Publishing house licence, under the National Media Authority
A publishing house licence in Dubai needs a National Media Authority licence, and every book printed here needs its own permit.
- Usual route
- Either route
- Extra approval
- NMA licence
- AML
- Standard bank checks
A publishing house licence in Dubai has two layers, the company's own trade licence and a media licence from the National Media Authority (NMA). Each book printed in the UAE then needs an NMA printing permit after a content review, with the permit and ISBN printed inside. Imported titles need a circulation permit.
- Covers
- Books, e-books and audiobooks released under your own imprint
- Not covered
- Running the press, bookshop sales and news titles
- Premises
- An office; printing is bought from licensed presses
- Timeline
- Weeks for the licences; each title runs its own review
What a publisher can release
A publisher buys the rights and releases each title under its own imprint. Self-published authors fall under a separate activity.
Inside this licence
Outside this licence
- Covered by Printing press
- Covered by Periodicals publishing, with a distribution permit
- Covered by Bookshop retail
- Covered by Media production
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Running the press yourself is a separate printing activity, so most houses buy print from licensed presses instead.
Mainland or a media free zone
NMA rules apply in free zones too, so the route follows your buyers. A mainland house's visa quota follows the area of the office registered in Ejari.
| If most of your clients are | Likely route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bookshops and schools across the UAE | Either route | Both routes sell into the UAE once the titles carry their permits |
| Rights buyers and readers abroad | Free zone | Foreign sales and rights deals sit easily on a free zone licence |
| Government bodies commissioning titles | Mainland (DET) | A DET licence contracts directly with public sector clients |
Regular sales to mainland schools or bookshops bring a free zone publisher under Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025. The route is a DET branch licence or permit. Income from those sales can affect QFZP status.
A free zone suits a house selling rights and books abroad, while titles sold in the UAE still need their NMA permits. Compare free zones
Three questions. The closest row is marked in the table above.
Your likely route shows here.
Publishing house licence and NMA permits
The house is licensed once, by DET or the zone and then by the NMA, which checks content standards and any past media bans. After that the NMA reviews titles one at a time.
Before the licence
- Trade name and initial approval for the houseDET or the zone
The licence
- Trade licence with publishingThe same authority
Alongside the licence
- Media licence for the houseNational Media Authority (NMA)
After the licence
- Printing permit for each titleNMA
- Circulation permit for imported titlesNMA
- Corporate bank accountThe bank
We file the NMA licence with the trade licence, so neither waits.
Every new title has its own permit
The house is licensed once and renewed. Each book then starts a fresh review with the NMA before it reaches a shelf.
A new edition, title or format goes back to the NMA, so we build each title's permit into the print schedule.
The publishing house
- Trade licence issuedDays
- NMA media licenceWeeks
- Corporate bank accountWeeks
Each title
- Manuscript sent for reviewDays
- Amendments, if requestedWeeks
- Printing permit issuedDays
- Copies deposited after printingDays
Advances, print runs and the bank
Bank viewStandard; author advances, print runs and slow distributor payments
A publisher's money leaves early, as advances to authors abroad and deposits to printers, and comes back slowly because distributors and bookshops pay weeks after a sale.
Royalties go out on the contract dates. That gap draws questions on a new account, so the author contracts and distribution terms go in with the application.
Launch dates that slip
Booking the press before the permit
UAE printers want the NMA printing permit before they print, and its number appears inside the book. The NMA gives 21 working days to make any changes it asks for, so a launch date set before the review often moves.
A container of books printed abroad
Titles printed overseas need an NMA circulation permit before they are sold here. Stock that lands first waits in storage while the review runs.
A magazine on a book licence
Periodicals are a separate activity with their own distribution permit. A house that adds a quarterly journal later goes back to DET and the NMA for both.
Before your first title
A question about your plan? Describe your publishing house plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.
Ask on WhatsAppHow much does a publishing house licence cost in Dubai?
What are the publishing house licence requirements in Dubai?
Can foreigners open a publishing house in Dubai?
How to start a publishing business in Dubai?
Do I need a permit to publish a book in the UAE?
Do I need a permit to import books into the UAE?
Can I self-publish a book in the UAE without a company?
Do I need a licence to start a magazine in Dubai?
Can a publishing house be set up in a Dubai free zone?
Does the UAE review book content before printing?
Related pages
- Printing press licence in DubaiA printing press needs a DET trade licence and a National Media Authority licence, and its press floor needs fire approval.
Media production licence in DubaiA production company needs a trade licence, media approval where its activity calls for it, and a permit for each location shoot.
Marketing and advertising business setupA marketing agency license in Dubai is easy until paid media and influencer work: the activity, the media permit and the free zone that fits.
Are your first titles ready for review?
Point us to the books on your first list and where they will be printed, and we fit the NMA permits to your release dates.
On the call
- Printed here or imported
- School, bookshop or foreign buyers
