnight cutoff, running 5am to midnight.
Sunday runs differently. The metro starts later at 8am and finishes at midnight. If you have an early Sunday appointment, plan for alternative transport before 8am.
Dubai Tram timings during Ramadan:
Monday to Saturday, the tram operates from 6am to 1am the following morning. This is generous coverage and actually extends beyond what many people expect.
Sunday sees a later start. Tram service begins at 9am and continues through to 1am.
The tram connects Dubai Marina, JBR, and Palm Jumeirah areas. These are heavy traffic zones during Ramadan evenings when everyone heads out after iftar. Late-night tram service here is genuinely valuable.
For bus schedules, the RTA points passengers toward the S’hail app. Bus routes adjust during Ramadan and the most accurate real-time information lives in that app. Download it if you haven’t already. Marine transport schedules appear on the RTA website directly.
The Evening Rush You Need to Anticipate
Ramadan flips Dubai’s daily rhythm. Mornings are quieter. Late evenings are busier than most cities see on a Friday night.
The metro after 9pm fills with families heading to malls, iftar gatherings, and night markets. Tram stations near Marina and JBR get crowded between 9pm and 11pm. Roads around Downtown Dubai, Business Bay, and JBR experience heavy traffic from 8pm until well past midnight.
If you’re visiting during Ramadan in Dubai for the first time, this rhythm will surprise you. Don’t plan quiet evening outings expecting empty transport. Build extra travel time into any post-iftar plans. The city is genuinely busy late at night during this month.
The 6pm to 8pm window moves the opposite direction. Roads clear. Metro carriages empty. Streets near offices and business districts go quiet. This is your golden window for running quick errands, getting across the city fast, or finding parking near popular areas before the evening rush builds.
Planning Your Days Around the New Schedule
Practical advice matters more than just knowing the timings. Here’s how to use this information properly.
For vehicle registration and inspections: Book appointments online before you go. Walk-ins are fine but Ramadan concentrates demand into fewer hours. An appointment means you’re guaranteed service within your visit.
For metro travel: If you need to be somewhere early Sunday morning, metro doesn’t start until 8am. Plan alternative transport or adjust your timing.
For parking: Take advantage of the 6pm to 8pm free window. Schedule evening meetings, restaurant visits, or shopping trips to start in this window. Park before 8pm and your first two hours often cost nothing.
For RTA customer centre visits: Tuesday through Thursday mornings offer the most comfortable visit windows. Monday tends to be busier after the weekend. Friday is genuinely limited, especially at centres that close at noon.
For the Umm Ramool centre: Keep this in mind for urgent needs outside normal hours. It’s your only 24-hour RTA option. Know its location before an emergency forces you to find it under pressure.
What This Means for Tourists Specifically
Visitors to Dubai during Ramadan need this information differently than residents. You’re likely using public transport more heavily. You probably need to understand parking rules for rental cars. You might visit RTA service points if issues arise.
Metro timings matter most. The Sunday 8am start time is the one to remember. Weekend visitors planning early Sunday activities need alternative plans before that hour.
The tram’s 6am start Monday through Saturday works well for tourists heading to Marina and JBR areas earlier in the day when temperatures are cooler and attractions are quieter.
Paid parking enforcement hours mean renting a car during Ramadan carries predictable costs. The free window around iftar is a genuine benefit. Use it deliberately.
The Bigger Picture
Dubai handles Ramadan transport logistics better each year. The RTA’s communication this year came earlier than previous announcements. The split-shift system at testing centres shows genuine operational creativity.
The extended metro hours on Friday and the late-night tram service reflect an understanding of how people actually move during Ramadan. Residents break fast, rest briefly, then head out. Transport being available at 11pm and midnight serves real demand.
The two-window parking system aligns fee enforcement with actual activity patterns. Charging between 8am and 6pm covers the working day. Resuming at 8pm catches the evening rush. The gap in between respects the iftar hour across the city.
Understanding all of this before Ramadan starts means you move through Dubai smoothly while everyone else figures it out the hard way. Save this guide. Share it with people who’ll need it. And set reminders for those Friday noon cutoffs before they catch you by surprise.
