Key takeaways
- A coaching business in Dubai needs a licence with a coaching activity, and standard coaching needs no other approval.
- Certified courses delivered in Dubai need KHDA approval.
- Therapy and clinical psychology sit under the DHA, in a licensed health facility.
- A freelance permit suits a coach working alone under their own name.
Which licence covers coaching?
Start from what you sell. Each kind of coaching has its own activity.
| Coaching | Licence activity | Extra approval |
|---|---|---|
| Life, career or confidence coaching | Lifestyle coaching activity | None for standard coaching |
| Business coaching for companies | Management consultancy activity | None |
| Workshops that issue certificates | Training activity | KHDA approval |
| Social or family counselling | Counselling activity | CDA approval and a licence for each counsellor |
| Therapy or clinical psychology | A DHA-licensed health facility | A DHA licence for each clinician |
| Sports or fitness coaching | A separate sports activity | Dubai Sports Council registration |
Names matter too. A business name that suggests therapy or medical care draws questions, so we keep coaching names plain.
Mainland or free zone for a coach?
Where your clients sit answers it.
In-person sessions in Dubai point to a mainland licence from DET, while coaching people abroad by video fits a free zone. Mainland work won later goes through a DET branch licence, the route Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025 opened for zone companies.
Can I coach on a freelance permit?
Yes, if you work alone under your own name.
Free zone freelance permits are issued in the holder’s birth name, so trading under a brand name needs a trade licence instead. A company can also sponsor visas for the coaches it hires, which a permit never allows. Our guide to freelance permits and free zone companies compares the two.
For the company route, see the professional licence we set up for coaches and consultants.
