Dubai desk · Licences
Every Dubai company needs a licence that matches what it actually does. The vehicle (mainland, free zone, or branch) is one decision. The licence family — commercial, professional, industrial, tourism, or a general trade licence — is the next. PJRJ maps both before papers are filed, then coordinates DET or free-zone filings with UAE partners.
On the mainland, Dubai Economy and Tourism (DET, formerly the Department of Economic Development) issues the licence against a listed activity. Each free zone issues its own licence; that licence generally authorises activity inside that zone unless you add a mainland presence. Extra approvals (Municipality, health, transport, media, environment, or tourism) sit on top of the base licence when the activity is regulated. Fees, capital, office, and ownership conditions change — treat published brochure figures as a starting point, not the file for your company.
Five licence families we scope
Commercial licence
Trading, import and export, wholesale, retail, and related commercial services. A common first licence for Indian groups using Dubai as a regional trading base.
- Buy, sell, import, and export goods listed on the licence
- Often combined with distribution or brokerage activities
- Regulated goods (for example vehicles, pharmaceuticals, or food) need extra authority approval
Professional licence
Specialised services — consultancy, design, IT, education, healthcare, and similar work where the skill of the people is the product.
- Activity must match qualifications and, where required, a sector permit
- Many mainland activities now allow 100% foreign ownership; reserved lists still need a UAE partner or local service agent
- Clients and banks look for the licence activity to match the invoices you raise
Industrial licence
Turning raw or semi-finished materials into goods — manufacturing, processing, assembly, packing, and similar plant work.
- Physical factory or warehouse — a virtual office is not enough
- Municipality, environment, and other ministry clearances sit beside DET
- A plant plan, equipment note, and workforce outline are typical in the pack
Tourism licence
Travel, tours, and visitor services. Dubai Economy and Tourism oversees tourism licensing (the former DTCM function).
- Inbound tour operator — arrangements inside Dubai for visitors
- Outbound tour operator — packages sold for travel outside the UAE
- Travel agent — ticketing, hotel, and related booking services
Business / trade licence
The trade licence is the legal permission to operate. DET classifies it by activity. “General trading” is not the same file as a specialised commercial licence.
- General trading covers a broad goods list; specialised lines (vehicles, medical supplies, and similar) need extra clearance
- Mainland trade licences need a valid tenancy / Ejari on renewal
- Free-zone trade licences follow that zone’s activity and office package
Commercial licence — what the file usually needs
- Choose the primary activity and any add-on activities the authority will allow on the same licence
- Reserve the trade name in English and Arabic where the authority requires both
- Memorandum / articles and shareholder KYC
- Tenancy or office contract (mainland typically needs Ejari; free zones use their own lease package)
- Building or municipality permission where the premises type requires it
- Proof of licence-fee payment and any extra regulator NOC for the goods you will handle
How a commercial licence is typically obtained
- 1Confirm the activity is commercial — not professional services or manufacturing in disguise.
- 2Pick mainland versus free zone, then the legal form (LLC, branch, or zone company).
- 3Prepare name, constitutional papers, and the office / lease pack.
- 4File with DET or the free-zone authority; attach extra NOCs if the goods are regulated.
- 5Collect the licence, then line up visas, banking KYC, VAT, and corporate tax.
Professional licence — typical pack
- Passport copies of owners or partners; visa or entry-permit copies where relevant
- Qualifications or experience evidence that match the listed activity
- NOC from a current UAE employer if the applicant already holds an employment visa
- Sector approval first where the activity requires it (for example health, education, media, or transport)
- Name reservation, initial DET approval, tenancy contract, and Ejari for mainland offices
- A local service agent only where the activity or legal form still requires one — not as a default for every file
A professional licence is about who may sell the service, not only the company name. Holders are expected to keep to the licensed activity, sector rules, professional standards, and UAE tax registrations. Invoicing a “consulting” company for trading stock, or a “clinic” activity without the health permit, is how files get blocked at the bank or on renewal.
Industrial licence — conditions we check before filing
- The activity is genuinely industrial: food processing, textiles, metal work, machinery, paper, petrochemicals, packing, and similar transformation of materials
- A real plant or warehouse in an area that allows industrial use — not a flexi-desk
- A feasibility or plant note covering equipment, headcount, and how the site will run
- Approvals that the activity attracts (Municipality, environment, health, interior, or others named on the activity list)
- Capital and utility requirements set by that authority and site — we do not treat a single brochure minimum as the rule for every factory
- After approval: start fit-out within the authority’s window, notify DET of material changes, and keep health, safety, and customs-exemption conditions if you use them
Tourism licence — three common DET tracks
Inbound tour operator
On-ground arrangements in Dubai: transfers, event attendance, local tours, and visitor support. Immigration and transport rules still apply to the services you sell.
Outbound tour operator
Holiday and business packages for travel outside the UAE, sold online or through agents. The licence activity must match the packages you invoice.
Travel agent
Ticketing and bookings for air, rail, hotels, and related services. Some aviation-linked activities need a further civil-aviation NOC.
Hotels, restaurants, and car-rental businesses that serve visitors usually need a tourism or hospitality permission in addition to the base trade licence. DET has, in recent years, simplified some tourism-licence entry rules (including bank-guarantee and office-size conditions that used to apply). Current DET circulars still govern your file — we check the live list rather than an old brochure.
Tourism licence — documents we typically assemble
- Completed DET / tourism application
- Passport copies of owners and the appointed manager
- Good-conduct or police-clearance certificates where the authority asks for them
- Manager qualifications only if the current activity list still requires them
- Civil-aviation or other sector NOC where the activity is ticketing or air-related
- Office tenancy / Ejari (or the free-zone equivalent)
Trade licence — application and renewal
- Match the licence class to the goods or services: general trading versus a specialised commercial line
- File through DET service centres or the DET digital channels for mainland; through the zone portal for free-zone companies
- Keep a live tenancy. Mainland renewals usually need the lease still valid beyond the application date, plus Ejari
- Pay the renewal fee for that licence class and term. Multi-year licences exist in some DET programmes; many files still renew annually
- Attach extra authority approvals if the activity list changed or a regulator NOC has expired
- Renew before expiry. Operating on a lapsed licence attracts fines and can freeze visas and banking
How PJRJ runs a licence engagement
- 1Map the India parent, UAE customers, goods or services, visas, and whether mainland or free zone fits.
- 2Pick the licence family and the activity codes the authority will accept on one licence.
- 3List extra NOCs (Municipality, health, tourism, transport, environment) before anyone pays a name-reservation fee.
- 4Coordinate constitutional papers, lease / Ejari, and the UAE partner filing.
- 5Hand over the issued licence into visa quota, bank KYC, VAT, corporate tax, and the India FEMA or DTAA note.
What PJRJ delivers
- Written activity and licence-type note (mainland vs free zone)
- Document checklist for DET or the chosen free zone
- Coordination of extra regulator NOCs with the UAE partner
- Licence issue and first-year renewal tracker
- Handover into FTA VAT, corporate tax, books, and India 15CA/CB or FEMA ODI where money or ownership crosses the border
UAE licensing, ownership, fees, and tourism or industrial conditions change by emirate, free zone, and activity. PJRJ partners in Delhi and Gurgaon lead the engagement; local filings are executed with UAE corporate-service partners. This page is general information, not a substitute for advice on your licence or tax file.
Dubai Business Licences FAQs
A commercial licence is for trading, import-export, and related commercial activity. A professional licence is for specialised services — consultancy, design, healthcare, and similar work. Mixing them on invoices without the matching activity is a common reason banks and DET query the file.
If you transform raw or semi-finished materials — including many assembly and packing lines — the authority may treat the activity as industrial rather than commercial. The test is the activity code and the premises, not the brand name. We check the DET or free-zone list before you lease a warehouse.
Dubai Economy and Tourism oversees tourism licensing (the role previously associated with DTCM). Inbound tour operator, outbound tour operator, and travel-agent activities are the usual tracks. Hotels and restaurants often need additional hospitality permissions.
People use “trade licence” for the document that lets the company operate. DET then classifies that document as commercial, professional, industrial, tourism, or another class. A general trading licence is a commercial-type licence with a broad goods list; it is not a shortcut around regulated goods.
Generally no. A free-zone licence authorises activity under that zone’s rules. Selling onshore in the UAE usually needs a mainland licence, a distributor, or another structure the zone and DET accept. We map that before incorporation so you do not build the wrong vehicle.
It depends on activity, mainland versus free zone, office, visas, and extra NOCs. Published “from AED …” figures leave out lease, visa, and regulator fees. PJRJ gives a written scope for your activity rather than a single headline price.
Discuss your Licences requirements
Speak with a PJRJ Dubai desk partner — we respond within one business day.