Industrial licence in Dubai

The licence for making things: manufacturing, assembly, processing and packaging. It carries the heaviest approval requirements of the four DET categories, because a physical industrial facility brings municipality, civil defence and environmental oversight with it.

Manufacturing

Assembly, processing, packaging

Facility required

Industrial or warehouse premises

Multiple approvals

Municipality, civil defence, environment

Coverage

What this licence covers

What to know

Four things that affect your application

The facility comes first

You cannot licence an industrial activity without premises appropriate to it. The lease, the layout and the intended process all feed into the approvals.

Ministry of Industry involvement

Industrial activities generally require clearance from the relevant industrial authority in addition to the DET licence.

Environmental and civil defence

Depending on the process, you may need environmental clearance, civil defence approval for fire systems, and municipality approval of the facility layout.

Consider a free zone alternative

JAFZA, Dubai South and Dubai Silicon Oasis offer industrial and light-industrial space with their own licensing, which can be faster and cheaper than a mainland industrial licence.

Process

How we handle it

Activity confirmation

We map what you do to the DET activity codes that sit under this licence type and confirm the fee band before quoting.

Name and initial approval

Trade name reservation and initial approval, with any external regulator submissions identified and started in parallel.

Documentation and premises

Memorandum drafting and notarisation where required, plus the tenancy or office arrangement your licence type demands.

Issuance and immigration file

Licence issued, establishment card opened, and residence visa applications started for whoever needs them.

Questions

Questions about this licence

How long does an industrial licence take?

Considerably longer than a commercial or professional licence — typically six to twelve weeks, because the premises approvals run in sequence rather than parallel. Start with the facility, not the licence application.

Can I manufacture in a free zone instead?

Yes, and for many manufacturers it is the better route. JAFZA offers industrial plots and warehousing, Dubai South offers light industrial units at competitive rates. The trade-off is that selling the finished goods into the UAE mainland then requires customs clearance or a distributor.

How long does it take to get this licence?

For standard activities with complete documents, seven to fifteen working days on the mainland. Activities requiring external regulator approval take longer, and we tell you how much longer before you commit to a timeline.

What does Emirates Business Lounge charge?

Our fee is quoted for your file, separately from the government fees. Two packages have published prices, from AED 10,620. See company formation cost for the full picture.

Free consultation

Is this the right licence for you?

Describe your business in a sentence. We will confirm the licence type, the activity codes, the fee band and whether any regulator needs to approve you first.

+971 52 222 2594

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B1 Mall, Shop 3, Opposite Mall of the Emirates