HSE Consultancy Licence in Dubai (2026): Activity Code, Authority Registrations, Qualifications, Cost and Tax

An HSE consultancy licence in Dubai gives you the right to trade. It does not give you the right to sign off work on a client's site. That second permission comes from whichever authority controls the site, and each one keeps its own register, fee and view of who is qualified. Trakhees, which regulates Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), the Palm and the other Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC) areas, charges a risk assessment consultant AED 10,000 to join its approved list, and the first AED 5,000 is a non-refundable review fee [1].

The qualification bars are where plans come apart. Trakhees asks its risk assessors for a Chemical Engineering or Fire Engineering degree and five years of GCC experience [1]. Abu Dhabi, which launched a new competency-based practitioner register in April 2026, asks a senior practitioner for a Level 7 equivalent qualification or a named professional certification [2][3]. Neither document, as read for this guide, names the NEBOSH certificate that most job adverts ask for. Hire first and read second, and you pay for a licence and a visa for someone the authority will not accept.

Since 2013, BusinessDubai.ae has handled company setups across the UAE. This guide is built from the authorities' own published documents and BusinessDubai.ae's 2026 package prices. It covers the activity code, the registers in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, the qualifications each one names, mainland versus free zone, cost and tax. Where an authority does not publish a rule, it says so and tells you who to ask. It is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Last updated: October 2026. Every authority document cited below was read in October 2026, and the package prices are BusinessDubai.ae's figures as confirmed in September 2026.

What licence does an HSE consultancy need in Dubai?

An HSE consultancy on the Dubai mainland is licensed under activity 7020018, Occupational Safety Consultancy, a Professional licence in the group Consultancy - Technical on the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism activity list [4]. The licence lets the company trade. Registration with the authority that controls a client's site is what lets it sign off work there.

The register describes the activity as "Providing safety and vocational health services and consultancies", and the description reaches further than advice. It also lists "examination of construction or industrial machinery, non-destructive examination and inspection" and "issuance of certificates of safety and vocational health measures" [4]. So the one code can carry audits, risk assessments, HSE plans, machinery examination and safety certificates. The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) last updated the entry on 25 October 2023, and Ras Al Khaimah's economic department lists the same code under the name Professional Safety and Health Consultancy [4].

Two words in that entry matter. Professional means a service licence built on the skills of the people in the firm, as opposed to a Commercial licence for trading goods. Technical places the activity in DET's technical consultancy group, beside fire safety consultancy and apart from the engineering consultancy group. Our engineering consultancy company setup guide covers that separate classification regime, which applies to firms that stamp design drawings.

What the licence does not do is put the company on anyone's approved list. The research for this guide found no single register that covers every site in Dubai. A warehouse in Jebel Ali, a site on the Dubai mainland and a plant in Abu Dhabi can answer to three different authorities, and a consultancy that wants all three clients deals with all three.

Which activity code fits your HSE service?

Occupational safety advice, audits and risk assessments sit under 7020018. Quality consultancy, safety training, environmental engineering and fire safety each carry a different code on the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism list, and environmental consultancy has no dedicated Dubai mainland code [4]. Pick the code by the service you will invoice, not by the word safety.

The table sets the core code beside its neighbours, using the names, groups and licence types recorded on the DET activity list and the matching free zone lists [4].

Environmental work is the gap in that table. A search of the Dubai mainland list for environmental consultancy and environmental studies returned no dedicated activity [4]. The nearest mainland code is 7110910, which is an engineering licence with an engineer requirement attached. Several other registers do list a consultancy version under 7210002. If environmental studies are your main product and you are not an engineer, that difference decides where you incorporate.

Supplying site safety officers on contract is the one model the code list does not settle. The research for this guide found no dedicated DET activity for supplying safety officers. Whether placing your employees on a client's site for months counts as a consultancy service under 7020018, or as labour supply that may need a different activity and approval, is a question to put to DET and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) before you sign a supply contract.

Activity codes get renumbered and descriptions get edited. Treat the table as a map and confirm the exact name on the live list on the day you apply.

Common Mistake: Licensing under a fire safety code for occupational safety work, or the reverse. 7020034 and 7110957 are fire activities, and fire work in Dubai sits under a separate Dubai Civil Defence approval regime that our fire safety company setup guide covers. 7020018 is the occupational safety activity. Two of the three sit in the same DET group and all three sound alike, and guides to this business often blur them. A wrong code means a licence amendment before the right authority will look at your file.

Who registers HSE consultants in the UAE, authority by authority?

Four authorities matter to a Dubai HSE consultancy in 2026. Trakhees pre-qualifies consultants for the PCFC areas for AED 10,000 [1]. Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre registers practitioners and consultancy offices through TAMM [2]. Dubai Municipality registers environmental consultants [5]. Sharjah Prevention and Safety Authority runs its own officer register [7].

The table puts the schemes side by side, with the fee, validity, source and date for each. Where a cell says not stated or not found, that is the finding, not a placeholder.

The detail thins out as you move down the table. Trakhees and ADPHC publish full procedures. Dubai Municipality confirms that its environmental register exists but does not itemise what it takes to join. For general occupational safety consultancy on the Dubai mainland, and for Sharjah, the authorities' own pages did not give this guide enough to state a rule. Other project authorities in Dubai may set their own conditions too, and this guide covers only the ones whose documents were read.

If you want the registrations matched to your client list before you commit to a licence, we can map them with you. Check which approvals your scope needs→

What does Trakhees require from a risk assessment consultant in the PCFC areas?

Trakhees requires a risk assessment consultant to hold a valid Dubai licence with the appropriate activity, staff with a chemical or fire engineering degree and at least five years of GCC experience, professional indemnity insurance and a signed conflict-of-interest declaration. The fee is AED 10,000 for a new approval and AED 5,000 on renewal [1].

The rules sit in one document: the client procedure "Pre-qualification of Third Party Consultants and Service Providers", reference PCFC-TRK-EHS-IO-CP-06, Rev. 02, dated September 2022, from the Trakhees Environment, Health and Safety Department [1]. It covers third-party consultants and service providers working in JAFZA, the Palm and the other PCFC areas: risk assessment consultants, inspection, testing and certification agencies, and first aid training and certification companies. Risk assessment is split into specialties, namely fire risk, health risk, chemicals and dangerous goods, environmental risk and public safety [1].

The fees

The Trakhees fee schedule is short, and the split between application and approval is the part to notice [1].

The target processing time is six working days for new and renewal applications from risk assessment consultants [1]. The procedure is four years old, so confirm the schedule with Trakhees before you pay.

The file

A risk assessment consultant submits the following [1]:

• A valid Dubai licence carrying the appropriate activity.
• CVs and experience letters for every engineer and consultant, with proof of UAE residence.
• Attested academic and professional certificates, including school mark sheets.
• Copies of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certification.
• Approvals held from other authorities and a track record of major relevant studies.
• The receipt for the review fee and a declaration that the firm is not blacklisted or in litigation.
• A signed conflict-of-interest declaration and a copy of the professional indemnity insurance policy.

The qualification bar

The assessor bar is narrower than most safety professionals expect. Trakhees asks for a degree in Chemical Engineering or Fire Engineering, a minimum of five years of GCC experience in chemical process and manufacturing industries, and experience of risk assessment studies on large industrial projects [1]. It is a bar written for industrial risk: chemical stores, process plants and fabrication yards of the kind our steel fabrication company guide describes. A general safety certificate does not appear in it.

Conflict of interest, renewal and removal

A Trakhees risk assessment consultant may not also hold the design, engineering, project management or chartered engineering consultancy on the same project [1]. Renewal has to be filed at least one month before the Certificate of Approval (COA) expires. A firm that has not renewed within one month of expiry comes off the list on the Trakhees website, and an application more than two months late is treated as a new one. On performance the wording is blunt: failure to perform "shall result in revocation of COA and exclusion from the Approved List" [1].

Common Mistake: Bidding for the risk assessment on a project where your own firm already holds the design or project management appointment. The Trakhees procedure makes you sign a conflict-of-interest declaration, and the two roles cannot sit with one consultant on one project [1]. Decide which role you want before the tender, and keep the declaration accurate. The approval you paid AED 10,000 for is the thing at stake.

Pro Tip: Renewal costs AED 5,000. A renewal filed more than two months late is treated as a new application at AED 10,000, and the firm drops off the published list in between [1]. Set the reminder for two months before expiry so the file goes in a month early, which is what the procedure asks for.

The pre-qualification is a separate file from the trade licence, whichever authority issued that licence. If you are weighing a base inside the zone as well as work in it, our JAFZA free zone setup guide covers the licence side.

How does Abu Dhabi register OSH practitioners and consultancy offices in 2026?

Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC) registers occupational safety and health practitioners through the Qudorat programme on the TAMM platform, under Mechanism 7.2 of its framework, version 4.0, dated 1 April 2026. A consultancy office needs at least one registered OSH Senior Practitioner on staff. The document does not state the registration fee [2].

If you still call the regulator OSHAD, the name is out of date. ADPHC, established under Law No. 14 of 2019, now runs the system, and the framework once known as OSHAD-SF is now the Abu Dhabi Occupational Safety and Health System Framework, ADOSH-SF [8]. ADPHC launched the competency-based registration framework on 8 April 2026 with three initial practitioner categories: general practitioner, senior practitioner and auditor [3].

The Senior Practitioner bar

Mechanism 7.2 gives two routes to the qualification and adds an experience test [2]:

• An OSH qualification or training equivalent to NQF Level 7; or
• One of the named certifications: BCSP CSP, Can-CRSP, UK CMIOSH, the Australian Chartered Fellow, Fellow SIA or CPMSIA grades, Fellow IIRSM, or an international equivalent, with the official certificate or membership; and
• At least three years of experience "delivering Occupational Safety and Health within an entity", shown through an online CV on TAMM.

The applicant applies on TAMM, signs a Code of Conduct and a Conflict of Interest Declaration, and receives a digital registration card. No physical card is issued [2].

The consultancy office rule

An OSH consultancy office in Abu Dhabi needs at least one registered OSH Senior Practitioner on staff, and a practitioner can be registered with only one consultancy office at a time [2]. Registration renews every year. ADPHC sends a reminder one month before expiry, and renewal depends on continued OSH employment, a current certification or membership, a clean record on complaints and conflicts of interest, and 15 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) in the year, with no more than two hours credited for any single activity. Routine work does not count towards the 15. Miss the renewal and the applicant starts again as a new registration under whatever criteria apply then [2].

The fee

Mechanism 7.2 says the applicant is "redirected to pay any applicable fee for the category of registration". It does not state the amount [2]. This guide will not guess it. Check the figure on TAMM at the point of application.

Real Talk: An Abu Dhabi office registration hangs on a named person, not on the company. One registered Senior Practitioner is the minimum, that person can sit with one office only, and their registration cannot be renewed without 15 CPD hours a year [2]. If your only qualifying practitioner resigns, the office no longer has what the registration asks for. The document read for this guide does not say what grace period applies, so ask ADPHC, and think hard before building the firm around a single certificate holder.

A Dubai licence does not bring this registration with it, and the mechanism document does not say whether the office must hold an Abu Dhabi trade licence. Ask ADPHC that question before you choose where to incorporate. If Abu Dhabi projects will be your main market, our business setup in Abu Dhabi page sets out the licence routes in that emirate, so you can compare a local company with adding Abu Dhabi work to a Dubai one.

Does Dubai Municipality register HSE consultants, and how does Sharjah differ?

Dubai Municipality registers environmental consultants through its Environment Sustainability Department, and gives out the current roster on request by email [5]. A general Dubai Municipality registration requirement for occupational safety consultancies was not found on the Municipality's own site for this guide [6]. Sharjah runs a separate officer registration through its Prevention and Safety Authority [7].

Environmental consultants

The Dubai Municipality scheme is called Registered Environmental Consultants with Environment Sustainability Department. The public page says registered consultants are "qualified in providing environmental services and technical expertise on various and specific environmental fields" [5]. It does not list the documents, the fee or the validity period. To see who is currently registered, the Municipality directs enquirers to email ECR@dm.gov.ae. A 2020 list is still on the Municipality's website, but it is six years old and should not be read as current.

Occupational safety consultancies

For this guide, the Municipality's Health and Safety page and its General Legislations index were read in October 2026. Neither surfaced a registration page or a technical guideline for occupational safety consultancies or practitioners in general [6]. That is a statement about what could be found. It is not proof that no requirement exists.

Training providers describe Municipality approvals for individual HSE officers, including a certificate for health and safety officers in labour accommodation. Those are reported as certificates for individuals in specific settings, not as a licence or register for consultancy companies, and their details were not confirmed against a Municipality document here. The Municipality does publish technical guidelines for specific high-risk work, such as the rope access rules covered in our facade cleaning company setup guide. Those regulate the contractor doing the work.

Pro Tip: Before you price a Dubai mainland job, ask the client one question in writing: which registration, if any, must the consultant hold for this scope on this site? Then put the same question to Dubai Municipality's Health and Safety Department or the project's own authority. Keep both answers on file. It costs nothing, and it is a better use of an afternoon than a AED 5,000 application fee paid to the wrong register.

Sharjah

Sharjah government media reported in May and June 2024 that the Sharjah Prevention and Safety Authority launched a service for registering occupational safety and health officers, accessed through its e-services portal [7]. The authority's own page could not be opened when this guide was researched, so the requirements, fee and validity are not stated here. Confirm them with SPSA before you price Sharjah work. What can be said is that Sharjah's system is separate from Dubai's and from Abu Dhabi's.

Is authority registration a legal requirement or a commercial one?

Whether HSE consultant registration is legally required depends on the authority. Trakhees pre-qualification and Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre registration are conditions in the authorities' own documents [1][2]. Dubai Municipality's environmental consultant page does not state its legal force [5]. ISO 45001, NEBOSH and IOSH are commercial expectations set by clients.

The table sorts each item by who sets it and what the source actually says.

Two things follow. Where the authority controls the site, as Trakhees does in the PCFC areas, registration is the entry ticket and there is no commercial way round it. Everywhere else, the question is what the client's procurement team has written into its prequalification form.

Real Talk: Most HSE consultancy work is won on contractor prequalification. The client's panel asks for three things: the registration that matches the site, a professional indemnity certificate, and named, qualified staff. Consultancy sources widely report ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 certification as standard panel items too, but this guide could not confirm any single client's rule from a tender document. Ask each target client for its prequalification questionnaire before you spend on certification.

Which qualifications do the authorities actually name?

Trakhees names a degree in Chemical Engineering or Fire Engineering plus at least five years of GCC experience for its risk assessors [1]. Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre names an NQF Level 7 equivalent qualification or a listed professional certification, plus three years of experience [2]. NEBOSH and IOSH are commercial expectations, not named requirements in either document.

The table separates what a registration document names from what the market expects.

Does a NEBOSH diploma meet ADPHC's Level 7 route? The mechanism document does not say, in either direction. It asks for a qualification equivalent to NQF Level 7 or a named certification or its international equivalent [2]. If your senior person holds a NEBOSH diploma and none of the named grades, ask ADPHC for an equivalency view before you build an office registration around them.

None of this makes NEBOSH or IOSH a poor investment. They are what many employers and clients ask for by name. They are simply not what these two registers ask for, and the gap between the two lists is where new consultancies lose time.

Pro Tip: Check every CV against the named bar before you sign an employment contract, not after the licence is issued. For Trakhees that means the degree subject and five countable years in the GCC. For Abu Dhabi it means a certificate on the list and three years of evidence. The Trakhees review fee of AED 5,000 is non-refundable, so a file that fails on qualifications costs real money [1].

Which employer duties create the demand for HSE consultants?

Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 13, requires a UAE employer to provide the necessary safety means against the risk of work injuries and to "provide a safe and appropriate working environment" [9]. Ministerial Resolution No. 32 of 1982, Article 26, requires an industrial facility with at least 150 workers to appoint a full-time industrial security officer [10].

Those two provisions are the legal root of the market. Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations took effect on 2 February 2022, and Article 13 puts the safety duty on the employer [9]. Ministerial Resolution No. 32 of 1982 is older and more specific. Its Articles 1 to 24 set duties on prevention, first aid, fire, protective equipment and reporting. Article 26 then sets the staffing rule: a full-time industrial security officer at 150 workers or more, and that officer must be an engineer or a qualified technician where the facility has more than 1,000 workers [10].

Read together, they explain who buys consultancy. A facility under the 150 threshold has no duty under Article 26 to appoint its own officer but still carries the Article 13 duty in full. That employer is a natural buyer of audits, risk assessments, HSE plans and part-time safety support.

One honest limit. Neither provision, as quoted here, obliges an employer to hire an outside consultant. The duty is to provide a safe workplace. Consultants are one way of meeting it. Both texts were read in reproduced copies because the Ministry's own files could not be opened during research, and the References section says which copies.

Can an HSE consultancy also sell training courses in Dubai?

HSE training is a separate activity and a separate approval. The Dubai mainland code is 8549029, Occupational Safety Training [4], and a paid course needs authorisation from the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) under Executive Council Resolution No. 50 of 2015. Delivering a training activity without authorisation carries a fine of AED 50,000 [11].

A consultancy licence under 7020018 is a licence to advise. It is not an authorisation to run a course. The Resolution applies to anyone who conducts a training activity in Dubai, and the fine doubles on repetition within a year, up to AED 100,000 [11].

There are two ways to do this properly. The first is a full training institute permit, which our training institute business setup guide covers. The second is lighter and suits a consultancy that runs an occasional course. KHDA issues a Training Course Authorisation for Non-Training Institutes, which is valid for one course only and for the duration of that course, with an indicated processing time of about six working days [12]. Our guide to the line between a consultancy activity and a training activity explains where advice ends and a course begins.

Awarding bodies set their own conditions for course providers on top of this. Check them directly. No course price is quoted here, because none was found in a primary source.

Common Mistake: Adding open safety courses to the website on the strength of a consultancy licence. Selling seats on a course to the public is a training activity, and running one without authorisation is priced at AED 50,000 per violation, rising to AED 100,000 on repetition within a year [11]. Ask KHDA about the single-course authorisation before the first booking, not after.

Should an HSE consultancy set up on the mainland or in a free zone?

For a consultancy that works on client sites across Dubai, a mainland Professional licence is the direct route: BusinessDubai.ae's Dubai mainland package is AED 18,200 in year one without a visa and AED 24,400 with one visa [18]. A free zone licence costs less to hold but cannot operate inside the mainland without a branch or second licence.

No primary source read for this guide says an HSE consultancy must be on the mainland. What the sources do support is narrower, and it points the same way for most firms.

The Trakhees procedure asks for "a valid license with appropriate activity from any Dubai Licensing authority" [1]. On that wording a Dubai free zone licence is not excluded, and the pre-qualification is needed for PCFC-area work whichever Dubai licence you hold. ADPHC's mechanism registers practitioners and offices without stating a mainland rule [2]. The constraint comes from somewhere else: the work is done on the client's premises. As our guide to the best free zones for consultants sets out, a free zone consultancy can invoice a mainland client but cannot operate inside the mainland without a branch, a dual licence or a separate DET licence.

There is also an activity question. The register copies read for this guide show 7020018 on the Dubai mainland list and at Ras Al Khaimah's economic department [4]. Fire safety and environmental consultancy entries were confirmed at several free zones, but an occupational safety consultancy entry was not. Ask any zone to confirm its equivalent activity in writing before you pay.

On ownership, BusinessDubai.ae's consultancy guides put foreign ownership at 100% in a free zone and 100% for most professional activities on the mainland, following Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2021 [13]. Depending on the legal form, a mainland professional licence may involve a local service agent who holds no shares, so confirm the position for your structure at application.

The comparison below uses BusinessDubai.ae's September 2026 package prices [18].

On the one-visa column the two Dubai free zones are AED 350 apart, which is noise, and the mainland is about AED 3,000 to 3,350 more before office rent. For a business that earns its fees on other people's sites, that gap buys direct market access.

Whether you run this from the mainland or a free zone changes where you may physically work, what the licence costs and how the year-two bill looks. Our mainland company setup and free zone company setup pages itemise each route, including the renewal that a headline price leaves out.

If the consultancy will produce studies and documents remotely and does not need a Dubai address, the cheaper non-Dubai option is ANC Free Zone in Ajman at AED 10,800 with one visa [18], and our business setup in Ajman page shows what that buys. It is not a Dubai licence. On the wording of the Trakhees procedure, which asks for a licence from a Dubai licensing authority, it would not suit PCFC-area work [1].

Real Talk: At IFZA and Meydan Free Zone, a shareholder applying for an investor visa must now show capital of at least AED 75,000 in a bank account, in the UAE or in the home country [18]. It is not widely published. If you are leaving a salaried safety job to start alone, check that number against your savings before you choose either zone on price.

How is an HSE consultancy taxed in the UAE?

An HSE consultancy pays UAE corporate tax at the ordinary rates, 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above, whether it is on the mainland or in a free zone [14]. Consultancy is not a Qualifying Activity under Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025 [15]. Small Business Relief applies where revenue is AED 3,000,000 or less [16].

The free zone 0% rate is reserved for a Qualifying Free Zone Person earning income from a closed list of Qualifying Activities. That list in Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025 names manufacturing, processing, commodities trading, holding shares, ship management, reinsurance, fund and wealth management, headquarters and treasury services, aircraft leasing, distribution from a Designated Zone, logistics and activities ancillary to those [15]. It has no services category. Occupational safety consultancy is not named on it or excluded from it by name. It is simply absent, and on a closed list that is enough. Our Qualifying Free Zone Person guide explains the tests in full.

So a free zone HSE consultancy is an ordinary taxable person. The real route to a nil bill is Small Business Relief, which is available where revenue is AED 3,000,000 or less, for tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029, under Ministerial Decision No. 131 of 2026 amending Ministerial Decision No. 73 of 2023 [16]. It is elected on the return, not applied automatically, and our Small Business Relief guide covers the election.

VAT is the simpler tax: 5% on services to UAE clients, with the registration thresholds in the table [17]. Our VAT registration and compliance guide covers the mechanics. One point stays open. Services connected to real estate in the UAE can be denied zero-rating even when the client is abroad, as the engineering consultancy guide explains. Whether an audit or HSE plan tied to one UAE site is caught the same way was not confirmed for this guide, so take advice on any export invoice.

Quick Math: Take a consultancy with revenue of AED 1,200,000 and taxable profit of AED 500,000. At ordinary rates the tax is 9% of the AED 125,000 above the threshold, which is AED 11,250 [14]. With Small Business Relief elected, because revenue is under AED 3,000,000, the tax for that period is nil [16]. The same firm at AED 3,500,000 of revenue cannot elect, wherever it is licensed.

How much does it cost to set up an HSE consultancy in Dubai in 2026?

A Dubai mainland HSE consultancy costs AED 18,200 in year one without a visa and AED 24,400 with one visa on BusinessDubai.ae's package, excluding office rent [18]. Trakhees registration as a risk assessment consultant adds AED 10,000 [1]. Professional indemnity insurance and staff certificates are separate lines that need a quote.

The table itemises the company cost, then the authority fees, then the lines with no sourced figure. Every package price states its visa basis.

The licence is only part of the bill for a consultancy that wants Trakhees work, and none of these lines includes the people. Staff are the line this guide cannot price from a primary source, so it quotes no salaries. No reliable published day rate for contracted HSE consultants was found either. Build both numbers from written offers and from the rates your first clients will actually sign.

Quick Math: Dubai mainland package with one visa, AED 24,400. Trakhees risk assessment consultant approval, AED 10,000, paid in two instalments with AED 20 added to each, so AED 10,040. Year one comes to AED 34,440 before office rent, professional indemnity insurance and salaries [1][18]. Year two is about AED 15,000 for the licence plus AED 5,020 for Trakhees, so about AED 20,020 before visa renewals and insurance.

Year two and the renewal calendar

Year two is cheaper than year one but busier. The Dubai mainland licence renews for about AED 15,000, with visa, office and Ejari renewals on top [18]. The Trakhees renewal has to be filed at least one month before the certificate expires, each Abu Dhabi practitioner renews annually with 15 CPD hours, the professional indemnity policy runs to its own term, and a corporate tax return is filed even where relief applies [1][2][16]. These dates do not line up. Our post-setup services team runs the licence, visa and tax side of that calendar. The authority registrations stay tied to your qualified people, so keep their certificates, memberships and CPD records current yourself.

A bank account comes after the licence and takes its own time. WIO and Mashreq Neo open readily for free zone companies [18], and our corporate bank account guide explains what a bank asks a new consultancy to show.

For a quote that lists the licence, the visa, the office and the renewal on separate lines, send us your scope and target sites. Get an itemised quote→

Which route fits your HSE business?

The route follows the service and the site. A solo consultant doing audits and risk assessments across Dubai fits a mainland Professional licence under 7020018 at AED 24,400 with one visa [18], adding Trakhees registration at AED 10,000 only if the work is in PCFC areas [1]. The table below covers six common models.

Most real firms are two rows at once. Start with the row that will produce the first invoice, licence for that, and add the second activity or registration when a client is ready to pay for it.

Real Client Stories

These are composite examples built from the situations HSE consultants most often face when they set up on their own. Names and details are illustrative, and the only figures used are published authority fees and BusinessDubai.ae's package prices.

The risk assessor who read the bar before paying (Dubai mainland, JAFZA work)

Imran, a NEBOSH-qualified safety manager with eight years on Dubai sites, plans a consultancy selling risk assessments to industrial tenants in JAFZA. He budgets the Dubai mainland package at AED 24,400 with one visa and Trakhees registration at AED 10,000. Reading the Trakhees procedure, he finds the assessor bar is a Chemical Engineering or Fire Engineering degree with five years of GCC process industry experience, which he does not hold. He delays the application and recruits a qualifying engineer first, keeping the AED 5,000 non-refundable review fee unspent.

Lesson: read the authority's qualification bar before paying a fee you cannot get back.

The free zone firm that planned on 0% tax (Meydan Free Zone)

Lena, an ISO lead auditor, sets up an occupational safety advisory firm in Meydan Free Zone on the AED 21,050 package with one visa, expecting the free zone 0% rate. Consultancy is not a Qualifying Activity under Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025, so the company is taxed at ordinary rates: 0% to AED 375,000 of taxable income and 9% above. With revenue under AED 3,000,000 she elects Small Business Relief. Her second discovery is that auditing a mainland factory on site needs a branch or a second licence.

Lesson: choose the jurisdiction for where the work happens, not for a tax rate consultancy does not get.

The Dubai consultancy asked for an Abu Dhabi registration (Abu Dhabi tender)

Farid and Joanne run a Dubai mainland HSE consultancy and are invited to tender for an audit programme in Abu Dhabi. The client asks for the office's Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre registration. Under Mechanism 7.2 the office needs one registered OSH Senior Practitioner, which means an NQF Level 7 equivalent qualification or a named certification such as CMIOSH, plus three years of experience. Joanne holds CMIOSH. Farid's certificate is not on the list. Joanne can register with one office only. The fee is not in the document, so they check TAMM.

Lesson: registration belongs to a named person, so plan the firm around who that is.

Your next steps

Three decisions carry this business. Pick the activity code by the service you invoice, and keep fire, environmental and training work in their own lanes. List your target clients' sites and match each one to its authority before you hire, because Trakhees and Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre each name a qualification bar that a popular certificate does not meet. And choose mainland or free zone by where the work is done, since consultancy gets no 0% free zone rate to tilt the choice.

BusinessDubai.ae has completed 700+ company registrations across the UAE since 2013, with itemised pricing and no hidden fees. For an HSE consultancy we will price a mainland company setup against a free zone company setup on the things that differ for site-based work: market access, the visa basis and the year-two renewal. Once the licence is issued, our post-setup services team handles renewals, visas and tax registration, while you keep the authority registrations in good standing.

Talk to a setup expert→ for an itemised plan built around the sites you want to work on.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the activity code for an occupational safety consultancy in Dubai?

The Dubai mainland activity is 7020018, Occupational Safety Consultancy, a Professional licence in the Consultancy - Technical group on the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism activity list. Ras Al Khaimah's economic department lists the same code as Professional Safety and Health Consultancy. Confirm the exact name on the live list when you apply, because codes are renumbered from time to time.

Is an HSE consultancy a professional or a commercial licence in Dubai?

An HSE consultancy is a Professional licence in Dubai. Activity 7020018, Occupational Safety Consultancy, is recorded as Professional on the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism list. Selling protective equipment is different: 4773907, Occupational Hygiene & Safety Requisites Trading, is a Commercial activity.

Does one HSE licence cover occupational safety, environmental and fire safety work?

No. Occupational safety consultancy is 7020018, fire safety consultancy is 7020034, fire protection engineering is 7110957, and the nearest Dubai mainland environmental code is 7110910, Environmental Engineering Services. Each is a separate activity, and fire and environmental work bring their own authorities.

What is the difference between a fire safety consultancy and an occupational safety consultancy licence?

They are different activity codes under different regimes. Fire Safety Consultancy is 7020034 and covers fire strategy, evacuation plans and fire risk assessment, and fire work in Dubai sits under Dubai Civil Defence. Occupational Safety Consultancy is 7020018 and covers workplace safety and occupational health advice, machinery examination and safety certificates.

Is there a Dubai activity code for environmental consultancy?

Not a dedicated one on the Dubai mainland list. A search for environmental consultancy and environmental studies found no match, and the nearest code is 7110910, Environmental Engineering Services, which needs a civil or architectural engineering degree and three years of experience. DMCC and IFZA list 7210002, Environmental Consultancy and Studies and Researches.

Do I need Dubai Municipality approval to run an HSE consultancy in Dubai?

For environmental consultancy, Dubai Municipality runs a register of environmental consultants through its Environment Sustainability Department. For occupational safety consultancy in general, a Municipality registration requirement was not found on the Municipality's own website when this guide was researched in October 2026. Ask the Municipality and the authority that controls your client's project before you rely on either answer.

Does Dubai Municipality publish a list of approved environmental consultants?

Dubai Municipality provides the current roster of registered environmental consultants on request by email to ECR@dm.gov.ae, not on a live public page. A 2020 list is still on the Municipality's website, but it is six years old and should not be treated as current. The page does not itemise the registration requirements, fee or validity.

How much does Trakhees registration cost for a risk assessment consultant?

Trakhees charges AED 10,000 for a new Risk Assessment Consultant approval: AED 5,000 as a non-refundable application review fee and AED 5,000 when the approval certificate is issued. Renewal is AED 5,000, and each payment carries AED 20 in Knowledge and Innovation fees. The figures come from Trakhees procedure PCFC-TRK-EHS-IO-CP-06, Rev. 02, dated September 2022.

What qualifications does Trakhees require for a risk assessment consultant?

Trakhees asks for a degree in Chemical Engineering or Fire Engineering and at least five years of GCC experience in chemical process and manufacturing industries, with risk assessment study experience on large industrial projects. That is an engineering bar, not a general safety certificate. Attested certificates, CVs and experience letters go in with the application.

What happens if a Trakhees approval is renewed late?

A Trakhees renewal should be filed at least one month before the Certificate of Approval expires. A company that has not renewed within one month of expiry is removed from the list on the Trakhees website, and an application more than two months late is treated as new. For a risk assessment consultant that means AED 10,000 instead of the AED 5,000 renewal fee.

Can a risk assessment consultant also be the design consultant on the same project?

Not in a Trakhees area. The Trakhees procedure requires a signed conflict-of-interest declaration, and a risk assessment consultant may not also hold the design, engineering, project management or chartered engineering consultancy on the same project. Decide which role you want before you bid.

Do I need professional indemnity insurance to register as an HSE consultant?

For Trakhees, yes. A copy of the professional indemnity insurance policy is on the document list for a risk assessment consultant under procedure PCFC-TRK-EHS-IO-CP-06. This guide has no sourced figure for the cover limit or the premium, so ask Trakhees what it expects and get a broker's quote.

Does OSHAD still exist in Abu Dhabi?

The name has changed. Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC), established under Law No. 14 of 2019, now runs the system, and the framework formerly called OSHAD-SF is now the Abu Dhabi Occupational Safety and Health System Framework, or ADOSH-SF. Practitioner registration runs through the Qudorat programme on the TAMM platform.

What is Qudorat registration in Abu Dhabi?

Qudorat is the programme through which Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre registers occupational safety and health practitioners on the TAMM platform. The competency-based framework was launched on 8 April 2026 with three initial categories: general practitioner, senior practitioner and auditor. Registration cards are issued in digital form only.

What qualifications does an OSH Senior Practitioner need in Abu Dhabi?

An OSH Senior Practitioner needs either an OSH qualification equivalent to NQF Level 7 or a named certification: BCSP CSP, Can-CRSP, UK CMIOSH, the Australian Chartered Fellow, Fellow SIA or CPMSIA grades, Fellow IIRSM or an international equivalent. The applicant also needs at least three years of OSH experience, shown through an online CV on TAMM. The source is ADOSH-SF Mechanism 7.2, version 4.0, dated 1 April 2026.

How much does ADPHC registration cost for a practitioner or consultancy office?

The fee is not stated in Mechanism 7.2. The document says an applicant is redirected to pay any applicable fee for the category of registration, without giving the amount. Check the current figure on the TAMM platform when you apply.

How many CPD hours does Abu Dhabi require each year?

Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre requires 15 hours of continuing professional development a year for renewal, with no more than two hours credited for any single activity. Routine work duties do not count. A missed renewal puts the applicant back to a new registration under the criteria then in force.

Is NEBOSH a legal requirement to work as an HSE consultant in the UAE?

NEBOSH is not named as a requirement in either of the two registration documents read for this guide. Trakhees names an engineering degree and GCC experience, and Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre names an NQF Level 7 equivalent qualification or listed certifications such as CMIOSH. NEBOSH and IOSH qualifications are what many employers and clients ask for, which makes them a commercial expectation.

Can a Dubai-licensed HSE consultant work on a project in Abu Dhabi or Sharjah?

A Dubai licence does not carry Abu Dhabi or Sharjah registration with it. Abu Dhabi registers practitioners and consultancy offices through Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, and Sharjah's Prevention and Safety Authority runs its own officer registration. Ask each authority whether a local licence is also needed for your scope before you price the work.

Does Sharjah have its own safety officer registration?

Yes. Sharjah government media reported in May and June 2024 that the Sharjah Prevention and Safety Authority launched a service for registering occupational safety and health officers, accessed through its e-services portal. The requirements and fees could not be confirmed from the authority's own pages for this guide, so check them with the authority directly.

How many workers before a UAE employer must appoint a safety officer?

Under Article 26 of Ministerial Resolution No. 32 of 1982, an industrial facility with at least 150 workers must appoint a full-time industrial security officer. Where the facility has more than 1,000 workers, that officer must be an engineer or a qualified technician. Employers below the threshold still carry the general duty to provide a safe workplace.

Which federal law requires UAE employers to provide a safe workplace?

Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations, Article 13, requires an employer to provide the necessary safety means against work injury risks and to provide a safe and appropriate working environment. The law took effect on 2 February 2022. Ministerial Resolution No. 32 of 1982 adds detailed prevention, first aid, fire and protective equipment duties.

Do I need KHDA approval to sell safety courses as an HSE consultancy?

Yes, for paid courses delivered in Dubai. Executive Council Resolution No. 50 of 2015 requires authorisation for a training activity, and delivering one without it carries a fine of AED 50,000, doubled on repetition within a year up to AED 100,000. A consultancy that runs only an occasional course can ask the Knowledge and Human Development Authority about its Training Course Authorisation for Non-Training Institutes, which covers one course.

Can an HSE consultancy operate from a Dubai free zone?

A free zone can hold the company, but the work is done on client sites. A free zone consultancy can invoice a mainland client but cannot operate inside the mainland without a branch, a dual licence or a separate Department of Economy and Tourism licence. Trakhees asks for a valid licence with the appropriate activity from any Dubai licensing authority, so confirm that your zone lists an occupational safety consultancy activity.

Does a free zone HSE consultancy pay 0% corporate tax?

No. Consultancy is not a Qualifying Activity under Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025, so a free zone HSE consultancy is taxed at ordinary rates: 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above. Small Business Relief is available where revenue is AED 3,000,000 or less, for tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029.

Does an HSE consultancy need to register for VAT?

VAT registration is mandatory once taxable supplies exceed AED 375,000 and voluntary from AED 187,500. HSE consultancy services to UAE clients are standard rated at 5%. Whether work tied to a specific UAE site can ever be zero rated for a foreign client is a question for a tax adviser.

How much does it cost to start an HSE consultancy in Dubai?

On BusinessDubai.ae's 2026 Dubai mainland package, year one costs AED 18,200 without a visa and AED 24,400 with one visa, excluding office rent. Trakhees registration as a risk assessment consultant adds AED 10,000 if you work in JAFZA or the other PCFC areas. Professional indemnity insurance and staff certification are separate costs that need a quote.

Can a foreigner own 100% of an HSE consultancy in Dubai?

Foreign ownership is 100% in a free zone and 100% for most professional activities on the Dubai mainland since Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2021. Depending on the legal form, a mainland professional licence may involve a local service agent who holds no shares. Confirm the position for activity 7020018 when you apply.

Is the Dubai Municipality health and safety officer certificate the same as an HSE consultancy licence?

No. Training providers describe a Dubai Municipality certificate for health and safety officers in labour accommodation, which is reported as a certificate for an individual, not a licence for a company. Its details were not confirmed against a Municipality document for this guide. An HSE consultancy licence is a company trade licence under activity 7020018.

Do I need ISO 45001 certification to win HSE consultancy work in Dubai?

No rule read for this guide makes ISO 45001 a legal requirement for a consultancy. Trakhees lists copies of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certification among the documents for a risk assessment consultant, and consultancies commonly report ISO 45001 as a client prequalification item. Ask each client for its prequalification questionnaire before you pay for certification.

Does a construction project in Dubai need an approved HSE officer by law?

Some training providers report a Dubai Municipality rule requiring an approved HSE officer and an HSE plan above a stated project value. That threshold could not be confirmed against a Municipality document for this guide, so no figure is given here. Confirm the current requirement with Dubai Municipality or the project's own authority.

References

[1] Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (Trakhees), Environment, Health and Safety Department. Client procedure "Pre-qualification of Third Party Consultants and Service Providers", PCFC-TRK-EHS-IO-CP-06, Rev. 02, September 2022: fee schedule, document list, the risk assessment qualification bar, the conflict-of-interest bar, renewal rules, the six working day target and revocation wording. PCFC-TRK-EHS-IO-CP-06

[2] Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre. Abu Dhabi Occupational Safety and Health System Framework (ADOSH-SF), Mechanism 7.2, OSH Senior Practitioner Category Registration Criteria, Version 4.0, 1 April 2026: qualification routes, the three year experience test, the consultancy office rule, annual renewal, the 15 CPD hours and the unquantified fee. ADOSH-SF Mechanism 7.2

[3] Abu Dhabi Media Office. Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre launches a competency-based regulatory framework for registration of occupational health and safety specialists, 8 April 2026: the Qudorat launch and the three initial practitioner categories. Abu Dhabi Media Office

[4] Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism. Business activity list as recorded in a public copy of the register, entries last updated October 2023: codes 7020018, 7020006, 8549029, 7110910, 4773907, 7020034 and 7110957, with the matching entries on the DMCC, IFZA, ANC Free Zone, Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah activity lists, including 7210002. Invest in Dubai

[5] Dubai Municipality, Environment Sustainability Department. Registered Environmental Consultants service page, undated, read October 2026: the existence of the register, the description of registered consultants and the roster on request by email. Dubai Municipality

[6] Dubai Municipality. Health and Safety page and General Legislations index, read October 2026: searched for a general registration scheme for occupational safety consultancies, none found. Dubai Municipality Health and Safety and General Legislations

[7] Sharjah24, Sharjah government media. Reports of 30 May and 12 June 2024 on the Sharjah Prevention and Safety Authority service for registering occupational safety and health officers. Sharjah24

[8] Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre. ADOSH-SF Version 4.0 Updates page: the change of name from OSHAD-SF to ADOSH-SF, the role of ADPHC under Law No. 14 of 2019 and registration through Qudorat on TAMM. ADPHC legislation updates

[9] Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations, Article 13, issued 20 September 2021 and in force from 2 February 2022, as reproduced by Legal Advice Middle East. The Ministry's own copy could not be opened during research. Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021

[10] Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. Ministerial Resolution No. 32 of 1982 on prevention means and measures to protect workers from work hazards, Articles 1 to 26, read in a copy on Ministry letterhead hosted by DataGuidance, and also listed on the International Labour Organization's NATLEX database. Ministerial Resolution No. 32 of 1982

[11] Government of Dubai. Executive Council Resolution No. 50 of 2015 Regulating Training Institutes in the Emirate of Dubai: the authorisation requirement and the AED 50,000 fine for delivering a training activity without authorisation, doubled on repetition up to AED 100,000. Executive Council Resolution No. 50 of 2015

[12] Knowledge and Human Development Authority. Issue Training Course Authorisation for Non-Training Institutes: valid for one course only and for its duration, with an indicated processing time of about six working days. KHDA course authorisation

[13] UAE Government portal. Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2021 on Commercial Companies and full foreign ownership of onshore companies. u.ae

[14] Federal Tax Authority. Corporate tax under Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022: 0% to AED 375,000 and 9% above for an ordinary taxable person, and the AED 10,000 late registration penalty. Federal Tax Authority

[15] Ministry of Finance, UAE. Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025 on Qualifying Activities and Excluded Activities: the closed list at Article 2(1) and the absence of any services category. Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025

[16] Ministry of Finance, UAE. Ministerial Decision No. 73 of 2023 as amended by Ministerial Decision No. 131 of 2026, issued 29 July 2026: Small Business Relief at revenue of AED 3,000,000 or less for tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029. Small Business Relief decision

[17] Federal Tax Authority. VAT registration: mandatory above AED 375,000 of taxable supplies and voluntary above AED 187,500, with the 5% standard rate. FTA VAT registration

[18] BusinessDubai.ae. Package pricing confirmed in September 2026: the Dubai mainland package (AED 18,200 in year one without a visa, AED 24,400 with one visa, about AED 15,000 on renewal), Dubai free zone packages at Meydan Free Zone and IFZA, ANC Free Zone in Ajman, the free zone renewal ratio, the AED 75,000 investor visa capital rule at IFZA and Meydan, and the banks that open readily for free zone companies. businessdubai.ae