Virtual parking permits

In July 2024 Aberdeen City Council moved to a new way of issuing parking permits. Paper parking permits will be replaced by virtual permits. This means that you will no longer display a physical permit on your vehicle.

Important: You only need to change to a virtual permit when your paper permit is due to expire. When your paper permit expires you must register for an online account and make a new permit application. Please see our help videos for more information.

Permit types

Aberdeen City Council issue different types of permits including residential (fixed and flexible permits), car park, business, and contractor. We also issue parking vouchers for certain parking zones.

For information about these permits, including prices and supporting documents please visit the individual permit page.

Controlled Parking Zones

A Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) is an area where parking is controlled to benefit residents, businesses and visitors. To park within a Controlled Parking Zone you need to either pay the appropriate parking fee or have a valid permit assigned to your vehicle. Your CPZ will be identified automatically by your address as part of your parking permit application.

Where can you park

You can only use your parking permit within your controlled parking zone in:

Residents only areas.
Parking bays.
Ticket zones.

If you don’t have a parking permit you will need to pay the appropriate parking fee.

Parking permits are not valid when parking on single/double yellow lines or in places with any other type of parking restrictions e.g. loading only bays. In some locations free parking bays are available with a time limit on how long a vehicle can be parked, parking permits holders are not exempt from the time limit.

Having a parking permit does not guarantee a parking space.

Apply for a virtual parking permit

Parking permit applications and renewals must be made online. Once you have applied and paid for your permit, you will be issued with a virtual permit. This means that you will no longer display a paper permit, instead your vehicle will be covered by a virtual permit.

Remember, you only need to apply for a virtual permit when your paper permit is due to expire. When your paper permit expires you must register for an online account and make a new permit application.

To apply for a virtual permit, please select a permit type from the top of this page.

Help applying for a virtual permit

We recognise that you may need support to apply online. You can ask a friend, family member or support worker to apply on your behalf.

Watch our help videos

If you require dedicated support from us to apply, you can phone our Customer Contact Centre and we can provide guidance over the telephone or book an appointment for you if additional assistance is required.

More information

Please read the information below by clicking on one of the headings

Apply for a virtual resident parking permit

Apply for a virtual business parking permit

Apply for a virtual contractor parking permit

Apply for a virtual car park permit

Virtual parking permit frequently asked questions

Virtual Parking Permit Terms and Conditions

Renew a virtual parking permit

You only need to change to a virtual permit when your paper permit is due to expire. When your paper permit expires you must register for an online account and make a new permit application.

You can renew your virtual parking permit online if your address and vehicle details are the same as they were when you applied for your last virtual permit. If any of your details have changed, you will need to apply for a new permit.

You can renew a virtual permit up to 30 days before or 10 days after the expiry date. If it is more than 10 days since your permit expired you will need to apply for a new permit. You will be sent an email when your permit is due to expire.

Important: You are responsible for applying for renewing your permit before it expires. If your permit expires, you MUST pay for parking using cashless parking or a parking meter otherwise you may receive a penalty charge notice (fine).

Make a change to a virtual parking permit

You can change your personal details such as name and address on our parking permit portal. You can also request to change your vehicle details.

If you move house into another parking zone you should cancel your existing permit and request a refund. If you don't, it will be cancelled without a refund.

Flexible (visitor) permit

Flexible permits can be moved from one vehicle to another, such as a visitor’s vehicle, or a vehicle that belongs to someone who is working at your house, like a cleaner, carer or nanny.

To apply for a flexible permit you should register for a resident account and select flexible permit. When you apply for a flexible permit you must provide at least one vehicle registration. This registration will be attached to your flexible permit after purchase, but should be changed when your next visitor needs to use it. The system will remember 5 vehicles allowing you to easily switch between your regular vehicles.

If you live in zones A to G you can only apply for a fixed permit.

Temporary change of vehicle

If you have a fixed permit but the car it is assigned to is unavailable to you, you can request a temporary change to your parking permit. This is to allow you to use your permit on a different vehicle for up to 14 days. If you need to extend this beyond 14 days you can apply for a second permit once the first has expired. You can only apply for two courtesy permits per year.