Dubai Holiday Home Permit Cost — Full Breakdown in AED, Step by Step

What the permit actually costs (verified DET fee schedule)

Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) publishes the fee on the permit-issuance service page: AED 300 per bedroom, plus AED 50 per holiday home for issuing the classification certificate, plus a AED 10 knowledge fee and a AED 10 innovation fee. For a one-bedroom unit that totals AED 370 — and the schedule caps it at up to AED 1,200 per holiday home each year. The fee recurs yearly: the permit year follows the dates on your Property Management Letter.

Costs the permit fee doesn't cover

Three cost categories sit outside the AED 370. First, the tourism dirham — a charge on occupied nights remitted to DET; its rate schedule is published separately, so check the current DET schedule rather than blog numbers. Second, a security deposit requirement applies on the Holiday Homes Portal — confirm the current amount on the portal when you apply. Third, one-off setup costs: a trade licence copy only if the landlord is a company, and your DEWA account must be active and in the landlord's name. None of these figures belong to the permit fee itself, and each changes — verify at application time.

Documents you'll need

The DET service page lists the required documents: the title deed or a copy of the approved Dubai Land Department sales purchase agreement; a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the developer if applicable to your building; a signed passport copy or Emirates ID of the landlord; a copy of the trade licence if the unit's landlord is a company; the Emirates ID or passport of the authorised signatory; a Property Management Letter per the downloadable template; and a current DEWA bill — entering the premise number, not the account number. If the title deed covers an entire building, additional per-unit documents may be requested: the building completion certificate and a landlord NOC referencing the total number of managed holiday-home units and each unit's individual DEWA account number.

How to apply — step by step

Applications run online on the Holiday Homes Portal, and both owners and operators can apply directly. The service processes in one business day. Note the two legal obligations DET attaches: the permit's issue and expiry dates must match the dates of your Property Management Letter, and by law the permit must be displayed in the unit. If a representative signs the letter, a formal Power of Attorney plus the representative's passport copy must be attached. DET also publishes a holiday-homes system user guide and a leasing-out-holiday-homes guide — download both from the service page before applying.

Renewal, changes and cancellation

The fee schedule's "each year" wording reflects the permit's annual cadence: renew on the Holiday Homes Portal before expiry, keeping the Property Management Letter dates aligned — operators' letter periods define the permit window. If your letter is signed under a Power of Attorney, the POA travels with every renewal. And if you stop renting the unit out, DET requires you to formally cancel the permit through the portal rather than letting it lapse — there is a dedicated cancellation service for exactly that.

Other emirates are different — don't copy Dubai numbers

The AED 370 breakdown applies to Dubai only. Abu Dhabi runs its own holiday-home framework under its culture and tourism authority, with separate licence categories and fees; Sharjah, Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah each regulate through their own tourism departments. Searching "DTCM permit charges" often surfaces Dubai numbers applied to other emirates — DTCM is the former name of Dubai's tourism regulator, and its figures never applied outside Dubai. Always price the permit from the emirate's own authority before budgeting.

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