E-learning licence, where KHDA comes in
The trade licence is the quick part. KHDA's permit depends on how you teach and what learners receive at the end.
- Usual route
- Usually free zone
- Extra approval
- KHDA sometimes
- AML
- Standard bank checks
An e-learning licence in Dubai puts an online training activity on a DET or free zone trade licence. Under Executive Council Resolution 50 of 2015, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) regulates training offered in the emirate, free zones included. Recorded courses with no certificate often need nothing more.
- Covers
- Recorded courses, live online classes and course platforms
- Not covered
- Classroom tuition, degrees and selling the platform software
- Premises
- A desk for recorded courses; KHDA can waive classroom rules
- Timeline
- Weeks for the licence; months if KHDA's permit applies
Courses you can sell online
The activity covers teaching sold online, recorded or live, and several education activities can sit on one licence.
Inside this licence
Outside this licence
- Covered by Tutoring centre (KHDA permit)
- Covered by Language institute
- Covered by An IT or software activity
- Covered by Social media influencer
Tick what you plan to do. The result shows here.
We fix the wording before you apply. Send us your list on WhatsApp
Selling the platform software to schools is a separate activity from selling courses to learners, so a founder doing both lists two activities.
Where an online academy is based
Learners never visit, so most online academies fit a free zone. A Dubai classroom changes that, because it needs a DET licence with an Ejari lease and a KHDA premises review.
| If most of your clients are | Likely route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Learners worldwide buying recorded courses | Free zone | No premises to visit, and a free zone licence covers selling online |
| Dubai companies booking staff training online | Either route | Either route works; KHDA's role follows the course content |
| Students who also attend weekend classes in Dubai | Mainland (DET) | Weekend classes in the city sit on a DET licence |
A free zone academy that starts classes on the mainland can run them through a DET branch licence or permit, set up by Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025. Fees paid by individual learners do not count as QFZP qualifying income.
Recorded courses sold to learners abroad fit a free zone licence, and the visa count for tutors and editors guides which zone. Compare free zones
Three questions. The closest row is marked in the table above.
Your likely route shows here.
Does an e-learning licence need KHDA?
For some course lists it does. KHDA approves each course on its hours and delivery method, and it can waive the premises condition.
Before the licence
- Trade name for the academyDET or your chosen zone
- Course list reviewed, where neededKnowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA)
- Awarding body approval for examsThe awarding body
The licence
- Trade licence, e-learning activityThe licensing authority
After the licence
- Educational Services Permit, if requiredKHDA
- Payment gateway switched onThe payment provider
- Corporate bank accountThe bank
The payment gateway and bank account come last, once the licence issues.
Recorded or live, certificate or none
How you teach and what the learner receives at the end show whether KHDA needs to see the course.
Corporate training sold to Dubai companies can fall under KHDA too, while training your own staff sits outside it.
| Recorded, self-paced courses | Live classes with a teacher | |
|---|---|---|
| No certificate | Trade licence usually enough Self-paced courses with no certificate often sit on the e-learning activity alone. | A KHDA question Live paid classes for learners in Dubai can fall under KHDA's training rules. |
| A certificate or exam preparation | Certificates draw KHDA closer Issuing certificates moves a course toward KHDA's permit, approved course by course. | KHDA and the awarding body Exam preparation needs the awarding body's approval before KHDA accepts the course. |
Answer both to highlight your square.
Card sales, gateways and the bank
Bank viewStandard; gateway payouts and foreign card sales draw questions
An online academy's money arrives in many small amounts, as gateway payouts and app store transfers from learners abroad. Refunds get a second look.
Questions come when a new account shows foreign card sales with no website or course terms on file. Your published refund terms and the gateway agreement go into the account file.
Snags for a new online academy
Live cohorts added on a recorded-course licence
A licence set up for self-paced videos may not answer for live classes and graded certificates. Academies that add them later often meet KHDA in the middle of a sales launch.
A hotel room booked for a workshop
The 2015 resolution bars a venue owner from letting anyone run training there without KHDA's permit. Online academies planning a single in-person masterclass often hear this from the hotel. The venue asks for the permit first.
The payment gateway left until launch day
Gateways check that the licence activity matches the website before switching on payments. A mismatch holds the first sales back, so we align the two early.
Questions on online courses
A question about your plan? Describe your online education plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.
Ask on WhatsAppHow much does an e-learning licence cost in Dubai?
Do I need KHDA approval for online courses in Dubai?
Can I sell online courses from Dubai?
How to start an e-learning business in Dubai?
Can foreigners get an e-learning licence in Dubai?
Do I need a licence to tutor online in Dubai?
Can I teach online from Dubai to students abroad?
Can a free zone company sell online courses in the UAE?
Does online corporate training need KHDA approval in Dubai?
Is online course income taxable in the UAE?
Related pages
Education and training business setupA training institute license in Dubai needs more than a trade licence: the KHDA permit, premises rules, and the free zone and online options.
Tutoring centre licence in DubaiTuition centres need a trade licence and KHDA's permit.
Dubai and UAE free zones comparedWhich is the best free zone in the UAE for you?
Will your course list need KHDA?
Certificates and live classes are the usual triggers. With the course list to hand, we look at how you teach and give you the activity wording and KHDA's likely view.
On the call
- Classroom or workshop plans in Dubai
- Gateway and refund terms
