Key Takeaways
- Dubai's start-up guide on dubai.ae names five licence types. They are industrial, commercial, professional, e-trader and dual (read October 2026).
- Executive Council Resolution 5 of 2024 lets DET issue a licence straight away. Your permits or approvals still have to be in place before you start work.
- You don't need a degree or a professional licence to get a Dubai licence, unless a law sets one for your activity (Executive Council Resolution 5 of 2024).
- Executive Council Resolution 13 of 2011 sets base fees and extra fees for certain activities. It has no separate price for each licence class. For today's figures, get DET's fee sheet for your activity code.
- Each emirate has its own names. ADDED in Abu Dhabi, for example, lists Abu Dhabi Trader, Freelancer and Virtual licences. A Dubai label won't mean the same thing elsewhere.
At first glance, a Dubai professional license, a commercial licence and an industrial licence can look like different names for the same document. They aren't. Each class comes with its own approvals and its own rules on premises, and the class you get depends on the activity you declare. The Government of Dubai's start-up guide lists five licence types altogether.
Licence types on the Dubai government list
According to the start-up guide on dubai.ae (read October 2026), Dubai has five licence types. They are industrial, commercial, professional, e-trader and dual. The same page sets out three stages to register. You get initial approval, then reserve a trade name, and then receive the licence.
You apply on the Invest in Dubai platform. The licence itself comes from the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), Dubai's mainland licensing office, formerly DED. Executive Council Resolution 5 of 2024 changed the timing. DET now issues most licences instantly. The exception is a list of activities kept by the Chairman of the Executive Council, where permits or approvals must come first. Everyone else signs an acknowledgement and undertaking, a written promise to meet the rules, and the permits and inspections follow before the business starts. Ask DET whether your activity is on the Chairman's list.
Fees go back to Executive Council Resolution 13 of 2011. It sets base fees, such as AED 600 to issue or renew a licence, and extra fees for some activities such as general trading. There is no separate fee for a commercial, professional or industrial class. Because the schedule is from 2011, it's safer to get DET's current fee sheet for your activity code than to rely on it.
The Dubai professional license for services and civil companies
A professional licence is for people who sell services based on their intellectual or artistic skill, as dubai.ae puts it. Think of consultants, designers or translators. Which class your activity code belongs to is DET's decision, so ask DET before you pay for anything.
Resolution 5 of 2024 removed an old hurdle. DET no longer asks for an academic qualification or a professional licence before it issues a licence, unless a law requires one. If a law does set a qualification for your activity, that rule still applies. Authorities check staff qualifications and any bank guarantee before the activity begins. When a permit needs an inspection on site, it has to happen within a maximum of 3 working days of a complete application (Resolution 5 of 2024, Article 3).
Premises were the other hurdle. The same resolution tells authorities not to demand an office of a certain size unless a law requires it. They also can't make a minimum number of staff, machines or vehicles a condition for the licence. That helps businesses that need very little space. Bear in mind that this is an instruction to the authorities, not a right you can claim as an applicant. Confirm the premises rule for your own activity code with DET.
A civil company is a Dubai legal form for two or more partners who carry on a professional activity together, for example consulting (dubai.ae, October 2026). It's not one of the five company forms in Article 9 of the Commercial Companies Law (2021 text; check the current wording after Federal Decree-Law 20 of 2025). Its rules come from somewhere else. Get DET to set out what the form requires in writing.
A common slip is choosing the wrong class because an activity's name on the portal sounds right. Take the e-trader licence. It's a licence for a sole proprietor, one person trading in their own name, working from home. Dubai.ae (April 2026) says e-trade licences need approval from the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA). Since the licence is home-based, a business that later wants a shop or office should check with DET whether it has to switch to another licence.
Dubai commercial licence and trading
The commercial licence covers buying and selling most goods and services. Dubai.ae includes import and export, logistics, software, construction and real estate under it. If you trade in physical goods, other steps can follow, such as customs registration and product approvals. Food or health products may need permits from bodies other than DET.
A business with premises deals with the authorities of the emirate where its unit is. Shops and restaurants may need municipality and food-safety permits as well as a registered lease. DET can tell you which apply to your unit.
What you pay depends on the activity and the premises. In September 2026 Gulf News described how the Invest in Dubai cost calculator works. For a licence tied to premises, it adds about 5% of annual rent to the licence fee. For a virtual licence it adds nothing. To see how the separate fees add up, read the guide to the cost of a Dubai trade licence.
Dubai industrial licence, approvals and land
An industrial licence covers manufacturing, production, packaging, segregation or collection (dubai.ae). Here the approvals belong to the site. You'll usually need environmental, civil defence and municipality approvals. When you price an industrial business, get quotes for the land lease and the fit-out alongside the licence fee.
Industrial land isn't always in a free zone. Dubai Industrial City says in its own FAQ that it is not a free zone. DET licenses the companies there, and the Dubai Development Authority only deals with fit-out and building permits.
The trap is a lease signed too soon. Resolution 5 of 2024 lets you hold the licence before the permits. Having the licence tells you nothing about whether your unit will pass the civil defence and municipality checks. Get the list of approvals for your activity before you commit to a unit.
E-trader, dual and other special licences
Two types on Dubai's list are about how you work rather than what you do. The e-trader licence is home-based and only comes as a sole proprietorship. For who it suits and where its limits are, see the e-trader licence in Dubai guide.
A dual licence is a mainland branch that a free zone company runs from its free zone office. Under Article 12 of Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025, it costs AED 10,000 per year. A six-month permit costs AED 5,000. Both figures are current as of October 2026. These options are for free zone companies doing business on the Dubai mainland, and they only cover Dubai.
Freelancers don't fit neatly into any class. Free zones sell freelancer permits, and Abu Dhabi has a Freelancer licence of its own from the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED). The guide to freelance visas and permits compares the options.
Choosing by activity and by customer
Start with the activity code. That gives you the class. Then check it against your customers and your premises. If you'll sell directly to customers in Dubai, you need to think about the mainland, which means anywhere in the emirate outside a free zone. A Dubai free zone company would need a branch, a dual licence or the six-month permit under Resolution 11 of 2025. If your clients are abroad, you have more freedom to pick a free zone.
Visas come after the licence. On the mainland, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) sets your work-permit quota after Ta'qeem, its check of your business. Your trade licence and proof of how much work you have are part of what it looks at. MOHRE doesn't publish a formula based on office size. Your PRO, the person who handles your government paperwork, can find out your likely number before you sign a lease.
Most founders can settle the class with these questions. Each answer narrows down the class, the approvals or the premises.
- Which exact activity code describes the work, and which class does DET attach to it?
- Which regulators must approve the activity, and before or after the licence?
- Where are the customers, and does a lease have to be registered?
- How many visas will the first year need?
A licensed adviser who works with DET can match your activity code to its class, permits and premises before you commit money. If you want to go through the application yourself, the guide to the trade licence in Dubai explains it.
Other emirates use different names
Outside Dubai, licence classes have different names, and a Dubai term won't always translate. Use the table to match the names you'll see on each authority's own pages. RAKEZ is the Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone and AFZ is the Ajman Free Zone.
| Authority | Licence names it lists | Source |
|---|---|---|
| DET, Dubai | Industrial, commercial, professional, e-trader, dual | dubai.ae, October 2026 |
| ADDED, Abu Dhabi | Abu Dhabi Trader, Dual, Freelancer, Mobdea, Small Producers, Standard, Virtual | ADDED licensing page, updated 9 October 2026 |
| SEDD, Sharjah | Commercial, industrial and professional, plus instant, electronic trading, home accreditation, Birq and industrial office licences | SEDD website, October 2026 |
| RAKEZ, Ras Al Khaimah | Commercial, general trading, industrial, service, professional, media and e-commerce, plus a freelancer permit | RAKEZ website, October 2026 |
| Ajman Free Zone | Business (commercial), industrial and sole professional | AFZ website, October 2026 |
SEDD is the Sharjah Economic Development Department. For mainland setups outside Dubai, the mainland company setup guide is a good place to start. The legal form of your company is a separate decision. The guide to the LLC in the UAE covers the limited liability company, the form most mainland businesses use.
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