Mobile shop licence, for sales and repairs
A mobile shop licence in Dubai covers phone sales. Repairs and SIM cards each add an activity or registration.
- Usual route
- Mainland DET
- Extra approval
- TDRA for SIMs
- AML
- Standard bank checks
A mobile shop licence in Dubai is a DET retail licence for phones and accessories, tied to a shop or kiosk lease. Repairs are a separate activity that sits on the same licence when added before filing. Selling SIM cards needs TDRA point-of-sale registration, and every handset on the shelf must carry TDRA's conformity label.
- Covers
- Phones, tablets, smartwatches and accessories sold over the counter
- Not covered
- Bulk supply to other shops and laptop repair
- Premises
- A shop or kiosk unit with a lease registered in Ejari
- Timeline
- Weeks; the shop lease and fit-out set the pace
Selling and fixing phones at one counter
Most phone shops sell handsets and fix screens behind the counter. The licence is worded for both from the start.
Inside this licence
Outside this licence
- Covered by Electronics trading
- Covered by Computer maintenance activity
- Covered by Mobile numbers trading activity
- Covered by Auto phone installation activity
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Repairs sit on their own activity, so we put both on the licence before filing if the counter will fix phones.
Walk-in shop, mall kiosk or online
Shoppers who walk in off a Dubai street or mall concourse are served under a DET licence, and the unit's lease goes on file.
| If most of your clients are | Likely route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Walk-in shoppers on a Dubai street | Mainland (DET) | Retail to the Dubai public runs on a DET licence and a registered lease |
| Shoppers at a mall kiosk | Mainland (DET) | A kiosk is a retail unit too, with the mall's lease as the premises |
| Online buyers of cases and accessories | Either route | Accessories sold online and shipped can run from either route |
| Companies sending staff phones for repair | Either route | Repair contracts with businesses work from either, if the workshop sits where you are licensed |
A free zone company that later opens a counter for Dubai shoppers needs a DET branch licence or permit under Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025. Those sales count against its QFZP test.
Free zones suit an online accessories store or a repair desk serving companies, and the zone choice follows the workshop space you need. Compare free zones
Three questions. The closest row is marked in the table above.
Your likely route shows here.
What a mobile shop licence needs
DET issues the licence once the shop lease is registered. TDRA comes in after it for SIM point-of-sale registration, and for dealer registration only if you import handsets yourself.
Before the licence
- Initial approval and trade nameDepartment of Economy and Tourism (DET)
- Shop lease in EjariDubai Land Department (Ejari)
The licence
- Licence with retail and repairDET
After the licence
- SIM point-of-sale registrationTelecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA)
- Dealer registration for own importsTDRA
- Corporate bank accountThe bank
We word retail and repair together before the licence is issued.
Sales only, or a full service counter?
Where the handsets come from and what happens at the counter set the TDRA work a shop carries.
A shop that starts with local stock and later imports its own needs dealer registration first, so we flag it when you plan the switch.
| UAE distributors | Your own imports | |
|---|---|---|
| Sales only | Retail, approved stock Handsets arrive TDRA-approved, and the conformity card sits under your display. | Retail plus dealer registration Importing handsets yourself brings TDRA dealer registration and type approval for each model. |
| Sales, repairs and SIMs | Repair and SIM counter The repair activity goes on the licence, and SIM sales need TDRA point-of-sale registration. | The full counter Retail and repair activities, TDRA dealer registration and SIM point-of-sale registration together. |
Answer both to highlight your square.
Card takings and the shop account
Bank viewStandard review for a retail counter
Banks treat a phone shop as ordinary retail. They ask about the lease, the expected card and cash takings, and where stock is bought. Cash-heavy counters draw more questions.
Daily takings on record answer most of them. We put the lease, the main supplier invoices and an estimate of monthly sales into the account file, so the bank sees a counter that matches its licence.
Common snags for new phone shops
Repairs done on a retail licence
A shop licensed only to sell phones has no cover for fixing them. The gap usually shows at an inspection, when a repair bench is in plain view. Adding the activity afterwards means amending the licence.
SIM cards sold before registration
TDRA keeps a register of SIM card points of sale, and a shop joins it only after the trade licence is issued. Its sticker goes on the shop. Selling SIMs before then puts the shop outside the rules.
Handsets without the TDRA card
Every phone on sale needs TDRA's conformity card on its box and under the display. Cheap stock bought from a supplier who cannot show approval may have to come off the shelf.
Opening a phone shop
A question about your plan? Describe your mobile phone shop plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.
Ask on WhatsAppHow much does a mobile shop licence cost in Dubai?
How to start a mobile shop business in Dubai?
What are the requirements for a mobile shop licence in Dubai?
Do I need a licence to repair mobile phones in Dubai?
Can foreigners get a phone repair licence in Dubai?
Can I sell SIM cards in my shop in Dubai?
Do mobile phone shops in Dubai need TDRA approval?
Can I open a mobile shop in a Dubai free zone?
Can a mobile accessories shop run on the same licence?
What is TDRA SIM card point of sale registration?
Related pages
- Electronics trading licenceAn electronics trading licence covers bulk supply of devices, and anything with a radio inside also needs TDRA type approval.
Dubai mainland company formationDubai mainland company formation with a DET licence: trade across the UAE, bid for government tenders and hold 100% ownership for most activities.
General trading company setupGeneral trading company setup in Dubai, scoped right: free zone for re-export, mainland for onshore sales, and the activity breadth you will use.
Will your counter repair phones too?
Tell us about the unit and what the counter will do, and we confirm the activities, the lease check and where TDRA comes in.
On the call
- The shop or kiosk you have in mind
- Repairs, SIM sales and own imports
