Influencer Licence in Dubai: What Has Applied Since 1 February 2026

If you publish promotional content from the United Arab Emirates, you have needed an official permit since 1 February 2026. The rule is new, it is being enforced, and it affects far more people than the term influencer licence suggests.

The short answer

The decisive document is the Advertiser Permit issued by the UAE Media Council. It applies equally to UAE nationals, residents and visitors as soon as advertising content is published from the UAE, regardless of the number of followers and regardless of whether any money changes hands.

Two permits, not one

The term influencer licence is misleading because it combines two separate things:

• A trade licence: from a free zone or the mainland, with a suitable activity such as content creation, advertising or media
• The Advertiser Permit from the UAE Media Council: the actual permission to publish advertising

The permit does not replace the licence, and the licence does not replace the permit. You need both.

The legal basis

The legal basis is Federal Decree-Law No. 55 of 2023 on media regulation. Penalties are set out in Cabinet Decision No. 42 of 2025. The UAE Media Council implements the framework and runs the application portal.

The purpose is clear: consumer protection, clear labelling of advertising, protection of cultural and religious norms, and the professionalisation of a market that has grown strongly.

Who applies where

• UAE nationals and residents apply for the permit via the UAE Media Council's online portal
• Visiting creators must apply through an accredited agency in the UAE
• Once issued, the permit number must be displayed visibly in your profile and the accounts used must be registered

You usually need a copy of your passport, residence permit and Emirates ID, the trade licence with a suitable activity, and details of your profiles and the planned type of content.

What it costs

Widely varying figures are circulating on the fees, from a few hundred to several thousand dirhams. A fee exemption for residents during the introductory phase has also been reported.

We deliberately do not give a figure here that could be wrong in three months. The only reliable tariff is the one shown on the Media Council portal at the time of your application. What will definitely add up, on the other hand, are the surrounding costs: trade licence, visa, Emirates ID and ongoing accounting.

Penalties and liability

Violations can lead to fines running into seven figures in dirhams, as well as account suspensions and revocation of the permit.

The point missing from most guides: liability does not end with the creator. Companies and agencies must check whether the person advertising for them holds a valid permit. If you book an unlicensed collaboration, you bear your own risk.

For brands and agencies this means: the permit number belongs in the collaboration contract and in the campaign review, as a matter of course, just like a VAT identification number.

Content limits

• Advertising must be clearly labelled as such
• No misleading promises, especially for financial, trading and health products
• No insults, defamation, hate speech or spreading of unverified news
• Restraint on religious and political topics
• No recordings of people without their consent, no images of government or military facilities

Posts can be reviewed retrospectively, especially after complaints. A critical hotel review is unproblematic; harsh criticism of state bodies is not.

The tax side

At the level of the individual, the UAE levies no income tax, neither on fees from collaborations nor on affiliate income. However, this only applies if you are actually tax resident in the UAE.

• The company behind the licence is subject to corporate tax: 0% on profits up to AED 375,000 and 9% above that; the 0% rate in a free zone requires QFZP status
• Corporate tax registration within three months of incorporation, otherwise a penalty of AED 10,000
• VAT registration is mandatory from AED 375,000 annual turnover
• Benefits in kind, such as hotel nights, products and upgrades, are income and belong in the accounts

The last point is overlooked most often. If you accept ten sponsored stays a year, you have generated turnover, even if no money ever changed hands.

How we assess this

The regulation is not an obstacle course but a formalisation. If you already hold a company in the UAE, you get through with one additional application. It only becomes expensive for those who have so far worked without a licence and counted on nobody looking.

From our advisory work: the most common mistake is the wrong activity on the trade licence. If you hold a trading licence and publish advertising, you formally have no suitable basis for the permit, and you must change the licence before the application goes through. That costs fees and weeks.

Our advice to creators moving from the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland): clarify the activity before the formation, not afterwards. And separate private and business accounts from the start, as this makes every later review easier.

Clarify before applying

• Does your trade licence cover content creation, advertising or media?
• Do you have your residence permit and Emirates ID?
• Which accounts do you use commercially, and should they be registered?
• Is the deadline for CT registration in your calendar?
• Are you already recording benefits in kind in your accounts?

As of 28 August 2026. Fees and procedures change quickly in this area; the information provided by the UAE Media Council at the time of your application is decisive.

Which structure suits your business model and how the formation works is explained on our page on free zone company formation.