Holiday Home Permit in Dubai: DET Licence Steps, From Application to Renewal
To rent your Dubai flat to short-stay guests, you need a holiday home permit from the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), either in your own name or through a licensed operator. You apply on DET's Holiday Homes portal with your title deed, ID, a DEWA bill and a building NOC, pay AED 1,520 at registration and then AED 370 per bedroom a year for the unit permit.
Key takeaways
- Check your building first. Without a No Objection Certificate from the developer or owners' association, DET will not issue a permit.
- You choose between holding the permit yourself as an individual host and handing the unit to a DET-licensed operator, which is the usual route for owners who live abroad.
- Guests pay a Tourism Dirham of AED 10 (standard) or AED 15 (deluxe) per occupied bedroom per night, which you remit to DET each month.
- Permits last a year and, by most accounts, do not renew themselves. An expired permit is treated like no permit.
- Fines under Executive Council Resolution No. 49 of 2014 run from AED 200 to AED 20,000, doubling on a repeat within a year, up to AED 100,000.
The fee table, and what our other pages say
Three of our pages already quote holiday home figures, and they don't all agree: renting out your property in Dubai, hotel apartments for sale in Dubai and property management in Dubai. This table is the version checked against 2026 sources, with the corrections flagged. Rupee figures use AED 1 = about Rs 26.1.
| Item | Current figure | Note on our other pages |
|---|---|---|
| Registration fee | AED 1,520 (AED 1,500 plus AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees), paid on submission | Most 2026 guides call it a one-time fee. The "about AED 1,520 a year" figure should read as the registration fee, with renewals charged per bedroom |
| Unit permit | AED 370 per bedroom a year: AED 370 for a one-bed, AED 740 for a two-bed, AED 1,110 for a three-bed | Agrees with the AED 370 per bedroom figure on the hotel apartments page |
| Tourism Dirham | AED 10 per occupied bedroom per night (standard), AED 15 (deluxe) | "AED 10-20" should read AED 10-15; AED 20 is the top hotel rate, not a holiday home rate |
| Municipality fee on the booking | Sources quote 4%, 7% and 10% | Unconfirmed. Treat the 7% figure as unverified until DET confirms it on your account |
| Fines | AED 200 to AED 20,000 per violation; AED 5,000 for operating without a permit; doubled on a repeat within a year, capped at AED 100,000 | "AED 5,000-100,000" overstates the range: AED 100,000 is only the cap for repeat offences |
The licensing procedure, step by step
Step 1: check that your unit qualifies
DET issues permits for furnished residential units. For an apartment, the title deed must say "Residential". Villas in gated communities can be residential or commercial, and independent villas in Hatta must be commercial or farm plots.
The bigger hurdle is the building. You need a No Objection Certificate from the developer or the owners' association confirming the unit can be used as a holiday home. Some buildings refuse short lets entirely, so ask before you buy if short-stay income is the plan.
Step 2: self-managed permit or licensed operator?
| Self-managed (individual host) | Licensed operator | |
|---|---|---|
| Who holds the permit | You | The operator, under its DET licence |
| Who registers guests and remits the Tourism Dirham | You | The operator |
| Cost | DET fees only, plus your own cleaning and supplies | DET fees plus a management fee, typically 15% to 25% of gross revenue |
| Suits | Owners living in Dubai with time to answer guests | Owners abroad, or with more than one unit |
A self-managed host registers on the portal as an individual operator with an Emirates ID or a passport. Non-residents can apply, but most owners who live abroad use an operator, which holds the permit and runs the day-to-day compliance.
Step 3: apply on the Holiday Homes portal
DET's own service page sets the order: log in, add the unit, upload the documents, review and submit, then pay. Have these ready:
- the title deed;
- your passport, and Emirates ID if you are a resident;
- the developer's or owners' association's NOC;
- a recent DEWA bill in the owner's name;
- photos of the furnished unit;
- for an operator, its trade licence.
Guides report approval in anything from one business day to about seven working days when the documents are in order.
Step 4: classification, inspection and insurance
Once the unit is approved, you self-classify it as standard or deluxe before taking bookings. The class sets the Tourism Dirham your guests pay. DET can inspect for fire safety, emergency planning, furnishing, maintenance and cleanliness, so classify honestly: a "deluxe" unit that fails inspection is a compliance problem.
You also need a comprehensive insurance policy from a Dubai-licensed insurer that covers damage and injury to guests.
Step 5: running it month to month
- List with the permit number. Airbnb and Booking.com delist properties that cannot show a valid permit, and DET shares data with the platforms.
- Register every guest. Upload each guest's passport or Emirates ID on the portal. Guides put the deadline at three hours from arrival.
- Remit the Tourism Dirham. The payment order is generated on the 11th of each month and must be paid by the 15th.
- Renew on time. Guides say the renewal window opens 30 days before expiry and that DET sends no reminder. Put the date in your calendar the day the permit issues.
A worked example: first-year cost of a two-bedroom flat
Take a two-bedroom flat, classed as standard, self-managed.
| Item | Working | AED |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | One-time | 1,520 |
| Unit permit | 2 bedrooms x 370 | 740 |
| DET fees, year one | 2,260 (about Rs 59,000) | |
| DET fees, each later year | Renewal at 2 x 370 | 740 (about Rs 19,300) |
| Tourism Dirham collected | 200 nights x 2 bedrooms x 10 | 4,000, passed to DET |
The Tourism Dirham is your guests' money, not yours, but you are responsible for collecting and remitting it. If the same flat were deluxe, the figure would be AED 6,000. If you used an operator instead, on an assumed AED 150,000 of gross bookings a 15% to 25% fee would come to AED 22,500 to AED 37,500 a year. Whether that is worth it depends on how much of your time the operator saves.
Where owners get caught
- Listing before the permit issues. Operating without a permit carries a AED 5,000 fine, and a repeat within a year doubles it.
- Letting the permit lapse. Guides warn that an expired permit is treated like no permit, so a missed renewal can turn a compliant owner into an unlicensed one overnight.
- Missing the 15th. Late Tourism Dirham remittance is one of the most common violations operators report.
- Ignoring the building rules. An NOC can carry conditions, and owners' associations can act against units that breach them.
For Indian owners
If you live in India, an operator holding the permit is the practical route, since guest registration and monthly remittance need someone on the ground. Short-let income from Dubai is taxable in India for a resident, and the flat, the UAE account that receives the payouts and the income go in your return, including Schedule FA. Our note on tax on Dubai property for Indian buyers covers the reporting.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a holiday home permit cost in Dubai?
Most 2026 guides put it at a one-time registration fee of AED 1,520, including AED 20 of knowledge and innovation fees, plus AED 370 per bedroom a year for the unit permit. A two-bedroom flat therefore costs AED 2,260 in the first year and AED 740 in each later year, before any operator's fee.
Can I run a Dubai holiday home myself if I live abroad?
Non-residents can apply with a passport, but a self-managed host must register every guest on DET's portal within hours of arrival and remit the Tourism Dirham by the 15th of each month. Most owners abroad use a DET-licensed operator, which holds the permit and handles that compliance for 15% to 25% of gross revenue.
What is the Tourism Dirham for a Dubai holiday home?
It is a fee charged to guests of AED 10 per occupied bedroom per night for a standard holiday home and AED 15 for a deluxe one. The class comes from your own classification on the portal. You collect it from guests and pay it to DET monthly, against a payment order generated on the 11th.
Do I need my building's permission for a holiday home permit?
Yes. DET asks for a No Objection Certificate from the developer or the owners' association confirming the unit may be used as a holiday home. Some buildings refuse short lets altogether, so confirm the building's position before you buy a unit for short-stay income.
What is the fine for renting a Dubai holiday home without a permit?
Operating without a permit is fined AED 5,000 according to guides citing Resolution No. 49 of 2014, which sets fines of AED 200 to AED 20,000. A repeat of the same violation within a year doubles the fine, capped at AED 100,000, and DET can also suspend or cancel a permit.
If you are weighing short lets against an annual tenant for a Dubai flat, Realty Hunting can walk you through the numbers for your building.
