The short answer
Pay the East Midlands Airport drop-off charge (£5) by 23:59 the day after your visit: online at pay.eastmidlandsairport.com, by automated phone on 03452 221517, or automatically with an autopay account. Nothing is paid at the zone — cameras record your number plate and you pay afterwards. Breaches bring a Parking Charge of up to £100, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days, plus a debt-recovery fee of up to £70.
Charges and deadlines change without notice — reconfirm on the day.
Key facts: paying the East Midlands drop-off charge
- Charge
- Rapid Drop Off: £5 for up to 15 minutes
- If you stay longer
- £1 per minute beyond 15 minutes; 30-minute maximum stay
- Pay by
- By 23:59 the day after your visit
- Pay online
- pay.eastmidlandsairport.com
- Pay by phone
- 03452 221517
- Pay at the airport
- No — nothing to pay at the zone; ANPR cameras log your plate
- Autopay / account
- Yes — register an account and each visit is charged automatically, so there is no deadline to remember
- If you don't pay
- Breaches bring a Parking Charge of up to £100, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days, plus a debt-recovery fee of up to £70.
- Exemptions
- Blue Badge holders park free for up to 30 minutes in Short Stay 1 — normal charges apply in the Rapid Drop Off lanes themselves.
- Verified
- 25 Aug 2026, against www.eastmidlandsairport.com
How to pay the East Midlands drop-off charge, step by step
- Drop off as normal. There is no barrier and no ticket at East Midlands's drop-off zone — ANPR cameras record your registration on entry.
- Pay by 23:59 the day after your visit. Go to pay.eastmidlandsairport.com, or call the automated line on 03452 221517. You'll be asked for your vehicle registration so the system can match your visit, then you pay by card.
- Keep the confirmation. Hold on to the payment reference or email until well after the deadline has passed, in case of a query or a notice sent in error.
- Regular user? Set up autopay. East Midlands offers an account that charges each visit automatically, with no deadline to remember — worth it if you make this run more than a couple of times a year.
When is the deadline to pay?
Pay by 23:59 the day after your visit. The deadline runs from the visit, not from when you remember it, and because nothing is paid on site the trip can feel free — that is exactly how people get caught. The habit that works: pay from the car park before you drive off, or as soon as you get home.
What happens if you don't pay?
Breaches bring a Parking Charge of up to £100, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days, plus a debt-recovery fee of up to £70. If a notice does arrive, pay it inside the 14-day window for the reduced amount; the notice itself sets out how to challenge it if you believe it was issued in error.
Can you pay at the airport?
No. Fully barrierless — there's nothing to stop for and no machines in the lanes; cameras log your plate and you pay afterwards. There is no card reader and no attendant to pay, so don't wait for one — the visit only looks free. Pay from the car park, or as soon as you're home.
Is there an autopay or account option?
Yes. Online at pay.eastmidlandsairport.com, by automated phone on 03452 221517, or automatically with Autopay. With an account in place each visit is charged automatically and the deadline stops mattering — the sensible default for anyone who does the East Midlands run regularly, including taxi and private-hire drivers.
Who doesn't have to pay?
Blue Badge holders park free for up to 30 minutes in Short Stay 1 — normal charges apply in the Rapid Drop Off lanes themselves. How each UK airport treats Blue Badge holders varies enormously — the Blue Badge drop-off guide compares all 29.
How to avoid the charge next time
You don't have to use the charged zone at all: Long Stay 2 — 60 minutes free, walk or shuttle. Allow 15–25 extra minutes for the transfer. Details in the East Midlands drop-off guide, and every airport's free option is in the free drop-off guide.
Collecting someone is a different transaction — see the pick-up rules for East Midlands and the UK pick-up charges guide.
If you're the one flying next time
No drop-off charge, no collection car park, no deadline to remember: park.
Pre-booked parking at East Midlands means nobody pays the £5 forecourt charge on the way out, nobody sits in a car park waiting for your bags on the way back, and there is nothing to settle by midnight the next day. The car is waiting when you land.
Pre-book East Midlands parking →
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It never affects our charges data.
Sources
- East Midlands Airport — drop-off charge terms: https://www.eastmidlandsairport.com/parking/pick-up-and-drop-off/ (checked 25 Aug 2026)
- Official payment site: https://pay.eastmidlandsairport.com
- Our full entry for this airport, with location, pick-up rules and fee history: East Midlands drop-off charge
Paying at East Midlands: your questions
How do I pay the East Midlands Airport drop-off charge?
Pay the East Midlands Airport drop-off charge (£5) by 23:59 the day after your visit: online at pay.eastmidlandsairport.com, by automated phone on 03452 221517, or automatically with an autopay account. Nothing is paid at the zone — cameras record your number plate and you pay afterwards. Breaches bring a Parking Charge of up to £100, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days, plus a debt-recovery fee of up to £70.
When do I have to pay the East Midlands drop-off charge by?
Pay by 23:59 the day after your visit. Nothing is paid at the zone — settle it online or by phone afterwards.
What happens if I forget to pay the East Midlands drop-off charge?
Breaches bring a Parking Charge of up to £100, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days, plus a debt-recovery fee of up to £70. If a notice does arrive, pay it inside the 14-day window for the reduced amount; the notice itself sets out how to challenge it if you believe it was issued in error.
Can I pay the East Midlands drop-off charge at the airport?
No — Fully barrierless — there's nothing to stop for and no machines in the lanes; cameras log your plate and you pay afterwards.
Is there a phone number to pay the East Midlands drop-off charge?
Yes — the automated payment line is 03452 221517. You can also pay online at pay.eastmidlandsairport.com.
Can I pay the East Midlands drop-off charge in advance or automatically?
Yes. Online at pay.eastmidlandsairport.com, by automated phone on 03452 221517, or automatically with Autopay. An account charges each visit automatically, so there is no deadline to remember.
Do Blue Badge holders pay the East Midlands drop-off charge?
Blue Badge holders park free for up to 30 minutes in Short Stay 1 — normal charges apply in the Rapid Drop Off lanes themselves.
How much is the East Midlands drop-off charge?
£5 for up to 15 minutes; £1 per minute beyond 15 minutes; 30-minute maximum stay. Where the zone is, the free alternative and the pick-up rules are in the East Midlands drop-off guide at https://airportdropoffcharges.co.uk/east-midlands/.
Method & corrections
Every figure on this page is checked against the airport's own published charges and stamped with the date we checked it. We re-verify the full dataset quarterly, and after any reported change — see how we work and who maintains it.
Spotted an error? Email hello@airportdropoffcharges.co.uk — corrections are made visibly and dated. The dataset behind this page is free to reuse with attribution: JSON · CSV (CC BY 4.0).