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Makani Number in the UAE: What It Is and How to Find It
A Makani number is a unique 10-digit identifier for a building entrance. The official system currently applies in Dubai, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah, and Ras Al Khaimah. You can use it to find, navigate to, and share the precise entrance you need.
What Is a Makani Number?
Makani is a geographic addressing system that gives a precise physical location a numeric identifier.
Instead of depending only on a street name, building name, or nearby landmark, Makani uses geographic data to identify the entrance itself. Dubai Municipality describes the system around precise location codes, building entrances, and geographic integration.
Its purpose is therefore different from postal addressing. Makani helps someone determine where a physical access point is. A postal code or P.O. Box performs a different function.
Before searching for a number, first check whether Makani applies in the emirate where the property is located.
Where Is Makani Used in the UAE?
The current official Makani application lists five participating emirates.
| Emirate | Current Position | Addressing Note |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai | Makani applies | Dubai Municipality’s geographic addressing system |
| Ajman | Makani applies | Included in the current official Makani system |
| Umm Al Quwain | Makani applies | Included in the current official Makani system |
| Fujairah | Makani applies | Included in the current official Makani system |
| Ras Al Khaimah | Makani applies | Included in the current official Makani system |
| Abu Dhabi | Different system | Uses Onwani |
| Sharjah | Not in the current Makani adoption list | Do not assume Makani applies |
Coverage checked against current first-party information in August 2026.
Abu Dhabi is the clearest example of why the distinction matters. Its official Onwani system uses building number, street name, city name, area, and postal code as address components. It also supports QR-based location lookup and sharing.
If your property is in one of the five participating Makani emirates, the next step is identifying the correct number for that location.
What Does a 10-Digit Makani Number Identify?
A Makani number identifies a main building entrance and its precise geographic location. It does not identify an entire neighborhood or postal area.
Dubai Municipality’s Makani data is built around locating building entrances, while its technical data can associate an entrance with details such as its building, community, coordinates, and emirate.
Can One Building Have More Than One Makani Number?
Yes. If a building has multiple identified main entrances, different Makani numbers can be returned for those entrances.
This can matter for:
- residential towers;
- shopping centers;
- hospitals;
- office complexes;
- compounds;
- large mixed-use developments.
If several entrances are shown for the same property, use the number that corresponds to the access point you actually want someone to reach.
How to Find Your Makani Number
The most practical way to find a number is through the official Makani application. If you are already at the property, you can also confirm it from the Makani information displayed at the entrance.
1. Search for the Property
Open Makani and search using the information you already have.
The current application supports options including:
- traditional address information;
- land number;
- point of interest;
- an existing Makani number;
- direct map interaction.
You do not need to know the Makani number before starting. The app can use other property information to help locate it.
2. Select the Building
Choose the correct property on the map.
When a building is selected, Makani can highlight its boundary and identified main entrance or entrances with the associated Makani information.
3. Choose the Entrance You Need
If more than one entrance appears, check which one actually provides access to your destination.
This is particularly important for large buildings. A number associated with one side of a complex may direct someone to a different access point from the one you intended.
4. Check the Makani Plate
If you are already at the location, check the Makani plate at the relevant entrance.
This gives you a physical way to confirm that the number matches the access point you selected on the map.
5. Scan the QR Code Where Available
The Makani application can read QR codes on Makani plates and retrieve the related location information.
This can be easier than manually typing all 10 digits.
Can You Find a Makani Number From the Building Plate?
Yes. If a Makani plate is installed at an entrance, you can use it to identify or confirm the Makani information for that access point.
For a property with several entrances, check the plate at the entrance you actually intend to use.
Can You Find a Makani Number on a DEWA Bill?
Do not rely on a DEWA bill as the standard Makani lookup method.
DEWA’s current Display Premise Number service allows customers to use a Makani number as one of several inputs for finding a premise number. Other search options include plot number, Emirates ID, meter number, and trade licence number.
That confirms this direction:
Makani number → DEWA premise-number lookup
It does not establish that every DEWA bill displays the customer’s Makani number.
If you need the Makani number itself, use Makani or the information displayed at the property entrance.
How to Use and Share a Makani Number
Once you have confirmed the correct number, you can use it to share a precise location or navigate to the relevant access point.
The current Makani application supports location sharing and route planning, which is useful when a written building address still leaves several possible entrances.
Using Makani for Deliveries
A Makani number can help a driver find the correct property entrance, but it should not automatically replace the rest of your delivery address.
You may still need to provide:
- recipient name;
- building or property details;
- apartment, office, or unit number;
- area;
- emirate;
- phone number.
In practical terms, Makani tells the driver where to reach the property. The remaining details identify the recipient and final destination.
Different couriers and marketplaces can require different address fields. For service-specific rules, use the UAE courier and marketplace address requirements guide.
Using Makani in an Emergency
Precise location information can also help communicate the access point needed during an emergency.
Dubai Municipality links accurate addressing with easier access to locations, and its indoor-addressing work identifies emergency and crisis situations as one reason for improving location precision.
A Makani number should still be treated as one useful location detail. Provide any additional information requested by the relevant emergency service.
Do Apartments, Villas and Offices Have Their Own Makani Number?
A building entrance and a unit inside the building are different location levels.
That distinction determines how Makani should be understood for villas, apartments, offices, and shops.
Makani Numbers for Villas
For a villa, Makani identifies the relevant entrance or access point.
A small villa may have one obvious main entrance. A larger villa or compound can have several access points, so use the identifier associated with the entrance that is actually being used.
Makani Numbers for Apartments
An apartment does not automatically have its own separate standard 10-digit entrance Makani number.
| Element | What It Identifies |
|---|---|
| Makani number | Building entrance or external location |
| Apartment number | Individual residential unit inside the building |
The Makani number gets someone to the property. The apartment number identifies the home inside it.
Makani Numbers for Offices and Shops
The same principle applies to commercial units.
Several businesses can share a relevant building entrance while having different:
- floors;
- office numbers;
- shop numbers;
- unit numbers.
Knowing the Makani number therefore does not remove the need for internal unit details.
Dubai’s Indoor Unit Addressing
Dubai Municipality has extended its original entrance-based Makani system to address units inside buildings.
The Municipality describes this as an extension covering residential units, shops, offices, and other internal units, with a distinct code assigned to each unit and linked to the wider Makani environment.
This should not be confused with simply giving every apartment another ordinary 10-digit entrance Makani number.
The distinction is straightforward:
Entrance Makani number: Which entrance should I reach?
Indoor unit identifier: Which destination should I reach inside the building?
Makani vs Postal Code vs P.O. Box vs Physical Address
These address elements answer different questions.
| Address Element | What It Identifies | Main Function |
|---|---|---|
| Makani number | Building entrance/location | Precise geolocation |
| Physical address | Actual property | Describing where the property is |
| Apartment/unit number | Unit within a property | Identifying the internal destination |
| P.O. Box | Postal mailbox | Receiving postal mail |
| Postal code | Postal/geographic area where applicable | Supporting postal or address routing |
A Makani number should therefore not automatically be entered when a form asks for a postal code.
Likewise, a P.O. Box number should not be treated as a Makani number.
A complete address can contain several elements because each contributes different information. For the full structure, see how to write a UAE address.
If your question is specifically about postcode or ZIP fields, use the UAE postal code and ZIP code guide.
Makani vs Onwani
Makani and Onwani are separate local addressing systems.
Makani applies in the five participating emirates listed earlier. Onwani is Abu Dhabi’s official addressing system and has its own address structure.
If you are searching for an “Abu Dhabi Makani number,” the information you actually need may therefore be your Onwani address.
How Makani Fits Into the UAE National Address
Makani is also different from the broader UAE National Address.
Federal Geographic Information Center guidance describes a National Address as a consolidation of local addresses. Its core elements include building number, street, district or community, city, and country, while additional elements can include Makani and postal code.
Current federal rules also state that the addressing system applied in each emirate remains in effect until transition requirements for the National Address Database are completed.
Makani can therefore contribute location information within the wider national framework without becoming a nationwide postal code or automatically replacing local systems such as Onwani.
What If You Cannot Find Your Makani Number?
If you cannot find the number for a property that should be within Makani coverage, do not guess or use a nearby property’s number.
Work through the problem in this order.
1. Confirm the Emirate
Make sure the property is in:
- Dubai;
- Ajman;
- Umm Al Quwain;
- Fujairah;
- Ras Al Khaimah.
If it is in Abu Dhabi, check Onwani instead.
2. Search Using Other Property Information
Try the traditional address, land number, point of interest, or map location.
If you already know approximately where the property is, locating it directly on the map may be easier than relying only on text search.
3. Check the Available Entrances
If the building appears, inspect the identified entrances.
The number you need may be attached to another access point on the same property.
4. Check the Physical Signage
If you are at the property, compare its Makani plate with the location shown digitally.
Use the QR code where supported.
5. Never Substitute Another Location’s Number
Do not use:
- a neighbor’s number;
- another building’s number;
- an unchecked entrance number;
- a random 10-digit value;
- a number copied from an unrelated online example.
A nearby location is still a different location.
6. Contact the Relevant Municipality
If the property still cannot be resolved, contact the municipality or addressing authority responsible for the location.
This may be appropriate for:
- newly completed properties;
- missing entrance data;
- mapping errors;
- changed access points;
- incomplete property information.
The process can differ by emirate.
For example, Ajman currently offers a Comprehensive Addressing Request that can provide spatial building-address data including the Makani number, house number, street name, neighborhood, and coordinates.
That is an Ajman-specific service, not a universal UAE Makani application process.
Makani Number FAQs
Is a Makani Number the Same as a Postal Code?
No. Makani identifies a precise geographic location, while a postal code is a separate address-routing element where applicable.
Is Makani Used in All Seven UAE Emirates?
No. Current official coverage includes Dubai, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah, and Ras Al Khaimah.
Can One Building Have More Than One Makani Number?
Yes. Different identified main entrances can have different Makani numbers.
Does Every Apartment Have Its Own Makani Number?
No. The building entrance and individual apartment are separate address levels.
Can I Use Makani for a Delivery?
Yes. It can help locate the correct entrance, but the delivery service may still require the rest of your address.
Is Makani the Same as Onwani?
No. Onwani is Abu Dhabi’s separate official addressing system.
Bottom Line
If Makani applies to your emirate, find the property through the official system and confirm the entrance you actually need, especially when several are shown.
Then use that Makani number together with any building, unit, contact, or postal information required for your specific task.