Dart Charge: Dartford Crossing remote payment
Dart Charge: new payment arrangements are now in place.
You can no longer pay for the Dartford Crossing at the barriers. Instead, you need to pay for each crossing you make in advance or by midnight the following day.
It is still free to use the crossing between 10pm and 6am.
Save up to a third on every crossing and set up a pre-pay account or make one off payments for a crossing.
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How to pay
The cheapest way to pay is using a pre-pay account. This saves you up to a third on each crossing. Local residents need a pre-pay account to access the local residents’ discount scheme.
You can top up your pre-pay account manually or set up automatic top-ups. You can register more than one vehicle to your account.
Alternatively you can make one-off payments in advance or by midnight the day after crossing:
• online at www.gov.uk/dart-charge
• over the phone by calling: 0300 300 0120
• via a payzone retail outlet
• by post (in advance only): Dart Charge Customer Services PO Box 842 Leeds LS1 9QF
Some vehicles are exempt from paying for the crossing.
Find out more about Dart Charge
Set up a pre-pay account
New customers
New customers can set up a pre-pay account online now.
Customers with old DART-Tag accounts
We sent you personalised instructions (using your DART-Tag contact details) before we introduced the changes, telling you how to transfer to Dart-Charge
If you have not transferred, your account might not work under the new arrangements. Please call the Dart Charge team on 0300 300 0120.
You can still view previous DART-Tag statements on the DART-Tag website until 31 December 2014.
Exemptions
Vehicles currently legally exempt from paying the crossing charge continue to be exempt. This includes vehicles exempt from paying Vehicle Excise Duty because they are used by or for disabled person(s). The full list of exemptions is described in legislation.
The Highways Agency is working with the DVLA to identify vehicles registered as exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty automatically.
Evasion
Enforcing the charge is an important part of the Dart Charge scheme. Penalty charges and recovery processes will be used to tackle evasion.
Evasion is likely to involve both UK-registered and non-UK-registered vehicles. The automatic number plate recognition system recognises non-UK vehicles and a European debt recovery agency will support the recovery of outstanding charges. This approach has proven successful with similar schemes such as the London congestion charge.
Penalty charge notices (PCN)
Non-payment of the Dartford Crossing charge may result in a Penalty Charge Notice.
Penalty Charge notices will state the date and time of the crossing they relate to. This information is taken from the clocks used by the Dart Charge system, which meet the requirements stated in the Civil Enforcement – Certification of Approved Devices (2008) guidance. These clocks are regularly synchronised to a nationally recognised standard clock and are at all times within 10 seconds of coordinated universal time (UTC) as disseminated in the United Kingdom by the National Physical Laboratory using the MSF transmitter.
Road user charge
The road user charge at the Dartford crossing increased when Dart Charge was introduced on 30 November 2014. This was the second part of a two stage increase announced by the government in May 2012.
View the road user charges and vehicle classes.
Dart Charge covers the use of the Dartford Crossing only. You must continue to pay other charges and levies such as the HGV Levy or London Congestion Charge in the normal way.
Implementing Dart Charge
Implementing these arrangements requires substantial changes to the existing road layout at the crossing. The main works to remove the payment booths and introduce the new road layout are now underway.