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Desert safari licence, then the DET safari permit

DET licenses the company and permits the trips, and trained drivers with company vehicles decide when the first tour can run.

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Two four-wheel drives with Emirati drivers wait on the dunes of the Dubai desert
Usual route
Mainland (DET)
Extra approval
Safari permit
Timeline
Weeks to months
AML
Not a DNFBP activity
At a glance

A desert safari licence in Dubai is a DET trade licence for tour operation plus a DET safari permit for the trips. Drivers need DET training and an RTA desert driving permit. Vehicles are registered to the company. Running your own camp adds a camp permit, with at least ten company vehicles.

Covers
Dune drives, desert tours and evening trips for visitors
Not covered
Selling flights and hotels, and desert driving lessons
Premises
An office, plus an approved camp site if you host guests
Timeline
Weeks to months, set by drivers, vehicles and the safari permit

What a safari company licence covers

A safari company runs its own desert trips. Selling flights and hotels is travel agency work, and dune driving lessons are a training activity.

Covered

Not covered

  • Covered by Travel agency
  • Covered by Desert driving institute
  • Covered by Leisure equipment rental
  • Covered by Limousine (RTA franchise)

Your own camp is a separate DET permit on the safari permit, so we decide early whether you host guests or use a partner camp.

Mainland base for a safari company

DET issues the safari and camp permits. So the base usually sits on the mainland, whoever the guests are.

Likely route by where most of your clients are
If most of your clients areLikely routeWhy
Visitors booking through hotels and agentsMainland (DET)Hotel pick-ups and the safari permit both point to DET
Residents booking weekend tripsMainland (DET)Local trips run under the same DET safari permit
Overseas agents buying packages wholesaleEither routeContracts can be signed elsewhere, yet the desert trips still run under DET

A free zone company can reach the mainland through a DET branch licence or permit (Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025). The safari permit is a DET tourism permit, so we confirm eligibility first.

Several free zones license this activity; we match the zone to your visas, office and banking. Compare free zones

Desert safari licence and permit approvals

DET issues the trade licence first. The safari permit follows, and each driver completes DET training and holds an RTA desert driving permit, with each vehicle registered to the company.

  1. Before the licence

    • Trade name and initial approvalDET

  2. The licence

    • Trade licence for tour operationDET

  3. After the licence

    • DET safari permitDET tourism licensing
    • Driver training and desert permitsDET and the RTA
    • Vehicles registered to the companyRTA, then DET
    • Tour guide licencesDET
    • Desert camp permit, if hostingDET, with Civil Defence and Dubai Municipality

We plan driver training before the vehicles are bought.

The fleet line for your own desert camp

DET adds a camp permit to a safari permit only once the company owns enough vehicles. Move the marker to see where your fleet sits.

Drivers and guides must be on the company visa for a camp permit, so freelancers do not count towards it.

10 vehicles owned and registered to the company

Below the lineTrips run on the safari permit; your own camp waits, unless five vehicles come with a 45-seat bus.

At or above itThe fleet meets DET's camp line. Five guides on the company visa and Civil Defence and municipality approvals complete it.

How banks read a safari business

Bank viewCloser look at agent payments from abroad and seasonal swings

Safari income arrives from hotels, local agents and overseas wholesalers, often in batches after the trips, with walk-up card payments a smaller share. Banks ask who the agents are. They also ask why money arrives from abroad, while vehicle finance and the swing between cooler and hotter months show on the outgoing side. We put the agent contracts, the fleet plan and the safari permit status into the account file.

AMLNot a DNFBP activity; the bank's own customer checks still apply.

Where safari launches stall

  1. Vehicles bought before drivers are trained

    A 4x4 earns nothing without a permitted driver. Training with DET and the RTA desert driving permit come first, so a fleet ordered early loses the weeks that training and testing take.

  2. Freelance drivers and guides

    DET expects safari drivers and guides for a camp to be on the company's visa. A plan built on freelancers stalls at the camp permit, and the hiring and visas start again.

  3. A camp lease shorter than planned

    The camp permit needs Civil Defence and Dubai Municipality approvals. It lasts a year or until the tenancy ends. A short lease shortens the permit.

Questions about a desert safari licence

A question about your plan? Describe your desert safari plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.

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What are the desert safari licence requirements in Dubai?

A DET trade licence for tour operation and a DET safari permit for the trips. Each driver completes DET training and holds an RTA desert driving permit, and the vehicles are registered to the company. A camp of your own adds a camp permit, with at least ten company vehicles and five guides.

How to start a desert safari business in Dubai?

Start with DET. The trade licence and the safari permit come first, then drivers and vehicles in the right order. Training and testing come before a driver can take guests into the desert, so we plan the fleet purchase around that. A vehicle cannot carry guests until its driver holds the permit.

Do desert safari drivers need a special permit in Dubai?

Yes. A safari driver needs a UAE driving licence, the DET tourism training programme and a desert driving permit from the RTA. For companies running their own camp, drivers and guides must also be on the company's visa. Each new driver goes through the same route before their first trip with guests.

Can a desert safari company run its own camp?

Yes, with a DET desert camp permit added to the safari permit. The company needs ten vehicles it owns and registers, or five plus a 45-seat bus, at least five guides, and approvals from Civil Defence and Dubai Municipality. The permit runs for a year, or less if the camp tenancy ends sooner.

Is a desert safari licence the same as a travel agency licence?

No. A travel agency sells flights, hotels and packages made by others. A safari company runs its own desert trips under a DET safari permit, with its own drivers and vehicles. Many operators hold both activities. We settle which ones belong on your licence before it is filed.

Related pages

Your own camp, or a partner's? Decide before the fleet is bought

Thirty minutes on your trips, your fleet and whether you will host guests at a camp. You leave with the activity wording, the route and the order of the DET and RTA steps.

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On the call

  1. The activity wording that fits your plan
  2. The route, and the approvals in order
  3. A written scope, agreed before any work starts
Portrait of your advisor
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