Online Daily Permits

Online temporary permits can be instantly purchased and printed out for various parking lots and garages throughout campus. 

For parking in the Cambridge campus, please visit the Harvard Online Parking Permit System (HOPPS). For assistance with this system, please see our Self-Service, Help and FAQs pages.

To purchase daily and weekly permits for Soldiers Field Park Garage, please use our FlexPort Parking portal.

Please note that the permit must be printed and displayed in order to be valid.

HOPPS and FlexPort allow Harvard faculty, staff, and visitors more commuting options by purchasing daily temporary permits instantly and printing them from their home or office computers. Individuals and departments can purchase permits up to two weeks in advance for designated parking lots and facilities.

HOPPS and FlexPort are set to accept most major credit card transactions. 33-digit billing codes can also be used as an alternative payment method. Approved applicants may register up to five billing codes for payment. Please note that using Purchasing cards as a payment method is strongly discouraged by the University.

For Harvard affiliates with a valid Harvard ID who are enrolled in HarvardKey, access to HOPPS and FlexPort is through the HARVARDKEY login. For all others, access is through the GUEST log-in.

For any Harvard affiliate with a valid Harvard ID, access to the self service Online Daily Permit site is through Harvard University PIN system.

Once you purchase a permit, a confirmation will be sent to your email address verifying the transaction and fee. You will need to print out a copy of the permit and place it on your dashboard when you park. Failure to display the permit may result in ticketing and/or towing. You can print HOPPS permits through the Transaction History button on your Account homepage.

Feel free to browse through the Web site. Until you checkout with your selected permit(s), a transaction is not recorded.

If you have any questions or comments about this site, please contact our office via email at parking@harvard.edu, or by phone at 617.496.7827.

If you are new to using the self-service Online Daily Permit purchasing site, these tips might help you. For more assistance, please see the FAQs section.

  • On the login screen, if you have a valid Harvard ID and HarvardKey, use the HARVARDKEY login.
  • If you do not have a valid Harvard ID and/or HarvardKey, you may register using the VISITOR login.
  • It is to your benefit to fill in all fields accurately on the Web site pertaining to contact and vehicle information. If an emergency arises that involves your vehicle, it is necessary for our office to have the proper contact and vehicle information to notify you immediately.
  • Online permits may be purchased up to two weeks in advance. If a facility is not available for sale on a given day, the date will be grayed out in the calendar and cannot be selected.
  • Sometimes, daily parking permits may be unavailable for a facility on a given day. If this happens, you may contact the Campus Service Center to check if the permit may be purchased directly from the office.
  • You can use the calendar selection feature to set beginning and end dates to choose multiple consecutive days.
  • Once you choose a parking facility, and add a parking permit to your account, your permit selections will appear in your shopping cart. If you would like to remove permits, you can remove them from the selection page and/or from the shopping cart.
  • You can print a copy of your permit from the Transaction History section of your My Account page. You must have the printed permit displayed on your dashboard to park and failure to display could result in a citation fee.

How do I arrange for a one-day parking permit for any visitor to the University?

You or your guest may purchase a visitor's permit either from the Campus Service Center, or from the self-service Online Daily Permit purchasing system. The online system is highly recommended for its convenience and 24-hour availability. Permits must be purchased prior to arrival at the parking facility, and must be displayed at all times when parked on campus. If the permit is purchased at the Parking Office, payment may be made by cash, check, credit card, or 33-digit billing code. If the permit is purchased online, payment may be made by credit card (excluding University Purchasing Cards) or 33-digit billing code. Please note that a waiting period of up to 72 hours is possible for online billing code approval.

Permits may not be purchased over the phone. Except for the Business School (HBS) Lot, permits may not be purchased at any parking facility.

I keep getting an error message when trying to pay for my permit order. How can I complete the transaction?

Recent updated versions of select web browsers may not support the Online Daily Permit purchasing system. If you are receiving an error message when connecting to the CyberSource site, you can try to use a different web browser (i.e. Firefox, Safari, et cetera). If you are still experiencing difficulty, you can certainly contact our main office for assistance.

I need to purchase a visitor's permit at the last minute, after office hours, and I have no access to a computer. Can I still park on campus?

Cambridge/Allston Campus - The Parking Services Office is open Monday through Friday 9:00am-4:00pm and is available to answer questions regarding the purchasing of a temporary daily permit. If you do not have access to a computer on a weekday, please proceed to the Business School (HBS) Lot, which is staffed twenty-four hours a day, year-round. You may purchase a permit for the lot at the guard booth.

Longwood Campus - The Commuter Services and Parking Office is open Monday through Friday 8:00am-4:30pm and is available to answer questions regarding the purchasing of a HLC permit. Unfortunately, if you do not have access to a computer after 4:30pm on a weekday there is no option to purchase a HLC daily parking permit.

How do I register a 33-digit billing code to use on the self-service Online Daily Permit system?

After logging in with your Harvard ID and PIN, click on the "My Account" button near the top of the screen. From here, click on the "ID Billing Profiles" button. You may add a new billing code, or modify or delete an existing one. If you are adding a billing code, please note that approval may take up to 72 hours.

Please note that online daily permits for the Longwood Medical campus cannot be purchased through departmental billing and will not appear as a form of payment should either parking location be included with your check-out

I'm trying to add a permit online, and the system is telling me the permit was already added. What can I do?

Please double-check the license plate number you have entered. If it is incorrect, there is a chance another person has entered that plate for the same facility (e.g.: if you entered "CRIMSON 1" instead of "CRIMSON 2", "CRIMSON 1" may have already purchased a permit for the same facility on the same date). This is rare, but it has happened. If your plate information is correct, click on the "My Basket" button near the top of the screen to review any permits you may have requested. If the desired permit appears, click the "Checkout" button to purchase this permit.

How do I cancel a visitor's permit I've purchased?

To cancel any visitor's permit purchased from the Parking Office or from the Online Daily Permit purchasing system, the permit must be returned to the Parking Office prior to the date printed on the permit. Cancellations will not be considered if the permit has expired.

Where are the parking facilities located on campus?

For information about parking locations for the Cambridge and Allston campuses, as well as directions to visitor parking facilities, please visit our Visitor Parking Information page.

For a map of the Longwood Campus, please visit their Visitor Parking Information page.

Visiting the Parking Office

For information about visiting the parking office, click here.