Blog
Guides for home businesses in the UAE
Licences, pricing, delivery and growing a home business in the UAE. Checked against the official sources, updated when the rules change.
- DeliveryHome food businessPricing
Home business delivery UAE: 4 options, AED 17 to 35
Four ways a UAE home business can deliver, compared on real courier rates from AED 17.36 to AED 35, cash on delivery, and the food temperature rules.
· 10 min read
- DubaiHome food businessHome business licence
Sell food from home in Dubai: who actually qualifies
Who can run a food business from home in Dubai, which licence it takes, what Dubai Municipality requires, and the honest position for expat residents.
· 10 min read
- Home food businessHome business licenceDubai
Food labelling rules for UAE home businesses
What must actually appear on the packaging of food sold by a licensed home business in the UAE, from allergens and dates to what the rules leave open.
· 10 min read
- Home business licenceAbu DhabiHome food business
Abu Dhabi home food licence: 2 approvals, AED 1,175
Selling food from home in Abu Dhabi takes two approvals: an ADDED licence and an ADAFSA certificate. The fees, the order to apply in, and the Al Ain rules.
· 10 min read
- Home business licenceStarting a home businessSelling online
Home business licence UAE: 7 emirates and the fees
The home business licence in all 7 emirates: what each one is called, who qualifies, published fees from AED 100 to AED 5,500, and who issues it.
· 13 min read
- PricingHome food businessDubai
Pricing cakes and food from a home business in the UAE
Work out what to charge for cakes and food from a home business in the UAE using real ingredient prices, packaging, your time, commission and margin.
· 11 min read
- Home business licenceAjmanHome food business
Home business licence in Ajman: Reyada guide (2026)
Who qualifies for the Reyada home business licence in Ajman, what it costs, the documents you need, how food activities are approved and how renewals work.
· 10 min read
- Home business licenceStarting a home businessSelling online
Bank account for a UAE home business
Can a UAE home business use a personal bank account, or does it need a business one? What Emirates NBD, ADCB, Mashreq, RAKBANK and Wio ask for, compared.
· 10 min read
- Home business licenceDubaiStarting a home business
Home business licence in Dubai: Intelaq or eTrader
The two home business licences Dubai issues, who each one is open to, what they cost, and what the Department of Economy and Tourism still has not clarified.
· 8 min read
- Home business licenceDubaiHome food business
eTrader licence Dubai: is it still issued in 2026?
Dubai's eTrader licence: who qualified, what it cost, and why the official portal went offline with no notice that the licence had been retired.
· 10 min read
- Starting a home businessSelling onlinePricing
Getting first customers for a UAE home business
How to get customers for a home business in the UAE: the first ten orders, WhatsApp and community groups, market season, gifting, and repeat buyers.
· 11 min read
- Home business licenceSharjahHome food business
Home business licence in Sharjah: Eitimad guide (2026)
How to get a home business licence in Sharjah: who qualifies for Eitimad, allowed activities, fees, documents, food rules and the route for residents.
· 10 min read
- Home business licenceDubaiHome food business
Intelaq licence in Dubai: fees, rules, food (2026)
What the Intelaq licence costs in 2026, who qualifies, which food activities it covers, how to apply and renew it, and how it compares with eTrader.
· 10 min read
- Starting a home businessHome business licenceSelling online
Start a home business in the UAE: licence and TDRA
What it takes to start a home business in the UAE: the licence your emirate issues, the TDRA approval most people miss, published costs, and taking orders.
· 10 min read
- Selling onlinePricingDelivery
Where to sell online in the UAE: 4 routes compared
Four ways a UAE home business can sell food online, compared on cost, who brings the buyers, who holds the money, and what you still own after a year.
· 10 min read
- Selling onlineHome business licenceStarting a home business
Advertiser permit UAE: does a home business need one?
Posting your own products on Instagram in the UAE needs no advertiser permit. Paying a creator does. The fees, fines, food ad approvals and who to ask.
· 10 min read
- Home business licenceDubaiAbu Dhabi
Selling beauty and craft goods from home in the UAE
Candles, resin, soap, skincare and jewellery use the same home business licence as food, but not the food safety approval. What applies to each, and who to ask.
· 11 min read
- Home food businessDeliveryStarting a home business
Is home business food safe to order in the UAE?
What the UAE rules actually require of a licensed home food business, how to check one is licensed, and who to call in each emirate when an order goes wrong.
· 12 min read
- Starting a home businessHome food businessDelivery
How to order from a home business in the UAE
Ordering from a UAE home business in four steps: find it, read the menu, pick a delivery day and two hour window, and pay by card, Apple Pay or cash.
· 8 min read
- Home business licenceAbu DhabiStarting a home business
Mubdiah licence: Abu Dhabi home business for women
What the Mubdiah licence covers for Emirati women in Abu Dhabi: who can apply, the fee, what it allows, and how it compares with Tajer Abu Dhabi.
· 11 min read
- Home business licenceNorthern EmiratesHome food business
Home business licence: RAK, Fujairah and UAQ fees
Home business licence fees in Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain: what each one published, who can hold one, and where the official pages went.
· 11 min read
- Starting a home businessPricing
VAT registration for UAE home businesses
The FTA's mandatory and voluntary VAT thresholds for a UAE home business, how EmaraTax registration works, and what to do below AED 375,000.
· 9 min read
- DubaiHome food businessHome business licence
Is it safe to order from a Dubai home business?
How to check a Dubai home business licence yourself, which of three Dubai authorities handles a bad order, and what Dubai does not regulate about delivery.
· 10 min read
- Home business licenceDubaiAbu Dhabi
How to renew a UAE home business licence
Renewal fees, documents and deadlines for Intelaq, eTrader, Mubdiah and Sharjah's Eitimad licences, and what happens if a licence in the UAE lapses.
· 11 min read