Most of the malls in Qatar have complied with the new tariff for parking following the expiry of the grace period granted to commercial complexes to implement the new regulations in this regard, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) said in a statement on Saturday.

MEC had announced a 60-day grace period to souqs , shopping malls and commercial complexes in April first week to adopt the new fee structure set for regular parking, VIP and valet services. Officials have launched an intensive inspection campaign to ensure compliance by all concerned, the ministry said.
According to the MEC, the places that have already complied with the regulations are: City Center Mall, Ezdan Mall, Landmark Mall, Gulf Mall, Dar al Salam Mall, Gate Mall, Souq Waqif, Doha Golf Club, Al Ahli Hospital, Villaggio Mall, Lagoona Mall, Pearl Qatar and Katara.
According to the new regulations the parking fees have been fixed as follows: A maximum QR2 for the first hour, QR2 for the second hour, QR3 for the third hour, QR3 for the fourth hour and QR5 for each additional hour after the fifth hour, with the maximum fees for parking for a whole day being QR70. In case of a lost ticket, the customer pays a maximum of QR70. The maximum fee will be QR30 for regular valet parking and QR60 for VIP valet parking.
Visitors will be charged for parking only after the passage of 30 minutes from the time they enter the parking area of a mall. Also, if a person fails to find a parking slot within the first half an hour, he will be able to leave the parking area without paying anything.
Besides, MEC stressed that all such outlets should submit the maps of their parking lots to the MEC committee that sets the maximum rate and profit margin for businesses for approval . They should also take due care of all the parked vehicles at their place. All souqs, malls and shopping complexes have been instructed by MEC to display the new parking tariff at a clear place, easily visible to all .
Malls and commercial complexes shall also refrain from imposing any additional fees on their visitors before obtaining prior approval from the MEC. They cannot also lease such parking lots to any other entity without the ministry's prior approval.
The Ministry said it issued the regulation after coming to know about several cases where members of the public were charged mandatory fees. The new rule was issued after the committee that sets a ceiling for fees and profit margins carried out a comprehensive study and consulted other relevant authorities.
MEC has urged the public to report any violation or irregularity through the following communication channels: - Call Center: 16001, email: info@mec.gov.qa, account of the ministry on social networking sites - Twitter @MEC_QATAR
- Instagram MEC_QATAR; The application of the Ministry of Economy and Commerce on smart phones available on iPhone and Android devices MEC_QATAR