Tour operator licence, for visitors arriving in Dubai
A tour operator licence in Dubai is DET's inbound tourism licence, and your manager and office decide when it issues.
Transport and travel
- Usual route
- Mainland (DET)
- Extra approval
- DET tourism
- Timeline
- Weeks to months
- AML
- Not a DNFBP activity
A tour operator licence in Dubai is a DET tourism licence for inbound tours: programmes, hotels, transfers and visas for visitors. DET expects a qualified manager with tourism experience, a dedicated office and insurance cover for tourists. Every guide needs a DET licence, renewed yearly, and vehicles carrying tourists follow RTA rules.
- Covers
- City tours, transfers, hotels and visas for visiting groups
- Not covered
- Outbound holidays, self-run desert safaris and yacht trips
- Premises
- A dedicated office for the tourism activity
- Timeline
- Weeks to months, set by DET's tourism approval and staffing
What an inbound tour operator runs
An inbound operator builds and runs the Dubai programme for visitors. DET licenses it as a tourism activity on top of the trade licence.
Covered
Not covered
- Covered by Outbound tour operator or travel agency
- Covered by Desert safari
- Covered by Yacht charter
- Covered by Limousine (RTA)
Tick what you plan to do. The result shows here.
We fix the wording before you apply. Send us your list on WhatsApp
A desert evening bought from a licensed safari company stays inside your licence. Running it yourself brings DET's safari permit, so we settle that first.
Why tour operators sit on the mainland
DET licenses every tourist activity run in Dubai. Tours happen on Dubai's roads and at its sights, so the company sits on the mainland.
| If most of your clients are | Likely route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Visitors booking tours while in Dubai | Mainland (DET) | DET's tourism licence covers tours run here, whoever books them |
| Conference and incentive groups | Mainland (DET) | Visas, hotels and transfers for delegates sit inside the inbound licence |
| Overseas agents reselling your programmes | Mainland (DET) | Agents pay from abroad, and the tours still run under DET |
Free zone firms reach Dubai clients through a DET branch licence or permit (Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025), but tours here still need DET's tourism licence. Fees from individuals are not QFZP qualifying income.
Three questions. The closest row is marked in the table above.
Your likely route shows here.
Tour operator licence and guide licences
DET issues the tourism licence once the manager and office meet its requirements. Guides carry their own DET licences. Vehicles carrying tourists come under the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
Before the licence
- Trade name and initial approvalDET
- Qualified manager and officeDET
The licence
- Inbound tour operator licenceDET
Alongside the licence
- Insurance cover for touristsA UAE-licensed insurer
After the licence
- Guide licences, renewed yearlyDET
- Vehicles and drivers approvedRTA
- Corporate bank accountThe bank
We check the manager's experience before the office lease.
What's in your tour programme?
Tick what your first programmes include. The heaviest item shows what sits on top of the tourism licence.
Bought-in safaris and boat trips stay with the supplier's permits, so we decide what you run yourself before the licence is worded.
Tick everything your programmes include
| What you plan | Points to |
|---|---|
| the DET inbound tour operator licence, which covers these arrangements | |
| a DET guide licence for every guide who leads a group | |
| RTA approval of your tourist vehicles and their drivers | |
| a DET safari permit with trained drivers and company vehicles | |
| a yacht charter activity with Dubai Maritime Authority permits | |
| an outbound tour operator or travel agency category as well |
Tick a line to see where your plan points.
Agent deposits and the bank file
Bank viewAgent deposits from abroad and pass-through payments draw questions
Banks treat an inbound operator as a pass-through business. Agents and groups pay deposits, and most of that money leaves again for hotels, transport and entry tickets. Large payments from agents abroad draw the first questions, because the bank wants to see who the travellers are. We put the DET licence, the first agent contracts and the supplier agreements into the account file together.
AMLNot a DNFBP activity; the bank's own customer checks still apply.
What delays a tourism licence
A manager without tourism experience
DET expects a qualified manager with several years in tourism and attested certificates. A founder who planned to manage it alone, with a background elsewhere, has to hire before the licence moves.
Guides whose badge has lapsed
Operators may hire only guides holding a DET licence badge, renewed each year after a refresher course. A freelance guide with a lapsed badge puts the company's own licence at risk.
Tourists carried in an ordinary van
Vehicles carrying tourists follow RTA rules for tourist transport, with approved vehicles and drivers. A staff car or a hired van used for transfers falls outside them on the first trip.
Questions about a tour operator licence
A question about your plan? Describe your tour operator plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.
Ask on WhatsAppHow much does a tour operator licence cost in Dubai?
What are the inbound tour operator licence requirements in Dubai?
Do tour guides need a licence in Dubai?
Can a free zone company be a tour operator in Dubai?
How to start a tour operator business in Dubai?
Related pages
IndustryTravel and tourism business setupA travel agency license in Dubai: travel agent, tour operator or online agency, the DET tourism category, guarantees and approvals, decided first.
ActivityDesert safari licence in DubaiDET licenses the company and permits the trips, and trained drivers with company vehicles decide when the first tour can run.
ActivityLimousine licence in DubaiA DET or free zone licence comes first, then an RTA franchise that sets how many chauffeured cars you may run.
Does your manager meet DET's tourism test? We check experience before any lease
Fifteen minutes with a senior advisor on your programmes, your manager and the office. You leave with the tourism category, the route and the order of the DET and RTA steps.
On the call
- The activity wording that fits your plan
- The route, and the approvals in order
- A written quote before any work starts
