Media licence in Dubai for production houses
A production company needs a trade licence, media approval where its activity calls for it, and a permit for each location shoot.
- Usual route
- Mainland or free zone
- Extra approval
- Media approval
- Timeline
- Weeks
- AML
- Not a DNFBP activity
A film, video or content production company in Dubai holds a trade licence from the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) or a free zone. Since January 2026 the federal regulator is the National Media Authority, and the Dubai Media Council regulates media activity across Dubai. Some media activities need approval on top of the licence, and location shoots need their own permit.
- Covers
- Films, commercials, corporate video and branded content for clients
- Not covered
- Broadcasting a channel, publishing and personal advertiser permits
- Premises
- Office-based; studio space is a commercial choice
- Timeline
- Weeks where a media approval applies; shoot permits per project
Production work on one licence
Scope follows what you hand the client at the end, whether that is footage, a finished film, photographs or a channel.
Covered
Not covered
- Covered by Photography activity
- Covered by a broadcast licence
- Covered by a publishing licence
- Covered by Equipment rental
Tick what you plan to do. The result shows here.
We fix the wording before you apply. Send us your list on WhatsApp
Post-production can sit on the same licence or as its own activity, and media advice that produces nothing is consultancy work.
Which route suits a production house?
Both routes work and your client list decides, because media rules in Dubai reach free zones as well and the regulator stays the same.
| If most of your clients are | Likely route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Brands and agencies abroad | Free zone | A free zone licence suits clients billed outside the UAE |
| Free zone companies and media businesses | Free zone | Clients inside free zones can be billed from a free zone licence |
| Mainland corporates and Dubai brands | Mainland (DET) | A mainland licence bills these clients directly, with no branch step |
A free zone company can reach mainland clients through a DET branch licence or permit (Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025). Its first phase covers non-regulated activities, so we confirm media work first, and mainland income can affect QFZP status.
Several free zones license this activity; we match the zone to your visas, office and banking. Compare free zones
Three questions. The closest row is marked in the table above.
Your likely route shows here.
Who regulates a production company
The National Media Authority sets the federal media rules, and its remit includes free zones. In Dubai, the Dubai Media Council regulates media activity across the emirate, free zones included, and its permits office issues permits for media activities.
Before the licence
- Trade name and initial approvalDET or the free zone
The licence
- Trade licenceDET or the free zone
Alongside the licence
- Media approval, where it appliesFederal media framework
After the licence
- Location shoot permits, per projectDubai Media Council
- Advertiser permit, if you appearNational Media Authority
- Corporate bank accountThe bank
- Crew visasGDRFA Dubai
We confirm which media approval your wording needs before you file.
Which permits does a shoot need?
Two questions about the job decide which permits sit on top of the company licence.
Since January 2026 the National Media Authority has replaced the UAE Media Council, so contracts and decks that name the old council need updating.
| Studio or own premises | A location in Dubai | |
|---|---|---|
| Talent or the client's people | The licence carries it No location permit; any media approval is confirmed for your activity. | Location shoot permit Issued per shoot by Dubai's film permit office; other authorities can join in. |
| You, in paid social promotion | Personal advertiser permit Held by the person promoting brands on social media, apart from the company. | Both permits A location permit for the shoot, plus your own advertiser permit. |
Answer both to highlight your square.
Production money and the bank
Bank viewCloser look: project fees and cross-border production payments
Production money moves in two directions at once. A client fee arrives, often from abroad, and much of it leaves again within weeks for crew, talent, locations and kit hire. Banks see that pass-through pattern often, and they still ask for the contract behind each large payment in the early months. We put the first client contracts and the main supplier quotes into the bank file before the account opens.
AMLNot a DNFBP activity; the bank's own customer checks still apply.
Where production companies trip
Consultancy wording, production work
Media consultancy wording suits advice, and a company that produces commercials or runs its own channel works outside the activity it filed. The fix is an amendment while client work waits, so we match the wording to the work first.
Shooting on location with a licence alone
A company licence does not authorise a shoot at a location. Location filming in Dubai needs a permit from the film permit office under the Dubai Media Council, and other authorities can be involved depending on the site.
The founder on camera, without a permit
When the founder fronts paid promotions on social media, the advertiser permit is personal and sits apart from the company licence. The founder needs it in hand before the first paid post goes live.
Media licence questions
A question about your plan? Describe your media production plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.
Ask on WhatsAppWho regulates media companies in the UAE in 2026?
Do I need a filming permit if I have a media licence in Dubai?
Can a free zone production company work for clients in Dubai?
Is a photography business licensed the same way as video production?
Does a media company need an advertiser permit?
Related pages
IndustryMarketing and advertising agency setup in DubaiA marketing agency license in Dubai is easy until paid media and influencer work: the activity, the media permit and the free zone that fits.
JurisdictionFree zones for media and creative companiesWhich is the best free zone in the UAE for you?
JurisdictionDubai mainland company setup with DETSuits businesses that sell to UAE customers or bid for Dubai tenders.
Check your media wording and shoot permits before the first client brief
Thirty minutes on the work you produce and the clients you bill. You leave with the activity wording, the route, and the approvals and permits your projects need.
On the call
- The activity wording that fits your plan
- The route, and the approvals in order
- A written scope, agreed before any work starts
