Dubai trade licence types: commercial, professional, industrial and more

The type of trade licence you hold follows from your business activities, not the other way round. On the Dubai mainland, the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) sorts licences mainly into commercial, professional and industrial, and the activities you choose decide which one you get. Free zones run their own systems with their own names.

The type matters more than it looks. It affects which legal forms you can use, what premises you need and, for some foreign owners, whether you must appoint a local service agent. This guide covers the main types, the special routes on the Invest in Dubai portal, freelance permits and how free zones label their licences. It is general information, not legal advice.

The three main mainland licence types

Commercial. Choose this if you will buy and sell goods, hold stock or import. Dubai Customs registers businesses against their trade licence and issues a customs business code on that basis, so the goods you bring in need to fit your licensed activities.

Professional. This covers service activities such as consultancy, design, IT services and skilled crafts. Professionals often hold it as a sole establishment or civil company. If those are wholly owned by non-GCC nationals, a local service agent is required: a UAE national who handles official paperwork but owns no part of the business. Many service businesses use an LLC instead, where DET allows it for the activity.

Industrial. This is for making things. Expect conditions on your premises, and depending on the project, a national industrial licence from the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology.

Whatever the type, your licence is public. DET's licence search shows its status, expiry date, legal type and activities, and customers, banks and landlords do look. A licence type that does not match what you visibly do raises questions before anyone reads your business plan.

Tourism, agricultural and crafts licences

The federal Ministry of Economy and Tourism lists six licence types: commercial, professional, industrial, tourism, agricultural and crafts (crafts are sometimes called occupational). Most founders only meet the first three.

In Dubai, DET is also the tourism authority, so businesses such as hotels and travel agencies are licensed under its tourism rules, with their own classifications and conditions. Some need a second authority as well: a travel agency that sells air tickets needs approval from the General Civil Aviation Authority.

Instant, eTrader and the other routes on Invest in Dubai

The Invest in Dubai portal lists eight licence types: industrial, commercial and professional, plus eTrader, dual, instant, SME and Intelaq. The last five are routes or eligibility categories rather than different kinds of business.

• Instant licence. For activities that need no outside approval. It is issued in minutes and comes with a virtual address for the first year, Dubai Chamber membership for commercial activities, a GDRFA establishment card and MOHRE registration for up to three employees. It is available for LLCs, single-owner LLCs, sole establishments and civil companies. After the first year, you need real premises.
• eTrader licence. A home-based sole establishment licence for small businesses trading online. DET has said commercial eTrader activities are for UAE and GCC nationals, while residents can apply for some service activities.
• Dual licence. This concerns free zone companies that also want to work on the mainland. Dubai now also regulates free zone companies' activities in the rest of the emirate through Executive Council Resolution No. 11 of 2025; our guide to whether a free zone company can do business in mainland Dubai explains the options.
• SME and Intelaq. These are aimed mainly at UAE nationals: SME status brings support for national businesses, and Intelaq is a home-based licence.

Of these routes, the instant licence matters most to foreign founders. It is a good start for a simple service business. It is a poor fit if you already know you will need an outside approval, a warehouse or a large team soon.

Freelance permits are a separate category

A freelance permit lets one person work under their own name rather than through a company. These are mainly free zone products. Dubai Development Authority offers a freelance licence that lets independent professionals work under their birth name, and RAKEZ offers a freelancer permit for media, education, IT and analyst professionals. Each zone has its own list of eligible professions and its own rules on visas.

A freelance permit suits someone selling their own skills. It does not suit a business that will hire staff or trade goods. Our guide to freelance permits in Dubai compares the options.

How free zones label their licences

Free zones do not use DET's categories. Each has its own list, usually split by what you do. RAKEZ, for example, offers commercial, general trading, e-commerce, industrial, service, professional, educational and media licences, plus its freelancer permit. IFZA groups its activities under commercial and professional licences.

The labels differ, but the logic is the same: trading goods, providing services, making things or selling online. Two labels need care. A general trading licence covers many unrelated goods, which is flexible but draws closer review from banks. An e-commerce licence covers selling online, and our guide to starting an e-commerce business in Dubai explains when you need one. To compare zones, start with our free zones overview.

Choosing the right type: what to get right

• Start with activities. The licence type follows from them. Our guide to choosing business activities shows how to pick them.
• Match the legal form. The type shapes which legal forms are open to you, and the form decides your liability. See choosing a legal form in Dubai.
• Think a year ahead. A home-based eTrader licence you outgrow in six months means a second setup, and an instant licence still needs real premises after its first year.
• Hold stock, hold a commercial licence. If you will import or keep inventory, a purely professional licence will not cover it.

Say you are an interior designer who also wants to sell imported furniture to your clients. Design is a professional activity; selling furniture is trading. You need both kinds of activity covered, either on one licence if DET or your free zone allows that combination, or through a structure that covers both. Settle it before you sign a lease, because the answer can change your legal form and your premises.

If you are unsure which type fits your plans, our business setup team can check your activities against DET and free zone lists before you apply.

Sources

• UAE Government portal: steps to start a business on the mainland, including licence types
• Ministry of Economy and Tourism: establishing companies
• Dubai Media Office: DET instant licences and what they include
• RAKEZ: licence types
• Dubai Development Authority: freelancer licence
• Dubai Customs: frequently asked questions on business registration