Influencer License in Dubai: Do You Need a Permit to Post?
Advertiser Permit, exemptions, AED costs, fines and DHA or DLD rules: what business owners, doctors, real estate agents and coaches must check before posting in Dubai.
By Florent Garcia, CEO KOSMOS
Published on
In Dubai, you do not need a permit to promote your own products or services, or a company you own, on your personal account. To advertise another brand, paid or unpaid, you need the Advertiser Permit from the National Media Authority (NMA). It is free for 3 years, then AED 1,000 a year, with a 3 working day processing time.
Updated 6 October 2026. Rules change: check with the NMA before you post or film. This article is information, not legal advice.
Do you need a license to post on Instagram in Dubai?
The rule is mainly about advertising. The official name is the Advertiser Permit. The NMA service page says it lets a person publish advertising and media content on their social media accounts, website or other digital platforms, for payment or for free.
The UAE Media Council launched the permit in July 2025. Gulf News and Gulf Business report that the grace period to get the permit ended on 31 January 2026.
In late 2025, Federal Decree-Law No. 11 of 2025 created the National Media Authority (NMA), which replaces the Media Council. Today, the permit page is on the NMA website.
You will often read "AED 15,000 a year" for a media license in Dubai. That figure comes from the old National Media Council licence announced in 2018. The current permit page shows different numbers: free for 3 years, then AED 1,000.
Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube or your website: the platform does not change the rule. What matters is who promotes what, and on which account. We check this before anything else when we build a personal branding strategy in Dubai.
Your situation: do you need the Advertiser Permit?
Here is how the rule applies to the cases we see most with business owners, doctors, real estate agents and coaches. When the texts do not give a clear answer, we say so.
| Your situation | Advertiser Permit? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| You promote your own products or services, or a company you own, on your personal account | No. Exemption listed in the official permit guide | Nothing to file with the NMA. Label your ads and get your sector approvals (see below) |
| A brand pays you or gives you a free product to talk about it | Yes | Trade licence, then online application with UAE Pass. Say clearly that you were paid or gifted |
| You recommend another brand and get nothing in return | To confirm. The permit covers ads "for payment or for free", but the line with a simple recommendation is not defined | Ask the NMA for a written answer |
| Content with no promotion: tips, opinions, behind the scenes | To confirm. The official guide talks about advertising content, but the permit name also mentions media content. The limit is not defined | Follow the national media content standards, which apply to everyone |
| You are an employee promoting your employer (clinic, brokerage, company you do not own) | Unclear | Ask the NMA in writing before you post |
| You are on a visit visa and you post ads | Yes, Visitor Advertiser Permit | Apply through an accredited agency. AED 500, 3 months, 6 months maximum in total |
| You pay a creator to promote you | Yes, for the creator | The official guide says businesses must only work with permit holders. Check the number shown on their account |
The exemption only covers the Advertiser Permit. You still need to label ads, get the approvals for your sector and keep your business licences valid.
Employees are the least clear case. The official exemption only covers your own products or a company you own, and no text we read says if an employee needs the permit to promote their employer.
The law firm Banks Legal wrote in March 2026 that a real estate agent who posts listings on a personal account needs the permit. Email the NMA (info@nma.gov.ae) and keep the answer.
Advertiser Permit cost and how to apply
For UAE citizens and residents, the NMA says: free for 3 years, then AED 1,000 a year from year 4. Processing time is 3 working days. The permit is valid for 1 year and renewable.
- Get a valid trade licence for electronic media activity. The NMA guide accepts a free zone licence if it is issued as a sole establishment. Confirm the exact activity with your licensing authority.
- Prepare your UAE Pass digital ID, your passport and a personal photo.
- Log in to the NMA e-services and select "Permit for an Individual to Provide Advertising or Media Content on Social Media and Other Digital Platforms".
- Fill in the form, upload the documents and submit. Track the status until approval, then pay the fee if any.
- Complete the training programme run by the authority. It is part of the permit conditions.
- Once approved, show your permit number on your accounts. Do not let anyone else advertise through your registered account.
The NMA also asks for good conduct, no conviction for a felony or dishonesty offence (unless rehabilitated), no past cancelled permit and no unpaid dues to the authority. The official guide also asks you to register for tax and get a TRN.
On a visit visa? The Visitor Advertiser Permit can only be filed through an accredited advertising or talent management agency. It costs AED 500 for 3 months, plus another AED 500 for the extension, up to 6 months in total.
Cost of the NMA Advertiser Permit
Visitor permit: 6 months maximum in total, AED 500 per extension.
Doctors, real estate agents, coaches: approvals on top of the permit
Even without a permit, you must follow Article 33 of the Executive Regulations of the Media Law (Cabinet Resolution No. 68 of 2024). It applies to individuals and companies.
- An ad must be clearly marked as an ad and kept apart from other content.
- When you endorse a product or service, you must say clearly if you get anything in return from the brand.
- No false, misleading or exaggerated claims.
- Real estate, medical (clinics, hospitals, health and pharmacy products), financial, education and food ads need approval from the relevant authority.
Doctors and clinics: DHA standards
The Dubai Health Authority has standards for medical ads on social media. They cover DHA-licensed facilities and professionals. Some rules also apply to influencers who promote a clinic.
- Separate personal and professional accounts.
- Your name, title, qualification and specialty shown as on your DHA licence.
- Approval from the medical director if the video names the facility or shows its location.
- The MOHAP medical advertisement licence number shown on the clinic's official account.
- Written consent from every patient who appears.
- No absolute claims such as "the best", "100%", "no side effects" or "immediate results".
Real estate agents: the DLD ad permit
Real estate ads need approval from the relevant authority. In Dubai, the real estate ad permit comes from the Dubai Land Department through Trakheesi, and the official page includes electronic ads. If you work for a brokerage, the Advertiser Permit question comes on top (see the table above).
See how we plan listing videos on our real estate video production page.
Coaches, consultants, trainers
If you sell your own services on your personal account, the permit exemption applies. If you talk about investments or sell a training course, check with the relevant authority: Article 33 lists financial and education services among the ads that need approval.
The rules for each profession are covered in our guides to medical advertising in Dubai and to real estate video and the Trakheesi permit.
What are the fines for posting ads without a permit?
Fines are set by Cabinet Resolution No. 42 of 2025, dated 16 April 2025. Here are the lines that apply to social media, read in the Arabic text published by the NMA.
| Violation | 1st time | 2nd time | After that |
|---|---|---|---|
| Posting ad or media content on social media, paid or unpaid, without a permit | Written warning | AED 20,000 | AED 50,000 the 3rd time, then doubled |
| Posting after your permit has expired | AED 10,000 | AED 20,000 | Doubled |
| Not following the permit conditions for individuals | Warning | AED 10,000 | Not specified |
| Running an ad without approval from the relevant authority (health, real estate, etc.) | AED 10,000 | Doubled | Doubled |
| Breaking Article 33 (unlabelled ad, hidden payment, misleading claim) | AED 20,000 | AED 50,000 | Doubled |
Ads posted without a permit: the fine goes up with every repeat
After that, the fine doubles with each new violation.
Some articles quote "AED 10,000, then AED 40,000". These amounts are in the resolution, but for another line: running a media activity without a licence or permit. For ad content on social media, the line to use is in the table above.
Breaches of media content standards (religion, privacy, fake news and more) have their own scale. It goes up to AED 1,000,000 for the most serious cases.
Filming with a video agency: who posts, on which account, with which label?
For the permit, it does not matter who films. What matters is who promotes what, and on which account. Before each personal branding shoot, we review 4 points with you.
- The posting account: yours, your company's, or a partner's.
- What you promote: only your business, or also another brand (a developer, a partner clinic, a gifted product).
- Approvals before posting: DLD permit for a listing, medical director sign-off, written patient consent.
- The label: if a brand pays you or gives you something, say it clearly in the video and in the caption.
The mistakes we see most often:
- A property filmed and posted before the ad permit is issued.
- A patient filmed with verbal consent only.
- A caption that promises "the best results" for a clinic.
- A gifted product shown without saying it was gifted.
- A friend or partner who posts on their own account to promote you, with no permit. Khaleej Times reports that if you hire someone to advertise for you, that person needs the permit.
In practice: the video goes on your personal account and talks about your business, so you stay exempt. It goes on someone else's account to promote you, so that person needs the permit.
KOSMOS has supported 316+ experts in personal branding, and this check is now part of our shoot preparation. See our client projects and how we work on our personal branding agency page.
Before you even post, filming in a street, a mall or a hotel needs its own permit: see our guide to the filming permit in Dubai.
FAQ
Do I need a license to post on Instagram in Dubai as a business owner?
No, if you promote your own products or services, or a company you own, on your personal account. This exemption is listed in the official permit guide published by the NMA. Your ads still need a clear label and, in some sectors, approval.
How much does the Advertiser Permit cost in the UAE?
For residents, the NMA shows: free for 3 years, then AED 1,000 a year. For visitors, it is AED 500 for 3 months. The trade licence that residents need is a separate cost.
What is the fine for posting an ad without a permit in the UAE?
Under Cabinet Resolution No. 42 of 2025: a written warning the 1st time, AED 20,000 the 2nd time, AED 50,000 the 3rd time, then the fine is doubled. Posting after your permit expires costs AED 10,000, then AED 20,000.
I am an employee. Can I promote my employer without a permit?
It is not clear. The official exemption covers your own products or a company you own, and no official text we read covers employees. Ask the NMA in writing before you post.
Does the content creator Golden Visa replace the Advertiser Permit?
No, it is a 10-year residence visa. Gulf News and The National report that Creators HQ endorses creator applications. The National notes that creators still need permits and licences to work.
Can a visiting influencer film an ad for my brand in Dubai?
Yes, with the Visitor Advertiser Permit. It is filed through an accredited agency, costs AED 500 and lasts 3 months, up to 6 months in total. Check the permit before you sign.
Sources
- National Media Authority, Permit for an Individual (Advertiser Permit), official service page
- National Media Authority, Permit for Visiting Individuals, official service page
- National Media Authority, Advertiser Permit official page (validity, exemptions, obligations)
- National Media Authority, official Advertiser Permit guide (PDF, March 2026 version)
- National Media Authority, FAQ (Federal Decree-Law No. 11 of 2025)
- National Media Authority, media legislation and regulations
- Cabinet Resolution No. 42 of 2025, violations and penalties (PDF, Arabic)
- Cabinet Resolution No. 68 of 2024, Executive Regulations, Article 33 (PDF, Arabic)
- u.ae official portal, Golden Visa
- u.ae official portal, media regulation
- Dubai Land Department, Real Estate Ad Permit
- Dubai Health Authority, Standards for Medical Advertisement Content on Social Media (PDF)
- Gulf News, permit mandatory from 1 February 2026
- Gulf Business, deadline extended to 31 January 2026
- Gulf News, who needs the permit and how to apply
- Khaleej Times, Advertiser Permit FAQs
- The National, permit launch in July 2025
- Gulf News, National Media Authority created
- Gulf News, old National Media Council licence (2018)
- Gulf News, Golden Visa for content creators
- The National, Golden Visa for content creators
- Banks Legal, real estate advertising on social media (March 2026)
Your videos, on the right account, with the right labels
Book a 30-minute call with Florent. We look at who posts what, on which account, and what to check before filming.
Learn more: our personal branding agency in Dubai.
