Home business licence in Ajman: Reyada guide (2026)

What is the home business licence in Ajman?

Ajman calls its home licence the Reyada Program (برنامج ريادة). It is issued by the Ajman Department of Economic Development (Ajman DED) and lets you run an economic activity from the house you live in, without renting a shop or an office (Ajman DED, Reyada Program).

The licence is issued once you meet Ajman DED's conditions for your activity. If the activity needs approval from another government body, you get that approval too, and the type of activity decides which body it is (Ajman DED). For food, that second step is the one to plan for. More on it below.

Ajman has a second home licence aimed at women: Bidayat. It is a 3-year home-based economic licence issued by the Ajman Businesswomen Council in coordination with Ajman DED, and the service on ajman.ae is the Council's approval letter for it (Department of Digital Ajman, Bidayat). The Arabic version of the page says it is issued only to women who are UAE citizens and is exempt from fees for those 3 years (Department of Digital Ajman, Bidayat, Arabic). The Council's approval request itself shows a fee line with no published amount, so ask when you apply. If you are an Emirati woman, ask Ajman DED which of the two suits your activity. This guide focuses on Reyada.

Why get a licence at all? Because selling without one is not a grey area. The UAE Government portal states that you must have the appropriate licence to conduct eCommerce activities (u.ae, eCommerce), and Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2023 requires anyone trading through websites, social media or apps to hold the approvals, permits and licences the competent authority asks for (Ministry of Economy, Article 5). The law covers social media, so an Instagram page that takes orders is in scope.

Who qualifies for the Reyada licence?

The conditions are published on Ajman DED's Reyada page (Ajman DED). You must:

Be a UAE citizen. Men and women both qualify.
Be 21 or older, or be authorised by the Sharia court to practise trade.
Live in Ajman, in a home you own or rent, or with a first-degree relative.
Have a specific address in Ajman with a Makani number.
Hold no other Reyada licence. Only one is issued per applicant.

The UAE Government portal describes Reyada the same way: for SME owners who are UAE citizens aged at least 21 (u.ae, Small and Medium Enterprises).

No official source we could find describes an Ajman home licence route for residents who are not UAE citizens. If that is you, ask Ajman DED directly before you do anything else, and read the pillar guide for the emirates that do publish a residents' route: home business licence in the UAE.

How much does the Ajman home business licence cost?

Reyada members are exempt from local fees for 3 years (Ajman DED). The exemption traces back to Emiri Decision No. 7 of 2019, which exempted economic activities practised inside homes in Ajman from local fees; at launch the programme was reported to cover 120 activities (Al Khaleej, 1 March 2020).

Two things the official page does not say:

What you pay after year 3. No figure is published. Check the current figure on Ajman DED before you build it into your plan.
Whether an external approval (a food approval, for example) carries a fee of its own. Ask the approving body when you contact it.

Beyond the fee exemption, Reyada members get free training programmes, priority in government exhibitions, help with feasibility studies, advisory services and promotion (Ajman DED). The exhibitions point matters if you sell food or crafts. Government exhibitions are a cheap way to meet your first customers in person.

Licence	Who qualifies	Local fees	Staff	Issued by
Reyada	UAE citizens, 21+, living in Ajman, one licence per person	Exempt for 3 years; later fee not published	No labour recruitment on the licence	Ajman DED
Bidayat	Women who are UAE citizens (Arabic page)	Exempt for 3 years (Arabic page); approval request shows a fee line with no amount	Not stated on the service page	Ajman Businesswomen Council with Ajman DED

Sources: Ajman DED; Department of Digital Ajman; Department of Digital Ajman, Arabic.

For comparison, Sharjah's equivalent for citizens is the Eitimad licence, which has its own conditions and fee history. See home business licence in Sharjah. Once the licence question is settled, the next one is what to charge: how to price a home business in the UAE.

Which home business activities can you run in Ajman?

Ajman DED does not publish the Reyada activity list on the programme page. The 2020 launch coverage put the number at 120 economic activities (Al Khaleej). Whether your activity is on that list is something to confirm with Ajman DED when you apply, not something to assume.

What the page does publish is the set of conditions every home activity must meet (Ajman DED):

No harm to neighbours, no congestion and no obstruction of traffic.
No noise, smoke, dust, odours or harmful materials.
No goods stored in front of the house, and the house may not be turned into a warehouse.
A signboard is optional and limited to 50 x 50 cm.
No labour may be recruited on the licence.
The licence may not be rented to anyone else.
Sales invoices must be available.
Your applicant data must be updated every year.

Read the odours line twice if you are cooking to order. A food business run from home that sends frying smells across the street is exactly what a neighbour complains about, and the conditions give Ajman DED grounds to act. Sort out ventilation before you sort out the menu.

Food activities

The Reyada page says that where an activity needs approval from another government authority, you must obtain it, and the authority depends on the type of activity (Ajman DED). The page does not name the body for food, and we could not find the food approval steps published online. So, before you apply: contact Ajman DED, state exactly what you intend to make (baked goods, hot meals, drinks, preserves), and ask which approval you need, what it costs and how long it takes. Get the answer in writing.

One practical consequence is timing. Ajman DED quotes one working day for issuance when no external approval is needed (Ajman DED). Ajman DED's own wording (approval of other government authorities according to the type of activity) points to food needing one, so plan for longer than one working day and confirm with Ajman DED. Do not take pre-orders until the licence is in hand.

How do you apply for the Reyada licence?

The application is online. Ajman DED lists these documents and steps (Ajman DED).

1. Fill in the online application

Complete the form to join the Reyada Program through Ajman DED's e-services.

2. Attach your identity documents

A copy of your Emirates ID and a copy of your passport.

3. Add your Makani number

This ties the licence to the specific Ajman address you will work from. If you do not know it, ask Ajman DED when you apply.

4. Prove your right to use the home

A copy of the home's title deed, plus a no-objection letter from the home owner if the applicant is a household member (a first-degree relative) rather than the owner.

5. Get any external approvals

If your activity needs another authority's approval, that comes before the licence is issued.

6. Wait for issuance

One working day if no external approval is involved. Longer if there is one.

How do renewals and updates work?

The Reyada page requires you to update your applicant data every year (Ajman DED). It does not state the licence term, a renewal fee during the 3-year exemption, or the cost afterwards. Treat the end of year 3 as a planning deadline: ask Ajman DED for the post-exemption fee well before then, and decide whether the business has earned it.

Keep sales invoices from day one. They are a stated condition of the licence, and they are also how you track turnover for VAT. VAT registration becomes mandatory once taxable supplies and imports pass AED 375,000 over the previous 12 months or the coming 30 days; voluntary registration opens at AED 187,500 (Federal Tax Authority). If your turnover is below both figures you do not need to register, but the invoices are what prove it.

If you sell online, note one more approval. The UAE Government portal says all eCommerce licences also require approval from the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) (u.ae, eCommerce). Ask Ajman DED whether this applies to your Reyada activity when you apply.

Frequently asked questions

Can an expat get a home business licence in Ajman?

Not under Reyada. The published conditions require UAE citizenship (Ajman DED), and we found no official Ajman route for non-citizens working from home. Ask Ajman DED directly, and see the UAE pillar guide for emirates that publish a residents' option.

Is the Reyada licence free?

Local fees are waived for 3 years (Ajman DED). External approvals may carry their own costs, and the fee after year 3 is not published. Check the current figure on Ajman DED before you rely on it.

Can I hire staff on a Reyada licence?

No. Recruiting labour on the licence is not allowed, and the licence cannot be rented to someone else (Ajman DED). If demand grows past what one person can make, that is the moment to discuss a standard commercial licence with Ajman DED.

Can I sell on KLU with a Reyada licence?

Licensing and approvals are your responsibility and depend on your activity. KLU is a UAE marketplace for home businesses, covering food, beauty and crafts businesses run from home. Buyers browse KLU by emirate and category. It is free to join, with no listing, subscription or setup fees; KLU takes 5% commission on completed orders, plus 2% card processing on card payments, and pays out weekly to a UAE bank account. Every seller gets a storefront link to share, and buyers order on the iOS app, the Android app or the web. See the FAQ.

Do I need to register for VAT before I start?

No. Registration is mandatory only once taxable supplies and imports exceed AED 375,000, and optional from AED 187,500 (Federal Tax Authority). Keep invoices so you can see where you stand.

Is it Reyada or Riyada?

Ajman DED writes it Reyada on its own programme page, and that is the spelling to use when you apply. If you see the programme written another way elsewhere, check the current listing on Ajman DED.

Sources

Last verified: 23 August 2026.