This goes deeper than the permit section in our guide to getting your first customers, and one answer is clearer now. That section said no source addressed posts of your own products. The National Media Authority (NMA) permit page and guidebook now do, as read on 15 September 2026; the permit itself was announced on 30 July 2025. Nothing here is legal advice.
Do you need an advertiser permit to post your own products?
Not through your personal account. The NMA's Advertiser Permit page exempts "Individuals advertising their own products or services or those of a company they own via their personal accounts." The guidebook and the Arabic page say the same.
The wording is narrower than it looks. It says "personal accounts" and nothing about a separate brand account under your trade name. Khaleej Times reported the Media Council's clarification on X in August 2025 more broadly: someone "only promoting their own business or project" will not require the permit. Neither mentions account type.
Do not treat that gap as settled. Cabinet Resolution No. 42 of 2025, the penalty schedule, fines a "natural or legal person" posting ad content on social media without a permit, and it does not say whether the exemption reaches a business account. If you sell from a brand account, ask the NMA (800971) and keep the reply.
The exemption comes from the regulator's permit rules, not the law itself. Federal Decree-Law No. 55 of 2023 defines an advertisement as content shown to the public to market a product or service, "for or without compensation", with no carve-out for your own. That is why the content rules further down still reach your posts.
What if you pay or gift a creator to post about you?
Then the creator needs the permit. Khaleej Times quoted the Council plainly: "if they hire someone else to advertise for them, that person must have the permit." A gifted box counts, because the rules cover content with or without compensation.
The guidebook also gives the hiring side duties. An "advertising entity" contracting a person must:
- contract only with a permit holder listed in the Council's public database
- avoid unauthorised visiting advertisers
- sign a written agreement and hand the Council a copy on request
What is missing: the guidebook never defines "advertising entity", and we found no fine in Resolution 42 aimed at a business that hires an unpermitted creator. The Decree-Law does make whoever runs a digital media activity responsible for what it publishes, "whether the activity is permitted or not permitted".
So before you pay anyone, ask for the permit number and check it in the public database. Ask if they are resident or visiting; a visitor's permit must be filed through a licensed UAE agency, costs AED 500 and lasts 3 months, up to 6 in total. Then agree in writing that the post is labelled as an ad and carries no claims you did not approve.
| Your situation | What you need | Cost | Who to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own products, your personal account | No permit, per the NMA exemption | Nothing | NMA, 800971 |
| Your own products, a separate brand account | Not stated by any official source | Unconfirmed | NMA, before relying on the exemption |
| A resident creator promotes you, paid or gifted | The creator holds an advertiser permit | Free for 3 years, then AED 1,000 | NMA public database |
| A visiting creator promotes you | Visiting permit, through a licensed UAE agency | AED 500 for 3 months | The agency, then NMA |
| A food, medical or health product ad | Approval from the concerned authority | Not published | Your emirate's food authority; EDE for medical products |
| Handmade cosmetics or perfume in Dubai | Montaji registration and ad pre-approval | Not published officially | Dubai Municipality, Montaji |
How do you apply, and when does the free period end?
This matters only if the exemption does not cover you, say because you also promote other people's products.
The NMA service page asks for a digital ID, passport, personal photo and commercial licence. It is free for the first 3 years, then AED 1,000, and issued in 3 working days; the permit page and guidebook say it is valid for 1 year, renewable. The free period covers "UAE citizens and residents", not nationals only.
The guidebook's fee table lists the permit as free for the "First 3 years" with a renewal fee "from 4th year". Cabinet Resolution No. 41 of 2025 is indexed as exempting natural persons from the issuance and renewal fee for the first three years from the date the permit is issued, with the fee payable from the fourth year. The page blocked us when we tried to open it, so check the current fee with the NMA before you renew.
The licence is where home sellers trip. The initiative page requires "a trade license to practice electronic media", and the guidebook lists approved activities such as "Social Media Account Management" and "E-commerce via Social Media", accepting a free zone licence only if issued as a sole establishment. The service page just says "Commercial license". Whether your Intelaq, eTrader, Mubdiah or Eitimad licence qualifies depends on its listed activities; see our UAE licence overview and ask your licensing authority.
Further conditions: good conduct, no cancelled permit, no money owed, and a council training programme that no official page names. On age the sources disagree. The service page sets none, the initiative page says 18 with exceptions, and the guidebook allows 15 to 18 under extra conditions.
The NMA's "Apply for the Permit" button opens the old portal, eservices.uaemc.gov.ae. No decision within 15 working days means rejection. Holders must show the permit number on their accounts, file an annual report of ads and register for tax.
That old portal name is the regulator transition. Federal Decree-Law No. 11 of 2025 created the NMA, which took over the functions of the UAE Media Council and WAM. The guidebook, portal and penalty resolution still say "the Council": read it as the NMA. The permit became mandatory on 1 February 2026, after Gulf News reported the registration deadline was extended to 31 January 2026.
What are the fines for advertising without a permit?
Resolution 42 of 2025 sets them:
- Ad content on social media without a permit: written warning, then AED 20,000, then AED 50,000.
- Posting after the permit expires: AED 10,000, then AED 20,000.
- An ad without the concerned authority's approval: AED 10,000.
- Breaking the Article 33 ad controls, disclosure included: AED 20,000, then AED 50,000.
Each doubles when repeated within a year. Gulf News lists "operating without a licence" at Dh10,000 then Dh40,000; that is a separate line for practising a media activity without a licence, not the social media one. Blog figures such as "AED 50,000 per post" do not match the table.
Do food, cosmetic and health posts need a separate approval?
Often, and a permit does not replace it: the Decree-Law says so directly. Article 33(10) of the Executive Regulation, Cabinet Resolution No. 68 of 2024, requires the concerned authority's approval for "food-related advertisements" and ads for medical products and health services.
For food, no official text we read names that authority. We found no food ad approval service at Dubai Municipality, ADAFSA or Sharjah Municipality, and nothing says whether an everyday post of your own product counts. Check the current rule with your emirate's food authority, such as Dubai Municipality, ADAFSA or Sharjah Municipality, and with the NMA (800971).
A correction to our earlier guide, which presented the AED 10,000 fine as a food penalty. Resolution 42 never mentions food; that line covers any ad lacking a required approval. A food ad could also fall under the Article 33 line at AED 20,000, and the resolution does not say which applies.
Dubai cosmetics are clearer. Dubai Municipality's handmade products guideline says no handmade cosmetic or perfume may be advertised in Dubai unless registered in Montaji, and social media promotion needs Montaji pre-approval. Health supplements fall outside this guideline; check the current rule with Dubai Municipality and the Emirates Drug Establishment. Medical claims are banned outright. The registration itself is in selling beauty and craft goods.
Medical products go to the Emirates Drug Establishment under Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2024, and only licensed healthcare or pharmaceutical establishments can apply. Older press says MOHAP; MOHAP now lists that service as moved to the EDE. Keep cure and treatment claims off your captions.
How should an ad be labelled on Instagram?
Article 20(2) of the Decree-Law requires every advertiser to mark all advertising material "explicitly and clearly" as advertising. Article 33 adds that ads must stand apart from other content, and that anyone endorsing a product must disclose any payment or commercial relationship with its owner.
No text we read names a required word. A creator saying "Ad" or "Gifted" at the start of the caption meets the spirit better than a tag buried among twenty hashtags.
Your own posts are the grey area. The law's wording has no own-product exception to labelling, and no official page says how it applies to a seller showing their own stock, so ask the NMA. The ban on misleading claims, exaggeration and exclusivity does apply, so "the best in Abu Dhabi" is a risk even on your own account.
Any permit or approval is your own responsibility as the seller. If you want a link for your bio, KLU is free to join with no listing, subscription or setup fees, takes 5% commission on completed orders plus 2% card processing, and pays out weekly to a UAE bank account.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to post my own cakes or candles?
Not from your personal account, under the NMA exemption. A food post may still need a concerned authority's approval; ask your emirate's food authority. Our FAQ covers selling on KLU.
Is the permit free for residents?
For the first 3 years, then AED 1,000. Check the current fee with the NMA before you renew.
My business has a separate brand account. Am I exempt?
No official source says. The exemption names "personal accounts" and the penalty line covers legal persons, so ask the NMA first.
Is it the Media Council or the National Media Authority?
The NMA, which took over the Council's functions under Federal Decree-Law No. 11 of 2025. Many forms still say "Council".
Sources
- Advertiser Permit, National Media Authority
- Individual advertiser permit service, National Media Authority
- Visiting advertiser permit service, National Media Authority
- Advertiser Permit Guidebook (PDF)
- Office roles, National Media Authority
- Federal Decree-Law No. 55 of 2023 (live page returned 403; read via the Wayback Machine snapshot of 11 September 2026)
- Cabinet Resolution No. 68 of 2024, Article 33 (PDF) (English text checked via a Wayback Machine snapshot of 15 April 2025)
- Cabinet Resolution No. 42 of 2025, penalties (PDF, Arabic)
- Who needs the advertiser permit, Khaleej Times
- Cabinet Resolution No. 41 of 2025, UAE Legislation (live page returned 403 and no Wayback Machine copy was available; wording taken from the indexed text)
- Content creator licence deadline extended, Gulf News
- Advertiser permit mandatory, Gulf News
- Handmade Consumer Products guideline, Dubai Municipality (PDF)
- Emirates Drug Establishment
- Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2024, MOHAP
- Services moved to the Emirates Drug Establishment, MOHAP
Last verified: 15 September 2026.
