Wedding planner licence, and what each wedding adds
No sector regulator approves a wedding planner licence in Dubai. What you sell beyond planning shows which activities go beside it.
- Usual route
- Either route
- Extra approval
- None upfront
- AML
- Standard bank checks
A wedding planner licence in Dubai lists the wedding organising activity, and either DET or a free zone can issue it. No sector regulator approves it first. Each wedding is a private event under DET's rules, notified through the venue. Cooking for guests and company events need their own activities.
- Covers
- Planning, styling, supplier booking and coordination of weddings
- Not covered
- Cooking for guests, photography and corporate events
- Premises
- An office or desk; no venue or store needed
- Timeline
- Days to weeks for the licence
What a wedding planner can sell
The wedding organising activity covers the planning and the day itself, sold to couples and their families.
Inside this licence
Outside this licence
- Covered by Catering
- Covered by Photography
- Covered by Event management
Tick what you plan to do. The result shows here.
We fix the wording before you apply. Send us your list on WhatsApp
Planners who also style corporate dinners add event organising at the start, because the wedding activity does not stretch to company work.
Resident couples or destination weddings
Where your couples live and pay from guides the route. A DET licence comes with an Ejari lease for the office, and its floor area fixes how many coordinators you can sponsor.
| If most of your clients are | Likely route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai residents marrying in local hotels | Mainland (DET) | A DET licence invoices residents and Dubai venues with no branch step |
| Couples flying in for a destination wedding | Free zone | Clients paying from abroad sit comfortably on a free zone licence |
| A mix of residents and overseas couples | Either route | Either works, and the share of resident couples tips the balance |
A free zone planner who bills Dubai residents regularly can do it through a DET branch licence or permit, the route in Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025. Fees paid by couples are not QFZP qualifying income.
Planners whose couples book from overseas can use a free zone licence, and a desk agreement inside the zone covers the premises. Compare free zones
Three questions. The closest row is marked in the table above.
Your likely route shows here.
Does a wedding planner licence need approval?
Nothing needs approval before the licence. Each wedding counts as a private event, and the venue normally sends DET the notification once the date is booked. A show with hired performers may need more from DET.
Before the licence
- Trade name and initial approval for the plannerDET or the free zone
The licence
- Trade licence with wedding organisingDET or the free zone
- Event organising for corporate workDET or the free zone
After the licence
- Corporate bank accountThe bank
- Private event notice per weddingDET, usually through the venue
- Coordinator and stylist visasGDRFA Dubai or the free zone
We check DET's position for each wedding format you sell.
What does your wedding package include?
Planning and styling sit on the wedding activity itself. The rest of a package may need another activity or a licensed partner.
Packages that bundle a caterer or photographer are sold as your service, so we word the licence and the client contract to match.
Tick everything in your packages
| What you plan | Points to |
|---|---|
| the wedding organising activity on your licence | |
| the wedding organising activity on your licence | |
| a photography activity added, or a licensed photographer you book for the day | |
| a licensed caterer, because food for guests must come from an approved kitchen | |
| an event organising activity, with a DET permit for each company event | |
| DET's position checked for the act, the venue and the guest list |
Tick a line to see where your plan points.
Couples' deposits and the bank
Bank viewStandard; deposits held months ahead and lump supplier payments
Couples often pay a deposit from abroad months ahead, and the balance close to the date. Large payments to the venue and caterer then leave in the same week.
On a new account that pattern draws questions. Signed client contracts answer them, because each one ties a payment to a wedding date.
How a booking falls through
A home cook for the reception
Paying guests can only eat food cooked in a Dubai Municipality licensed kitchen. A home cook hired for the reception puts the venue in a difficult spot, and your own licence with it.
A company gala on a wedding licence
Corporate clients ask for a trade licence covering event organising, and each company event needs a DET permit. A wedding-only activity loses that booking at the contract stage.
Deposits treated as income
Deposits for next season's weddings pay this season's suppliers. A cancellation then leaves a gap. Planners who track deposits by wedding keep refunds and VAT timing straight.
What wedding planners ask
A question about your plan? Describe your wedding planner plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.
Ask on WhatsAppHow much does a wedding planner licence cost in Dubai?
Do you need a licence to be a wedding planner in Dubai?
How to start a wedding planning business in Dubai?
Can a wedding planner work from a free zone in Dubai?
Do weddings in Dubai need a permit?
Is a wedding planner licence the same as event management?
Can a wedding planner provide food for guests in Dubai?
Can a wedding planner sponsor visas in Dubai?
How long does a wedding planner licence take in Dubai?
Related pages
Event management licence in DubaiThe company licence is issued once and renewed, but each event still needs its own DET event permit.
Catering licence in DubaiDET issues the licence.
Photography licence in DubaiThe licence needs no outside regulator, so permits come per shoot, depending on the location and whether a drone flies.
Do your packages fit the wedding activity?
Catering and company galas each change the licence. Bring next season's packages, and we show you which activities they need and which parts belong with a licensed partner.
On the call
- Where your couples live and pay from
- Photos and film by your own team
