A real estate business setup in Dubai for brokerage needs three things before the first listing goes live: a trade licence from the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) carrying a brokerage activity, approval of that activity by the Dubai Land Department (DLD) and its Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) through the Trakheesi system, and a broker card for every person who deals with clients. On the DLD side, the published annual fee for brokerage is AED 5,000 plus AED 20, each broker card costs AED 500 plus AED 20, and each ad needs its own permit. Brokering without RERA licensing carries a AED 50,000 fine under Dubai’s fee and fine schedule.
Every fee and rule below was read on official DLD, Dubai Legislation Portal and Invest in Dubai pages on 14 September 2026. Treat the figures as a dated snapshot.
Key takeaways
- DLD lists brokerage under “other activities” at AED 5,000 a year plus a AED 20 knowledge and innovation fee, and says the licensing request takes one working day.
- Executive Council Resolution No. (25) of 2009 lists sale and purchase brokerage and leasing brokerage as two separate AED 5,000 activities, so ask whether taking both doubles that line.
- Each agent needs a Dubai Police good conduct certificate, a pass in the broker exam (AED 700 plus AED 20) and a broker card that expires with the company’s trade licence.
- Every property ad needs a Trakheesi permit, AED 1,000 plus AED 20 for most formats, and for most permit types a broker must attach the marketing contract signed with the owner.
- A repeat of the same violation within one year doubles the fine, up to a cap of AED 1 million.
The three registrations behind a licensed brokerage
“Getting a RERA licence” is really three layers from two authorities, and each can stop you trading on its own.
| Layer | Issued by | What it proves | Published DLD fee (Sept 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade licence with a brokerage activity | DET, through Invest in Dubai | The company exists and may carry on brokerage | Set by DET, varies by legal form and activity |
| Real estate activity licence and office registration | DLD and RERA, through Trakheesi | RERA has approved the activity; the office sits in the brokers register | AED 5,000 a year plus AED 20 |
| Broker card for each individual | DLD and RERA, through Trakheesi | That person may deal with buyers, sellers, landlords or tenants | AED 500 plus AED 20, exam AED 700 plus AED 20 |
DLD’s FAQ says the office is registered automatically once the licence is issued, so there is no separate office registration application. That is the record behind the Office Registration Number you will see on broker ads and contracts. The legal base is Bylaw No. (85) of 2006 Regulating the Real Estate Brokers Register in the Emirate of Dubai, which RERA administers.
DLD recognises two broker categories: brokerage in leasing property and brokerage in buying and selling property. Decide which you need before the trade name is booked, because the activity list drives both the DET approval and the RERA fee.
Real estate business setup in Dubai, step by step
DLD’s licensing page sets the sequence: apply through DET, register in Trakheesi, then apply for practice cards straight after approval. In practice it runs like this.
- Choose the activity (sales, leasing or both) and the legal form, then book a trade name on Invest in Dubai.
- Apply to DET for initial approval. DLD approval is an external approval on this activity, so plan for the normal licence route. Invest in Dubai limits its five-minute instant licence to activities that need no external approval.
- Line up the manager: a Dubai Police good conduct certificate addressed to DLD or RERA, the real estate qualification course, and residency on the same licence.
- Sign and register the office lease. Invest in Dubai says a normal licence needs a memorandum of association and a site lease contract, and Dubai leases are registered in Ejari.
- Complete the RERA activity request in Trakheesi, where DLD states a one working day service time, and pay the AED 5,020.
- Receive the DET licence. DLD’s FAQ puts this at one to two days once documents are complete.
- Book the broker exam for each agent, then issue cards in Trakheesi. DLD lists a five-minute service time for the card itself.
- Download the Dubai REST app, set up the smart contracts, and apply for your first ad permits before any listing is published.
One issue we often see is a lease signed before the activity is approved. If the activity or the manager fails RERA’s conditions, the rent is still owed. Where you can, get initial approval and the manager’s paperwork moving before committing to a long lease.
Who can own and manage the brokerage
DLD’s FAQ sets out the conditions for adding a manager or partner to a brokerage licence. The person must be 18 or older, must have passed a real estate qualification course (university or diploma level), must hold a Dubai Police good conduct certificate addressed to DLD or RERA, must have residency on the same licence, and must not be a partner or manager on any other brokerage licence. That last rule catches founders who already sit on a friend’s licence.
On ownership, the same FAQ states that an expatriate can own a brokerage licence provided there is a citizen services agent. Other answers on that FAQ page describe older nationality conditions, and DET has changed foreign ownership rules for many mainland activities since 2021. We have not been able to confirm on a DET page which legal forms DET accepts for this activity today, so treat this as a question to settle at initial approval, in writing, before you pay for anything else.
Broker cards, the exam and renewal
DLD is explicit: no person may practise the activity on the licence until they are registered and hold the card for that activity. The card page lists these charges for a real estate broker card:
- AED 500 for the card, plus a AED 10 knowledge fee and a AED 10 innovation fee.
- AED 700 for the broker exam, plus the same AED 10 and AED 10 fees.
- AED 50 plus VAT, listed as the ERES fee.
The exam is not required for three groups, according to the same page: people over 55, brokers with five consecutive years in the same real estate office, and holders of a start-up licence. Training providers run preparation courses for the exam and set their own prices, so that cost is a quote from your chosen provider rather than a DLD fee.
Card validity is tied to the company’s trade licence, and DLD’s FAQ requires each agent’s residency to be on that licence, so a new hire’s visa transfer comes before their card. DLD’s FAQ says renewal is automatic approval in Trakheesi on payment of AED 520, with a copy of a valid passport or residency and a certificate of continuing education. Put the continuing education dates in the same calendar as the licence renewal, because the certificate is one of the documents DLD lists for renewal.
What the DLD side costs for a four-agent office
Here is a worked example using only DLD’s published fees as of 14 September 2026, for a new sales brokerage with four agents who all sit the exam. It excludes DET licence fees, rent, visas, training courses and marketing, which depend on your choices and have to be quoted.
| Line | Calculation | AED |
|---|---|---|
| RERA activity licence | 5,000 + 20 | 5,020 |
| Broker exam | 4 x (700 + 20) | 2,880 |
| Broker cards | 4 x (500 + 20) | 2,080 |
| ERES fee | 4 x (50 + 5% VAT) | 210 |
| Office lease registration at a trustee centre | DLD listed total | 220 |
| Total before any ad permits | 10,410 |
DLD lists AED 177.75 for lease registration through Dubai REST, but that app route requires the tenant and landlord to be individuals, so a company tenant should budget for the AED 220 trustee centre route unless the landlord’s property manager registers the lease. Add AED 1,020 for each Trakheesi ad permit in most formats. If the office also takes leasing brokerage and DLD charges it as a second activity, add another AED 5,020. A failed exam is paid again on each attempt. Five permits already cost more than the RERA activity licence.
Before the first listing: permits, contracts and the green list
This is the part that separates a licensed office from a compliant one. DLD’s practice guide says brokerages must obtain a permit through Trakheesi for any real estate advertisement or marketing material, and the permit number must appear on the ad.
Advertising permits and Madmoun
DLD’s ad permit service covers newspaper, SMS, outdoor, vehicle, printed, electronic, billboard and classified ads, plus open house events, promotional campaigns, promotion platforms and seminars. Most permits cost AED 1,000 plus AED 20. A project launch event permit costs AED 5,000. When the applicant is a broker, DLD requires a copy of the marketing contract with the property owner for most permit types.
Since 24 April 2023, DLD’s Madmoun service has put a QR code on each permit, and real estate companies must show it on print and audiovisual ads. Buyers can scan it to see the advertiser and whether the unit has been sold or rented. Build the permit number and QR code into your listing templates and your property website design from day one, rather than retrofitting hundreds of pages.
Smart contracts A, B and F
The practice guide requires brokers to use RERA’s smart contracts in the Dubai REST app. Contract A is the agreement to market a property between the seller and the brokerage. Contract B records a buyer’s wish to purchase through the broker. Contract F is the sale agreement between seller and buyer. DLD’s FAQ adds that if an owner signs an exclusive contract with one broker, the property cannot be offered through another.
Who you may call
The green list in Dubai REST shows the contact details of owners who have registered to be contacted. The guide says brokers may not contact owners who are not on it, and a complaint can lead to a violation and suspension of operations.
Off-plan projects
To market off-plan units, the guide requires the project to be licensed and registered with RERA, an escrow account linked to the project, and a marketing contract between the developer and your brokerage. Buyers must be told to pay only into the project escrow account. You can check a project’s registration in the Mashrooi section of Dubai REST.
Fines and the quieter ways a brokerage loses its licence
Schedule (2) of Executive Council Resolution No. (25) of 2009, as published on the Dubai Legislation Portal, sets AED 50,000 fines for brokering without a RERA licence, for brokering a project not registered with RERA, for failing to give RERA required information and for breaching the terms of a RERA licence. Article (2) doubles the fine for the same violation within one year, capped at AED 1 million. DLD’s FAQ adds a black points system for offices and brokers, and says some violations start with a warning.
The FAQ also lists ways to lose a brokerage licence that have nothing to do with fines:
- Not working in brokerage for more than 12 consecutive months without an excuse the committee accepts.
- Giving false information in the licence application.
- A fundamental breach of the laws and directives in force, with 15 days from notification to file a grievance against removal from the register.
Commission rights are just as fragile. Under Bylaw No. (85) of 2006, as DLD’s FAQ explains it, commission is whatever the brokerage contract says, and custom applies only when the contract is silent. The FAQ says a broker loses the right to commission if they act against the client’s interests or are not licensed by RERA, and is normally paid only after the sale contract is registered with DLD. A deal that falls through before registration pays nothing unless the contract says otherwise.
Free zone brokerages and second branches
A company licensed in a Dubai free zone can apply for the RERA activity, but DLD’s licensing page says it must obtain a no-objection certificate from its licensing authority. Renewal differs as well. According to the FAQ, licences issued by Dubai’s economic department renew automatically, while free zone licences need a renewal application submitted in Trakheesi each time.
For growth, DLD’s FAQ says an additional branch needs its own real estate licence, a main office with at least 15 brokers, all staff registered with RERA, and AED 5,000 a year.
Commission income, agent payouts and permit spend need to reconcile from the first deal. Our accounting and bookkeeping service covers that set-up, and the VAT consultancy page explains registration and returns.
