Language institute licence, inside KHDA's six-month window

A language institute licence in Dubai needs KHDA's permit for every course, and your premises and teachers decide how fast it comes.

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A teacher holds up an answer sheet for a small class of adult learners

At a glance

A language institute licence in Dubai is a DET or free zone trade licence plus an Educational Services Permit from the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). KHDA's initial approval gives you six months to finish both. It reviews the course list, the premises and the teaching staff, and its rules apply in free zones too.

Covers: Language courses for adults and children, in class or one to one
Not covered: Under-six play groups, school tuition, translation and official testing
Premises: A centre meeting KHDA conditions, or approved client venues
Timeline: Weeks to months, inside KHDA's six-month window

Courses a language institute can run

A language institute teaches languages to the public for a fee, in groups or one to one. KHDA permits the teaching, field by field.

Covered

Group courses in English, Arabic and more
One-to-one and small group lessons
Business English for company staff
Exam preparation courses
Classes for school-age children

Not covered

Language play groups for under-sixesCovered by Nursery (early childhood centre)
School subject tuitionCovered by Tutoring centre
Translating documents for clientsCovered by Translation services
Running official language testsCovered by An authorised test centre (the test owner's approval)

An institute without its own classroom can ask KHDA to teach at client venues, so we raise it early if corporate work comes first.

Mainland centre or free zone campus

KHDA's rules cover free zones too, because they follow the teaching. The route then follows where the classroom sits.

Likely route by where most of your clients are
If most of your clients are	Likely route	Why
Residents walking in to a mall centre	Mainland (DET)	A public centre sits under DET, with KHDA's permit on top
Students at a centre inside a free zone	Free zone	The zone licenses the company, and KHDA still permits the teaching
Companies booking staff courses at their offices	Either route	KHDA's authorisation follows the teaching, whichever licence route you take

A free zone institute teaching classes on the mainland looks at a DET branch licence or permit (Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025). Course fees from individuals sit outside QFZP qualifying income.

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

Language institute licence and KHDA permit

KHDA starts the clock. Its initial approval gives you six months to finish the trade licence and the Educational Services Permit, or it lapses. The course list, premises and teachers all count toward that permit.

Before the licence
- Trade name and initial approvalDET or the free zone
- Course list initially approvedKnowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA)
- Centre premises meeting KHDA conditionsKHDA
The licence
- Trade licence with language trainingDET or the free zone
After the licence
- Educational Services PermitKHDA
- Teachers meeting KHDA standardsKHDA
- Teacher visasGDRFA Dubai
- Corporate bank accountThe bank

We keep the lease and fit-out inside KHDA's six months.

What will your course list include?

Tick what you plan to teach in your first year. The heaviest item shows what it adds to the trade licence and KHDA's permit.

KHDA's permit names the fields you may teach, so computer or management courses added later need an amendment before the first class.

Tick everything on your course list

Tick everything on your course list
What you plan	Points to
English and Arabic group classes	the language training field on your KHDA permit, taught at approved premises
One-to-one lessons at the centre	the language training field on your KHDA permit, taught at approved premises
Business English at client offices	KHDA's agreement to teach at client venues, which it can give in place of a classroom
Prep for a professional certification exam	the awarding body's approval before KHDA accepts the course
Translating documents for clients	a translation activity added to the trade licence
Language play groups for under-sixes	a separate KHDA early childhood licence, as nurseries hold

Upfront fees and the bank

Bank viewStandard; course fees paid upfront and fit-out costs

Banks treat a language institute as a standard education business. Learners pay by card or transfer, often upfront for a term or a block of lessons, and companies pay on invoice. The early questions come from a fit-out paid before any fees arrive. We put the KHDA permit, the lease and the course fee terms into the account file together, so the review sees a centre ready to teach.

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

Why language centres miss their opening

A hotel room booked for the first course
Venue owners in Dubai may not host a training course unless the provider holds KHDA's permit. Institutes planning to start in a rented meeting room before their own centre opens find the venue says no.
The six-month window running out
KHDA's initial approval lapses if the licence and permit are not finished within six months. A fit-out that overruns, or teachers whose qualifications are still being checked, can send the file back to the start.
Exam prep listed without the awarding body
KHDA asks for the awarding body's approval when an institute prepares students for a professional certification exam. Courses listed without it stall the permit, so we check every exam on your list first.

Questions about a language centre licence

A question about your plan? Describe your language centre plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.

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How much does a language institute licence cost in Dubai?

A language institute licence cost in Dubai depends on the centre and the course list. KHDA prices its permit by the number of training activities, and premises built to its conditions, teacher visas and any exam approvals add to it. You get a written quote before anything starts, and it only changes if your plans do.

Do language schools need KHDA approval in Dubai?

Yes, before the first paid class. The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) authorises every private training provider in Dubai, free zones included, and checks the course list, the premises and the teachers. The permit runs a year at a time. Training a company gives its own staff sits outside it.

Can foreigners open a language school in Dubai?

Yes. Foreign founders run language institutes in Dubai on the mainland and in free zones. KHDA's permit works the same whatever the owner's nationality, because it looks at the course list, the premises and the teaching staff. We build the file around those three.

Can a language school teach children in Dubai?

Yes, school-age children can join courses at a KHDA-permitted institute, as they do at tuition centres. Play-based language groups for children under six count as early childhood care, which needs a separate KHDA licence of the kind nurseries hold. We place each children's course on the right side of that line.

How to start a language institute business in Dubai?

Start with the course list and the centre. KHDA's initial approval opens a six-month window to finish the trade licence and the Educational Services Permit, so the lease, fit-out and teachers need to be ready inside it. We plan all three against that window before you sign anything.

Will your centre be ready inside six months? We plan the lease around that window

Fifteen minutes with a senior advisor on your courses, your learners and the centre you have in mind. You leave with the activities, the route and the order of the DET and KHDA steps.

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On the call

The activity wording that fits your plan
The route, and the approvals in order
A written quote before any work starts

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