Aluminium and glass licence, for glazing contractors
Fitting aluminium windows, glass and facades in Dubai is contracting, so the licence needs a place on Dubai Municipality's contractor register.
- Usual route
- Usually mainland
- Extra approval
- DM register
- AML
- Standard bank checks
An aluminium and glass licence in Dubai is a DET contracting licence for installing windows, doors, glass and facades. After the licence, Dubai Municipality registers and classifies the company under Law 7 of 2025. The class limits the jobs it may take. Selling profiles and glass without fitting them is a trading activity.
- Covers
- Installing aluminium windows, doors, glass, mirrors and partitions
- Not covered
- Facade engineering design, automated doors and supply-only trading
- Premises
- An office, plus a workshop unit if you fabricate
- Timeline
- Weeks to months, led by Dubai Municipality registration
Supply, fabricate or install
Installation is the heart of this licence. Fabrication and supply-only trading sit beside it, and each one changes what goes on the licence.
Inside this licence
Outside this licence
- Covered by a separate installation activity
- Covered by Engineering consultancy office
- Covered by Building materials trading
- Covered by Interior design and fit-out
Tick what you plan to do. The result shows here.
We fix the wording before you apply. Send us your list on WhatsApp
Cutting and assembling frames in your own workshop needs a workshop address, and we confirm that activity with DET before you lease.
Which route suits a glazing firm?
The route follows where the buildings stand and who signs the contract, because glazing firms work on other people's sites.
| If most of your clients are | Likely route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Villa owners and mainland fit-out contractors | Mainland (DET) | A DET contracting licence, then Dubai Municipality registration before the first job |
| Towers, through main contractors and developers | Mainland (DET) | Subcontracts need registered parties, and the class caps the job size |
| Projects inside a free zone | Free zone | The zone licenses the firm, and Law 7 registration applies there too |
| Profiles and glass exported abroad | Free zone | Supply only, with no fitting on Dubai sites |
A free zone glazing firm can fit on mainland sites through a DET branch licence approved by Dubai Municipality, under Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025. Mainland income is then tested under QFZP.
A free zone with warehouse units suits a firm holding profile and glass stock for export, with no fitting on Dubai sites. Compare free zones
Three questions. The closest row is marked in the table above.
Your likely route shows here.
Aluminium and glass licence approvals
DET issues the contracting licence first. Dubai Municipality then registers and classifies the company, and permits follow job by job where the building or unit needs one.
Before the licence
- Trade name and initial approvalDET
The licence
- Contracting trade licenceDET
After the licence
- Contractor registration and classificationDubai Municipality
- Workshop fire approval, if fabricatingDubai Civil Defence
- Permits for each jobDubai Municipality or the area authority
- Cladding fire rules on towersDubai Civil Defence
- Installer work permits and visasMOHRE, then GDRFA Dubai
- Corporate bank accountThe bank
Small units and mall shops still need a registered contractor.
Shopfronts, showers or curtain walls?
A shower screen and a tower facade sit on the same licence, yet they bring very different approvals.
Mall landlords set their own contractor terms for shopfronts, so we read those terms before you quote.
Tick the jobs you expect to quote
| What you plan | Points to |
|---|---|
| A building materials trading activity, with no site work | |
| The installation activity and Dubai Municipality contractor registration | |
| The installation activity and Dubai Municipality contractor registration | |
| Registration, plus a Dubai Municipality permit for units over 100 square metres | |
| Registration in a class large enough for towers, and Civil Defence cladding rules | |
| An engineering consultancy office, licensed as a separate firm |
Tick a line to see where your plan points.
Profile imports and project advances
Bank viewCloser look: project advances, retentions and imported stock
A glazing firm pays overseas mills for profiles and glass before a project starts, then collects advances, stage payments and retentions from contractors. Those flows draw the bank's first questions, especially from a new company.
Payments to installation subcontractors add more. We put the first purchase orders, the subcontract and the Dubai Municipality registration into the bank file together. The review then sees a contractor with real work.
Mistakes that cost glazing firms work
Supply and fix on a trading licence
A trader who fixes the glass it sells has moved into contracting. The installation activity and Dubai Municipality registration must be in place before the first fitting job, or the contract cannot be signed.
A class too small for the tender
New contractors start in the lowest class on the register, and the class limits job size. A firm built around one tower facade contract can find that job out of reach in its first year.
Treating small units as unregulated
Mall shopfronts and units under 100 square metres skip the fit-out permit. The work must still be done by a contractor Dubai Municipality has approved, so an unregistered firm loses even the small jobs.
Aluminium and glass questions
A question about your plan? Describe your aluminium and glass plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.
Ask on WhatsAppHow much does an aluminium and glass licence cost in Dubai?
What are the aluminium and glass licence requirements in Dubai?
How to start an aluminium and glass business in Dubai?
Do I need a contracting licence to install glass in Dubai?
Can a free zone company install aluminium windows in Dubai?
Does aluminium and glass work need Dubai Municipality approval?
What licence do I need for aluminium fabrication in Dubai?
Is there an aluminium and glass trading licence in Dubai?
Do curtain wall contractors need a special licence in Dubai?
Can I buy an existing aluminium and glass company in Dubai?
Related pages
Construction company licence in DubaiDET issues the trade licence, and since January 2026 Dubai Municipality also registers and classifies each contractor before it takes on work.
Interior design and fit-out licenceDesigning interiors and building them are separate businesses in Dubai.
Building materials trading licenceContractors buy only certified products, so each product line's certificate fixes when you can start selling it.
Will your first job fit your class?
Tell us the jobs you plan to quote first, and we set out the activities you need and whether your starting class can take them.
On the call
- Your first contracts and their size
- Workshop plans and installer numbers
