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Nursery licence, with KHDA at every stage

DET or a free zone issues the trade licence. KHDA approves the plan, the manager and the building before children arrive.

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A nursery teacher leads four young children in a play session at a table
Usual route
Usually mainland
Extra approval
KHDA permit
Timeline
Months
AML
Not a DNFBP activity
At a glance

A nursery licence in Dubai needs two permissions: a trade licence from DET or a free zone, and an early childhood centre permit from KHDA. KHDA approves the education plan first, then the manager, then the building. Dubai Municipality and Civil Defence must clear the building, and that usually sets the timeline.

Covers
Care and early education for children from birth to six
Not covered
Kindergarten classes in a private school, tutoring, plant nurseries
Premises
Dubai Municipality site approval and a Civil Defence certificate
Timeline
Months; the building and its approvals set the pace

What an early childhood centre covers

KHDA calls a nursery an early childhood centre. Its permit covers care and education from birth to six, at one approved building.

Covered

Not covered

  • Covered by The school's own KHDA permit
  • Covered by Tutoring centre
  • Covered by Plant and flower trading

Each new age group, branch or building goes back to KHDA for approval, so we settle the age range before the plan is filed.

Mainland or free zone for a nursery

Families choose a nursery close to home, so the building usually decides the route. KHDA's permit applies on both routes.

Likely route by where most of your clients are
If most of your clients areLikely routeWhy
Families in a residential communityMainland (DET)Most communities sit on the mainland, so the trade licence comes from DET
Parents working inside one free zoneFree zoneA centre inside a free zone is licensed by that zone, with KHDA's permit
Employers offering childcare to their staffEither routeThe centre's building decides it, whoever pays the fees

A free zone company opening a centre on the mainland needs a DET branch licence (Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025). Mainland income can affect QFZP status, and KHDA's permit names the approved building.

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

Nursery permit approvals in order

KHDA approves a nursery in three stages: the education and care plan, the manager, then the building. The trade licence follows the first stage. Everything after that waits on Dubai Municipality and Civil Defence clearing the building you have chosen.

  1. Before the licence

    • Trade name and initial approvalDET or the free zone authority
    • Education and care planKHDA

  2. The licence

    • Trade licence for the centreDET or the free zone authority

  3. Alongside the licence

    • Centre manager approvedKHDA
    • Site suitability and building approvalsDubai Municipality

  4. After the licence

    • Fire safety certificateDubai Civil Defence
    • Site visit and permitKHDA
    • Enrolment approval for each childKHDA

We settle the building question before the fit-out budget is committed.

Company, KHDA and building timelines side by side

The company and KHDA clocks are mostly paperwork. The building clock is the long one, and KHDA's final visit waits for it.

KHDA allows two rounds of changes to the plan, so we read it against KHDA's guide before it goes in.

The company (DET or free zone)

  1. Trade name reservedDays
  2. Trade licence issuedDays
  3. Bank account and visasWeeks

KHDA

  1. Plan reviewed and approvedWeeks
  2. Manager approvedWeeks
  3. Site visit, then permitWeeks

The building

  1. Site suitability confirmedWeeks
  2. Fit-out and completionMonths
  3. Civil Defence certificateWeeks

How banks read a nursery file

Bank viewStandard; a long fit-out before fees start to arrive

Banks treat a nursery as a standard education business with a long build-up. The fit-out and the first salaries are paid months before any fees arrive. KHDA also asks for a guarantee of the centre's solvency, so the account is needed early. Fees arrive each term, often in advance. We put the lease, the KHDA initial approval and the funding plan into the bank file together.

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

Where nursery openings slip

  1. A lease signed before the site check

    KHDA's permit waits for Dubai Municipality to confirm the site and building suit an early childhood centre. A unit that fails that test cannot be rescued by the licence. The rent still runs.

  2. A manager found after the fit-out

    KHDA approves the centre manager before the permit, and expects a degree and at least three years in an early childhood centre. Recruiting late leaves a finished building waiting on one person's approval.

  3. Fees and age groups changed without approval

    KHDA approves the fees and the age groups on the permit. Raising fees, adding a baby room or opening a second branch without asking first breaches the permit conditions.

Questions about a nursery licence

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

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How to open a nursery in Dubai?

Start with the building. KHDA approves the education and care plan, the manager and finally the premises, once Dubai Municipality and Civil Defence have cleared them. The trade licence from DET or a free zone sits between those stages. We check the site first, because it decides the timeline.

What are the nursery licence requirements in Dubai?

Two permissions and a building. The company needs a trade licence from DET or a free zone, and the centre needs an early childhood centre permit from KHDA. KHDA wants an approved plan, a manager with early years experience and a building cleared by Dubai Municipality and Civil Defence. The permit is renewed every year.

Can I start a nursery business in Dubai from home?

No, a licensed nursery needs premises approved for the purpose. KHDA issues the permit only after Dubai Municipality confirms the site and building suit an early childhood centre and Civil Defence certifies its fire safety. Any building, villa or commercial unit, goes through that check, and we run it before a lease is signed.

Can a nursery be set up in a Dubai free zone?

Yes, for a centre inside the zone. The zone issues the trade licence, and KHDA's early childhood rules still apply in full, from the plan and the manager to the building approvals. A centre in a residential community on the mainland is licensed by DET, which is the route most nurseries take.

Is an early childhood centre licence the same as a nursery licence?

Yes. KHDA uses the term early childhood centre for nurseries, and its permit covers care and education from birth to six. Kindergarten classes run inside a private school are the exception, because they sit under the school's own permit. Parents and landlords still say nursery, and both names point to the same approval.

Related pages

Will your building pass KHDA's site visit? Check the site before the lease

Thirty minutes on your site, your age groups and your manager. You leave with the route, the order of the DET, KHDA and municipality approvals, and what the building has to clear.

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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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