Dubai promotion permits for sales and raffles

Under Article 18 of the Consumer Protection Law, Federal Law No. 15 of 2020, a business is "prohibited from promoting Goods or Services, or from making general Price Discounts or advertising the same in any way whatsoever, except after obtaining a prior licence from the Competent Authority". That authority is the local one in each emirate, which in Dubai is DET. The Executive Regulation, Cabinet Resolution No. 66 of 2023, repeats the rule in Article 31 and adds one on timing: if a sale starts within a week of a purchase, the customer must be told, and can claim the difference within 30 days.

Which permit applies depends on the format:

• A sale, special offer, raffle, contest or mall kiosk: a certificate of participation from DET, on DET Connect.
• A promotional event, or recurring entertainment in a venue: a DET event permit on e-Permits, or an activity permit.
• Anything on the right of way, a building, land or a commercial vehicle: a Mada Media permit.
• A sign on a shop front, or a leaflet or sticker campaign: DET, under Decree No. 6 of 2020.
• Any ad displayed inside a free zone: that free zone's authority.

DET issues an event permit within 5 business days of approval and payment. An activity permit is applied for at least 1 working day before the activity starts, and runs for up to 3 months. Our restaurant and event marketing guide covers those permits step by step, and nightlife and beach club marketing has a guide of its own.

DET's retail promotion certificate of participation is issued by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), part of DET. DET lists its users as "Retailers, companies, shopping centres, distributors, e-stores, tourist attractions or restaurants holding a valid DET or free zone trade licence." The certificate covers:

• Price deals, such as sales, discounts, rebates or clearance.
• Special offers, such as bulk bundles or a gift with purchase.
• Raffles and contests.
• Pop-up kiosks and stands, where a kiosk also needs a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the venue.

The steps, as DET lists them:

• Create a DET Connect account, which needs a copy of your valid trade licence.
• Choose the calendar or festival under participation calendars, and pay the fee shown.
• Submit the promotion details, or upload the full list, with the promotion period.
• Receive the certificate by email once it is approved.

DET states 3 to 5 business days for processing, and adds that some permit types need more time. It publishes no fee table, and the fee appears when you select the calendar. A paid participation is valid for 12 months and covers the seasonal windows DET specifies. DET also offers off-season participation with its own fees and guidelines. An issued certificate can be amended by email.

For raffles, the only official text we found that sets rules for draws is the fee and fine schedule in Executive Council Resolution No. 13 of 2011, issued for DET's predecessor, the Department of Economic Development (DED). It listed a draw held without a DED representative, and prizes not handed over within the period DED set, among its violations. We read it as history, since we found no current DET text that confirms its terms, hence a draw's current conditions are confirmed with DET before its mechanics are fixed.

DFRE published the 10th Retail Calendar on 25 November 2025, with 18 citywide events for 2026. The windows with dates in DET's release:

• Dubai Shopping Festival: 5 December 2025 to 11 January 2026.
• Chinese New Year: 13 to 22 February.
• Ramadan and Eid in Dubai: 16 February to 22 March.
• Dubai Esports and Games Festival: 8 to 24 May.
• Eid Al Adha: 22 to 31 May.
• Dubai Summer Surprises: 3 July to 30 August.
• Dubai Home Festival: 16 October to 1 November.
• Dubai Fitness Challenge: 31 October to 29 November.
• Festival of Lights (Diwali): 2 to 12 November.
• Eid Al Etihad: 30 November to 3 December.

The release gives no dates for Dubai Fashion Season, which has 2 editions, or for the Great Online Sale. The 3-Day Super Sale, with 2 editions a year, is undated too. DSS 2026 adds the Great Dubai Summer Sale. DSF and DSS each close with a Final Sale weekend. DET's certificate page also names the Dubai Food Festival as a covered window, which the 2026 release does not list.

DET says approved permit holders have their promotions showcased through its targeted marketing channels and receive limited point-of-sale (POS) material. Its own count for DSS 2025 was 180 raffle draws and 4000 promotions across 3800 outlets. Paid search and social open and close with the promotion period, through our performance marketing. If creators will post about the sale, see the UAE Advertiser Permit guide first. Fashion labels also get Dubai Fashion Season, which we build into fashion and apparel campaigns.

Physical ads need a permit of their own under Decree No. 6 of 2020 Regulating Advertisements in the Emirate of Dubai, free zones included. Its advertising media run from boards and fences to vehicles and leaflets. Websites and broadcast media fall outside it. What any ad may say, online or not, is set out in our guide to UAE advertising law. Arabic text must fill at least 50% of the medium, in the upper section or on the right-hand side. Each ad must also show its permit number and the name of the issuing entity. The decree gives 10 working days to decide a complete application.

Dubai Law No. 20 of 2024, issued on 4 September 2024, set up Mada Media, a wholly government-owned company. The RTA and Dubai Municipality (DM) outsource their advertising permit functions to it under a concession agreement, and its platform, madamedia.com, opened on 24 April 2025. DM still approves the content of every ad. Mada Media's FAQ puts the typical process at 7 to 14 business days.

A Right of Way permit covers temporary boards for events and openings. The brand and its agency can both apply, and the permit is issued to the advertising company. Mada Media's fees as listed on madamedia.com on 18 October 2026, where the right of way and vehicle pages add AED 20 in Knowledge and Innovation fees:

• Promotional flags: AED 500 per flag per week.
• Kiosks for raffle tickets, goods, samples or gifts: AED 5000 per kiosk per month.
• An electronic screen on a building: AED 1000 per square metre per year.
• A full wrap on a light vehicle: AED 1000 a year, or AED 500 for a partial wrap.

A building screen permit runs with the owner's NOC for up to 1 year, and Mada Media charges 6 months or less as a full year, citing Executive Council Resolution No. 18 of 2013. A vehicle permit takes 3 to 7 working days.

The Out-of-Home Advertising Manual, approved by DM's Administrative Resolution No. 180 of 2025, sets the detail. The copy Mada Media links is Edition No. 2 (2024). Temporary promotional signs may go up 30 days before an event and stay until 15 days after it. They run for 1 week up to 6 months with no illumination, and a promotion can use up to 10 banners of 6 square metres each. On digital screens, animated creative is permitted only in pedestrian areas and a static frame holds for at least 10 seconds. Audio is not permitted, and frames may not run in sequence to tell a story. Each sign should carry no more than 6 "bits" of information per language, where a word of up to 8 letters counts as 1 bit.

Breaking the decree carries a fine of AED 1000 to AED 15000, doubled for a repeat in the same space within a year and capped at AED 30000. Our media production team builds the Arabic-first layouts these rules call for.

Federal law sets how a promotion's price is shown:

• Prices are shown clearly and legibly, on the good or on a label where it is displayed.
• A price advertisement must not mislead, and charging more than an advertised price is prohibited.
• An advertised price for a taxable supply includes VAT. A published price can exclude VAT only for an export or a VAT-registered customer, and must then say so.
• Ads and contracts for consumers are in Arabic, and other languages may be used in addition.
• The invoice states the price in dirhams, and the UAE government portal adds that it must be in Arabic.

On discounts, DET's consumer protection department has said that Dubai retailers must show both the original and the discounted price, as Gulf News reported in February 2026. Emirates 24|7 reported in August 2026 that the discount percentage must appear too. Hence every sale asset in our digital marketing work shows both prices, VAT included.

The federal licence rule applies in Abu Dhabi too, where the local authority is the Department of Economic Development (ADDED) and the permits sit on TAMM. ADDED lists a Sales Permit for selling below the last announced price, and a Seasonal Promotions Permit for offers that run from discounts and scratch-and-win to loyalty programmes and food sampling. Prize draws take a separate Draws Permit. Billboards and advertising content are approved by the Department of Municipalities and Transport.

ADGM, the financial free zone, runs its own sales and promotions permits. Its Registration Authority issued new rules and guidance on 23 July 2026, with applications made on Access ADGM.