A signage and advertising company in Dubai runs on permits, not on a trade licence. The licence lets you exist as a business. It does not let you put up a single sign. Under Dubai's advertising law it is forbidden for any entity to display an advertisement in Dubai without prior permission, and that covers everything physical, a shop's own façade sign, a billboard, a hoarding, a banner, a road-facing ad [1]. There is no blanket "you may now advertise" permission. Each sign and each outdoor ad needs its own approval, of the location, the structure and the content, and that permit-per-sign reality, not the licence, is the real business.
What changed in 2025 is where those permits come from. Dubai consolidated its outdoor advertising into a single framework and a single platform, Mada Media, which now issues outdoor-advertising permits on behalf of the Roads and Transport Authority and Dubai Municipality [4][5]. A guide still describing the old scattered process, or telling you a trade licence is enough, is describing a world that no longer exists.
This guide covers the permit-per-sign regime, the Mada Media platform and the OOH manual behind it, the split between a sign fabricator and a media owner, the other approvals, ownership, and why the free-zone "0% tax" pitch fails for domestic ad work. Since 2013, our team has set up advertising and contracting companies across the UAE, so the traps here come from real files. This is a guide, not legal or tax advice on your specific licence.
Why is a trade licence not enough to put up a sign?
Because displaying any advertisement in Dubai needs prior permission, and the licence is not that permission. Decree No. 6 of 2020 regulating advertisements makes it an offence to display an advertisement without approval from the competent authority, and "advertisement" is read broadly to include shop signs, billboards, hoardings, banners and road-facing ads [1][8]. The trade licence lets you operate the business. Every physical sign still needs its own permit on top.
That permit is not one-and-done for the company. It is granted per sign and per ad, and it approves three separate things: the location, the structure, meaning dimensions, projection and lighting, and the content. Permits are typically valid for a year and renewed. So the model is a stream of permit applications tied to each client and each installation, which is exactly the workload generic guides skip when they stop at the licence.
Common Mistake: Assuming your DET advertising licence lets you install any sign you like. It does not. Every physical sign and outdoor ad needs its own Dubai Municipality and Mada Media permit covering location, structure and content. Displaying without one is an offence with fines, even for a shop putting up its own façade sign.
What is Mada Media and how does it change setup?
It is the unified platform that now runs Dubai's outdoor advertising permits, and it is the biggest change to this sector in years. Under Law No. 20 of 2024, Dubai established Mada Media to organise and regulate the out-of-home advertising sector, and under a concession with the RTA and Dubai Municipality it issues outdoor-advertising permits on their behalf through a single digital platform, live to applicants since April 2025 [4][5].
Mada Media covers permits across the whole outdoor estate: right-of-way advertising, the public-transport network of metro, tram, bus and taxi, commercial vehicles, and advertising on private land and buildings. The technical and aesthetic rules sit in the Out-of-Home Advertising Manual, formally approved in 2025, which sets image types, measurements, lighting, dimensions and permitted locations, maintained by Dubai Municipality [2][3]. The manual applies both to the advertisements and to the companies authorised to carry out the activity, which means a signage or advertising company generally needs to be registered on the Mada Media platform before it can submit permit applications. Confirm the exact company-registration requirements and fees with Dubai Municipality and Mada Media, because the granular conditions live inside the manual itself.
Pro Tip: Get the company onboarded to the Mada Media platform as part of setup, not after you win your first client. The platform is now the single door to outdoor-advertising permits, and being a registered, authorised advertising establishment on it is what lets you actually file per-sign applications. Sort the accreditation before you are quoting jobs. Get your signage and advertising setup scoped properly→
Are you a sign fabricator or a media owner?
Two very different businesses hide under "signage and advertising," and naming yours first decides your whole setup and capital. They are not the same game [1][3].
- A signage fabrication and installation contractor designs, makes and installs signs for its own clients, shop signboards, façade and projected signs. Its permits are per client and per sign through the Mada Media platform, its capital is a workshop, printing and cutting gear and an installation crew, and its revenue is fabrication and installation fees. This is where almost every SME starts.
- An out-of-home media owner owns or leases the advertising structures, billboards, unipoles, digital screens and lamp-post banners, and sells the space. It needs site concessions and structural permits for those locations, it is capital-heavy, running into the millions for structures and digital screens, and it competes for concessioned premium locations that the RTA and Dubai Municipality control through the Mada Media framework.
The honest takeaway is that you do not simply buy land and erect a billboard. The roadside and right-of-way inventory is concession-controlled. Most new entrants build a fabrication and installation business first, pulling a permit for each client sign, and treat becoming a media owner as a separate, far more capital-intensive move. Our free zone versus mainland guide covers the structure choice.
Who else has to approve your sign?
More than one authority, because an outdoor ad touches roads, safety and content all at once. Beyond the Mada Media permit, expect these layers [1][3]:
- The RTA for advertising on and along roads and road reserves, and on taxis, buses, metro and tram, channelled through the Mada Media concession, with road-facing hoardings meeting traffic-safety criteria.
- Structural and safety approval for large hoardings, gantries, unipoles and building-mounted structures, and electrical safety for illuminated and electrified signs, through Dubai Municipality and Civil Defence review.
- Content approval. Ads must not be misleading, indecent or carry religious, political or offensive content, and cannot be placed on places of worship, government or historic buildings or traffic signs. Arabic must be the primary advertising language, with foreign text accurately mirroring it, and specialised categories such as medicine, food and financial or real-estate promotions need extra sectoral approvals.
Real-estate advertising is the one to watch if your clients are developers or brokers, because property ads specifically need a RERA and Dubai Land Department Trakheesi permit on top. Build these approval layers into your timeline and your client quotes, because a sign that fails content or structural review is a sign you cannot bill for.
Can you run a signage company from a free zone?
Only for the creative and media-buying side, not for installing physical signs in the public space. A Dubai Media City or Dubai Development Authority free-zone licence covers an advertising agency, creative and media-buying business inside that jurisdiction [5]. It does not, by itself, grant the right to fabricate and erect physical signage or outdoor ads in the mainland public space. That runs through Dubai Municipality, the RTA and Mada Media, and typically needs a mainland licence for the physical works.
So the free-zone media licence is a real option for an agency that plans campaigns and buys space, but it is not a shortcut to being a sign installer. For that creative, design and media-buying arm, the free zone company setup page covers the agency route, and it is the same structure a digital marketing agency or a media production company uses. The moment the business physically makes and mounts signs across Dubai, though, it needs the mainland footprint and the permit regime. Deciding which business you are, agency or fabricator, tells you which licence you need, and many operators end up needing the mainland structure for the physical work.
Can a foreigner own a signage and advertising company?
Yes, fully, on the mainland for these activities. Advertising, signage fabrication and printing activities on the Dubai mainland are open to 100% foreign ownership under the post-2021 Commercial Companies Law reforms, with no Emirati sponsor or 51% partner required [6]. Free zones are fully foreign-owned by definition.
Because fabricating and installing physical signage is a Dubai-Municipality-permitted activity that runs on the mainland, the mainland company setup route is the one a working sign shop needs, and matching the DET activity to the work is the practical step. Fabrication and installation is a distinct activity from a pure advertising-agency licence, and screen printing and advertising-material production are separate again, each with its own DET code. Confirm the specific activity carries 100% ownership eligibility at application, and pick the activities that cover what you actually do, because a sign shop and an ad agency are licensed differently even though both sit under "advertising."
How is a signage and advertising company taxed?
Standard rates, and the free-zone 0% does not apply to domestic ad work. On corporate tax, the company pays 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above. A business with revenue up to AED 3 million can elect Small Business Relief and be treated as having no taxable income, but only for tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2026, which is genuinely useful to a young sign shop [6]. Our corporate tax filing guide covers the mechanics.
On VAT, advertising and signage services are standard-rated at 5%, with registration mandatory once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000, and Small Business Relief is a corporate-tax measure that does not remove VAT obligations. Our VAT registration and compliance guide covers the detail.
The point that catches free-zone hopefuls: advertising services supplied to mainland UAE clients are non-qualifying income taxed at 9%, not the 0% free-zone rate [6]. Providing services to foreign persons can be a qualifying activity, but a Dubai signage or outdoor-advertising business is inherently serving domestic clients, and exceeding the small allowance for non-qualifying revenue can strip the free-zone 0% status for the whole year. Plan on 9%, subject to the AED 375,000 threshold and, while it lasts, Small Business Relief, rather than assuming a free-zone address makes ad income tax-free.
What does it cost, and is it worth it?
The licence is affordable; the permits and the fabrication kit are the real spend. Here is a realistic 2026 picture in AED, all figures approximate and worth confirming against the live schedules on the Mada Media platform.
| Item | Typical range (AED) |
|---|---|
| Mainland trade licence (advertising / signage) | 12,000 to 25,000 per year |
| Free-zone media licence (agency side) | 15,000 to 25,000 per year |
| Temporary outdoor advertising permit | From ~20 per m² per month |
| Trade-name or logo signboard permit | ~2,000 per year, structure-dependent |
| Large-land (megacom) advertising | ~250 per m² per year |
| Fabrication capex (workshop, printer, CNC, vehicle) | Modest lean setup; media structures run to millions |
A lean fabrication and installation business can start modestly, with the workshop, print and cutting gear and an install vehicle as the main capex, while a media-owner build with structures and digital screens runs into the millions. Permit tariffs are set by Dubai Municipality and Mada Media and change, so confirm the live fee schedule before quoting clients.
Quick Math: Demand is steady because it is tied to churn. Every new tenancy, shop fit-out, developer launch, restaurant and event needs a compliant sign, and the signage brief often lands on the same site as the interior fit-out, so Dubai's retail and real-estate turnover is constant. The outdoor-advertising market is growing at a double-digit pace as screens go digital, and the OOH manual is pushing quality upgrades citywide, which favours compliant, higher-end fabricators over informal operators. The recurring shop-sign work is the bread and butter; the billboard business is the capital-heavy upside.
Is a signage and advertising company a profitable business in Dubai?
Yes, it can be a steady earner, because the demand is tied to churn rather than to any single trend. Every new tenancy, shop fit-out, developer launch, restaurant and event needs a compliant sign, Municipality-approved signage is mandatory on every shopfront, and the work refills as fast as Dubai's retail and real-estate market turns over.
The pipeline has several legs. Fabrication and installation feeds off the constant retail, food-and-beverage and real-estate fit-out cycle. Outdoor and event advertising adds a higher-value layer for brands and developers. And the citywide push toward digital screens under the OOH manual is growing the media side at a double-digit pace, favouring compliant, higher-end operators over informal ones. The honest counterweight is competition, because the sign-fabrication end is crowded with small workshops and margins there are thin. The permit and accreditation regime is what separates a serious operator from an informal one, so the approvals that feel like a burden are also the moat that keeps the low-cost crowd out of the compliant, better-paid work.
The table below frames where the three adjacent models sit, because "signage and advertising" covers businesses with very different economics.
| Model | Primary regulator | Capital intensity | Recurring revenue | Physical vs service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signage manufacturing and installation | Dubai Municipality | Moderate (workshop, print and cutting gear) | Repeat fit-out and renewal work | Physical |
| Outdoor and media advertising | Dubai Municipality (via Mada Media) | High (structures, digital screens) | Long space-lease contracts | Physical |
| Digital marketing agency | DET | Low (office and staff) | Monthly retainers | Service |
If your plan leans toward the media-buying, creative and campaign side rather than the physical works, the free zone company setup page covers that agency route, which carries a lighter cost base than a fabrication workshop. Based on our experience, the operators who do well pick one end of this table deliberately and build the permit workflow around it, rather than trying to be a sign shop and a media owner at once.
What documents and steps does it take to start a signage company?
Not many for the company itself, but the permit and workshop layers are where the real work sits. The DET licence is the quick part, issued in days to a couple of weeks, while getting Mada Media accredited and pulling the first per-sign permits is what sets your real go-live date. Line up the paperwork before you quote your first job.
A realistic document checklist looks like this:
- Passport copies and photos of the shareholders.
- The reserved trade name for the company.
- DET initial approval for the advertising or signage activity.
- The Memorandum of Association for the entity.
- An Ejari tenancy for the office, and a warehouse or workshop tenancy if you fabricate signs.
- Dubai Municipality signage registration and Mada Media advertising-establishment accreditation.
- Structural and safety approvals for outdoor and illuminated installation, through Dubai Municipality and Civil Defence review.
The steps run in a fairly fixed order, and the timeline below is realistic, with all durations approximate and dependent on the activity and premises.
| Step | Typical timeline |
|---|---|
| DET trade licence and initial approval | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Mada Media advertising-establishment accreditation | 2 to 4 weeks, alongside the licence |
| Workshop or warehouse Ejari and fit-out | 2 to 4 weeks, premises-dependent |
| Fabrication equipment (printer, CNC, cutter, install vehicle) | Alongside the workshop |
| First per-sign permit and first client job | After accreditation, per application |
Plan the Mada Media accreditation alongside the licence, not after your first client, because an unaccredited company cannot file the per-sign permits its work depends on. Talk to a setup expert→
What are the ongoing costs and compliance for a signage company?
The recurring load is licence and permit renewals plus the standard tax filings, all continuing for the life of the business. The DET licence and Ejari renew annually, the Mada Media accreditation carries its own renewal, and every signboard and outdoor ad permit is typically valid for a year and then renewed, so a busy fabricator is filing and renewing permits continuously as client signs come and go. Per-signboard permit fees, charged by size and location, are a running cost you pass through to clients rather than a one-time setup item.
On top of the permits, expect public-liability and workmen's insurance for installation crews working at height, corporate tax registration and annual filing at 0% up to AED 375,000 and 9% above, and VAT filing at 5% once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000. Mainland companies also have to keep their Ultimate Beneficial Owner register current and check whether Economic Substance Regulations reporting applies to their activity. These renewals, filings and register updates are exactly the kind of recurring work our post-setup services handle, so the permits and compliance stay current while you focus on winning and installing jobs. Budget for the renewals from year one rather than treating them as an afterthought.
Can you open a corporate bank account for a signage company?
Yes, but expect the standard UAE onboarding, not an instant or fully remote account. A mainland signage company opens a corporate account with a local bank once the DET licence and tenancy are in place, and the bank runs full know-your-customer checks on the shareholders, the activity and the expected turnover, usually requiring an in-person meeting with the licence and Ejari in hand. UAE banks do not open fully-remote accounts for a physical, works-based business like this, so plan for an in-person KYC visit.
A clear picture of the business helps the account move faster, so bring a simple plan showing your fabrication and installation work, the Mada Media accreditation and the kind of clients you serve. Because sign work often bills in project stages and against retentions, getting the banking and a proper invoicing setup right early avoids cash-flow friction once installations start.
Real Client Stories
The shop that got fined for its own sign. A retail client mounted its own façade signboard assuming that, being its shop, no permit was needed. Dubai requires a Municipality signboard approval for even a shop's own sign, covering content, dimensions, projection and lighting. We regularised it and now pull the permit first, so a new store opens with a compliant, approved sign rather than a penalty.
The free-zone agency that could not install. A client set up on a free-zone media licence expecting to fabricate and erect signs across Dubai, then found the licence only covered the agency and creative side inside the free zone, not physical installation in the public space. We added the mainland structure and the Mada Media accreditation, so the business could actually do the on-site work it was selling.
The 0% that never applied. A client set up a signage business in a free zone expecting 0% corporate tax on all of it. The revenue was advertising services to mainland Dubai clients, non-qualifying income taxed at 9%, and the volume of it risked voiding the free-zone status entirely. We put the business on the right footing. The domestic ad income was never going to be tax-free just because of the address.
Set up your Dubai signage and advertising company the right way
Signage and advertising rewards operators who master the permit regime and the Mada Media platform, and it frustrates those who stop at the trade licence and discover every sign still needs approval. Since 2013, BusinessDubai.ae has completed 700+ company registrations across the UAE, including advertising and contracting companies. We will help you decide whether you are a fabricator or a media owner, pick the right DET activities and mainland or free-zone structure, get the company onboarded and accredited on the Mada Media platform, plan the per-sign permits and the RTA, structural and content approvals, and set up the corporate tax and VAT position correctly, all with clear itemised pricing. Talk to a setup expert→ for a plan built around your model. Our free zone versus mainland guide covers the structure choice, and post-setup services covers ongoing permits and renewals.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I start a signage and advertising company in Dubai?
Register a DET mainland licence with the right advertising or signage activity, get the company accredited on the Mada Media platform, and then pull a permit for each sign covering location, structure and content. For the agency and creative side only, a free-zone media licence can work, but physical installation needs the mainland route [1][4].
Do I need a permit for every sign in Dubai?
Yes. Displaying any advertisement in Dubai needs prior permission, and permits are granted per sign and per ad, approving the location, the structure and the content. This applies even to a shop's own façade signboard, and displaying without a permit is an offence with fines [1].
What is Mada Media?
Mada Media is the entity established under Law No. 20 of 2024 that runs Dubai's unified outdoor-advertising framework. Under a concession with the RTA and Dubai Municipality, it issues outdoor-advertising permits on their behalf through a single digital platform, live to applicants since April 2025 [4][5].
Is a trade licence enough to put up signs in Dubai?
No. The DET trade licence lets you operate the business. Every physical sign and outdoor ad still needs its own Dubai Municipality and Mada Media permit covering location, structure and content. The permit regime, not the licence, is the real barrier [1].
What is the Out-of-Home Advertising Manual?
It is the rulebook approved in 2025 that sets the technical and aesthetic standards for outdoor advertising in Dubai, covering image types, measurements, lighting, dimensions and permitted locations, maintained by Dubai Municipality. It applies to both the ads and the companies authorised to do the activity [2][3].
Can a beauty salon or shop put up its own sign without approval?
No. Even a shop's own façade signboard needs Dubai Municipality signboard approval, now routed through the Mada Media platform, with content, dimensions, projection and lighting all conforming to the OOH manual. Mounting an unapproved sign risks a fine [1][3].
What is the difference between a sign fabricator and a media owner?
A fabricator designs, makes and installs signs for clients, pulling a permit per sign, with modest capital. A media owner owns or leases billboards and screens and sells the space, needing site concessions and heavy capital. Most SMEs start as fabricators; media ownership is a separate, capital-intensive business [3].
Can I run a signage company from a Dubai free zone?
Only the agency, creative and media-buying side, inside that free-zone jurisdiction. A Dubai Media City or DDA licence does not authorise fabricating and installing physical signs in the mainland public space, which runs through Dubai Municipality, the RTA and Mada Media and typically needs a mainland licence [5].
Can a foreigner own 100% of a signage and advertising company?
Yes. Advertising, signage fabrication and printing activities on the Dubai mainland are open to 100% foreign ownership under the post-2021 reforms, with no Emirati partner required, and free zones are fully foreign-owned by definition. Confirm the specific activity's eligibility at application [6].
Does a free-zone signage company get 0% corporate tax?
Generally no on domestic work. Advertising services to mainland UAE clients are non-qualifying income taxed at 9%, and exceeding the small allowance for such revenue can void free-zone 0% status for the year. A Dubai signage business inherently serves domestic clients, so plan on 9% [6].
How much does it cost to start a signage company in Dubai?
A mainland advertising or signage licence is roughly AED 12,000 to 25,000 a year in government fees, and a lean fabrication setup adds a workshop, printer, cutting gear and a vehicle. Per-sign permit fees are extra and set by Mada Media. A media-owner build with structures runs into the millions. Figures are approximate.
What are the per-sign permit fees in Dubai?
They vary by sign type, size and location. Illustrative figures include temporary outdoor advertising from around AED 20 per square metre per month, trade-name or logo signboards around AED 2,000 a year, and large-land advertising around AED 250 per square metre per year. Confirm the live schedule on the Mada Media platform.
Who approves the content of an advertisement in Dubai?
Content is approved as part of the permit and must not be misleading, indecent or carry religious, political or offensive material, with Arabic as the primary language. Specialised categories such as medicine, food and financial or real-estate ads need extra sectoral approvals [1].
Do real-estate adverts need a special permit?
Yes. Property advertising by developers or brokers needs a RERA and Dubai Land Department Trakheesi permit on top of the general advertising approval, so a signage company serving real-estate clients should plan for that additional layer [1].
Does the RTA regulate outdoor advertising in Dubai?
Yes, for advertising on and along roads and road reserves, and on taxis, buses, metro and tram, now channelled through the Mada Media concession. Road-facing hoardings must also meet traffic-safety criteria, and the RTA co-owns the framework with Dubai Municipality [3][4].
How is a signage company taxed for VAT?
Advertising and signage services are standard-rated at 5%, with registration mandatory once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000. Small Business Relief is a corporate-tax measure and does not remove VAT obligations, so a growing sign shop should plan to register for VAT [6][7].
What activities cover a signage and advertising company in Dubai?
Depending on the work, activities such as advertising services, signboard and signage fabrication, screen printing and advertising-material production, each with its own DET code. Fabrication and installation is distinct from a pure advertising-agency licence, so match the activities to what you actually do.
How big is the outdoor advertising market in Dubai?
Dubai anchors a UAE out-of-home market growing at a roughly double-digit annual pace, with digital out-of-home expanding fastest as billboards go digital. The OOH manual is also pushing quality upgrades citywide, which favours compliant, higher-end operators over informal ones [3].
How long does it take to set up a signage company in Dubai?
The trade licence can be issued in days to a couple of weeks, and Mada Media platform accreditation and the first per-sign permits add time on top. Because the work is permit-driven, plan the platform onboarding alongside the licence rather than after your first client.
What happens if I display a sign without a permit in Dubai?
It is an offence under the advertising law, with fines that can escalate on repetition, and the sign can be ordered removed. Because every physical sign needs its own permit, operating without them exposes both the advertising company and its client to penalties [1].
Does a shopfront sign in Dubai have to be in Arabic?
Yes. Arabic must be the primary advertising language on signs and outdoor ads in Dubai, with any foreign text accurately mirroring it rather than replacing it. A shopfront or façade sign that is English-only, or whose Arabic does not match the foreign wording, will not pass content approval under the OOH manual [1][3].
What are the Dubai Municipality rules for a shop signboard?
A shop signboard needs Municipality approval, now routed through the Mada Media platform, covering the content, the dimensions, the projection from the building and the lighting. It must conform to the OOH manual's measurements and image standards, and Arabic must lead the text. Mounting one without approval risks a fine [1][3].
Do illuminated or LED signs need extra approval in Dubai?
Yes. Illuminated and electrified signs need electrical-safety sign-off alongside the content and structural approval, through Dubai Municipality and Civil Defence review, because they carry wiring and heat. The OOH manual also sets lighting standards, so an illuminated sign is held to brightness and safety conditions a plain sign is not [2][3].
Can I put advertising on vehicles in Dubai?
Yes, but it is permitted, not free. Advertising on commercial vehicles, taxis, buses, the metro and the tram is part of the outdoor estate that Mada Media covers under its concession with the RTA, so vehicle branding needs a permit through that platform. Confirm the current vehicle-advertising conditions with Mada Media and the RTA [3][4].
Do I need a permit for a temporary banner or event sign in Dubai?
Yes. A temporary banner, hoarding or event sign is still an advertisement in the public space, so it needs its own outdoor-advertising permit, typically priced per square metre per month, even though it is short-lived. Displaying a temporary sign without permission is the same offence as an unpermitted permanent one [1].
What is the difference between a signage licence and an advertising-agency licence in Dubai?
A signage fabrication and installation licence covers making and mounting physical signs, and needs the mainland structure plus the permit regime for the physical works. An advertising-agency licence covers creative, campaign planning and media buying, and can sit in a free zone. They are different DET activities, and many operators hold both to cover the full job [5][6].
How long is a signage permit valid in Dubai?
Signboard and outdoor-advertising permits are typically valid for a year and then renewed, and each is tied to the specific sign, its location, structure and content. When a client changes a sign or a tenancy ends, a new permit is needed, so the permit workload is continuous rather than a one-time approval [1].
Do I need a physical workshop to run a signage company in Dubai?
For fabrication and installation, yes, in practice. Making signs needs a warehouse or workshop with printing, cutting and CNC gear and an Ejari tenancy for it, which also supports the mainland licence. A pure advertising agency that only designs campaigns and buys space can run from an office and can sit in a free zone [5].
References
[1] Decree No. 6 of 2020 Regulating Advertisements in the Emirate of Dubai: prohibition on displaying advertisements without prior permission, and content and placement rules for physical and outdoor advertising. Dubai Legislation Portal
[2] Administrative Resolution No. 180 of 2025 approving the Out-of-Home Advertising Manual in the Emirate of Dubai: technical and aesthetic standards for outdoor advertising, applying to ads and to authorised advertising establishments. Dubai Legislation Portal
[3] Mada Media, the official outdoor-advertising permits platform established under Law No. 20 of 2024, operating under a concession with the RTA and Dubai Municipality, with per-permit services and the OOH manual. Mada Media
[4] Dubai Media Office, Mada Media launches its unified electronic platform for advertising permits in Dubai, April 2025. Dubai Media Office
[5] Dubai Development Authority advertising permit service for the free-zone and creative-cluster jurisdiction, distinct from the Dubai Municipality and Mada Media public-space regime. Dubai Development Authority
[6] UAE Federal Tax Authority, corporate tax (9% over AED 375,000, 0% below), Free Zone and Qualifying Free Zone Person rules, and Small Business Relief for revenue up to AED 3 million through tax periods ending 31 December 2026. Federal Tax Authority, corporate tax
[7] UAE Government portal, value-added tax overview: 5% standard rate and the AED 375,000 mandatory registration threshold applying to advertising and signage services. u.ae VAT
[8] Dubai Media Office, Mohammed bin Rashid issues Decree on regulation of advertisements in Dubai (Decree No. 6 of 2020 announcement), February 2020. Dubai Media Office
