How much does it cost to run a food business from home in Dubai?
This page is the bill, not the application guide. It assumes the usual case: a UAE or GCC national living in Dubai, working alone, selling through their own social accounts and a marketplace, and using a courier rather than their own vehicle. Dubai Municipality's home business guide says the Trader and Intelaq licences for food activities are available to UAE and GCC nationals living in Dubai (DM-FSD-GU62, section 8.1.1). If you are an expat resident, the numbers below do not apply to you; read selling food from home in Dubai for the routes that do.
| Cost line | First year | Each year after | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelaq licence (DET) | AED 1,070 | AED 1,070 | Invest in Dubai, April 2026 |
| Dubai Municipality permit, Trader (Licensed Home Businesses) | AED 200 | AED 200 | DM service document, 2020 |
| FoodWatch registration | No fee published | No fee published | DM-FSD-GU62 |
| Person in Charge certificate (health supervisor) | Set by approved training centres, not published | Nothing until year 6; valid 5 years | DM-FSD-GU64 |
| Basic food safety training, per helper | Set by approved training centres, not published | Nothing; no expiry date | DM-FSD-GU64 |
| DHA occupational health screening, food handler (if required) | AED 170 per person | Validity not stated by DHA | DHA catalogue, 2022 |
| TDRA e-activity no objection certificate | AED 0 | Renewal not stated | TDRA |
| Advertiser permit, own products on a personal account | AED 0 (exempt) | AED 0 | National Media Authority |
| VAT registration, below AED 375,000 of taxable supplies | AED 0 | AED 0 | Federal Tax Authority |
| Dubai Chambers membership | Not stated for Intelaq | Not stated for Intelaq | Resolution No. 4 of 2023 |
| Event permit, only if you sell at an event | AED 160 per event | AED 160 per event | DM service document, 2020 |
| Own delivery vehicle permit, only if you deliver yourself | Set by DM-contracted testing centres | Annual | DM-FSD-GU63 |
| Published total | AED 1,270 (AED 1,440 with one health screening) | AED 1,270, plus any health screening renewal |
The total counts only fees an authority has put in writing. Training, any inspection charge and the fit-out are real costs with no official price, so get quotes before you budget. The sections below say who to ask for each blank.
What does the Intelaq licence cost, and why is it so low?
AED 1,070 to issue and AED 1,070 to renew each year. DET's Arabic service page says the amount "does not include the fees and guarantees of federal government agencies and some other entities" (Invest in Dubai, Wayback, 10 April 2026). The live page blocks visitors from outside the UAE, so that snapshot is the figure's date.
It is cheap on purpose. DET describes Intelaq as a licence fee exemption that lets UAE and GCC nationals pay "a nominal annual fee" and trade legally in Dubai. The application on that page asks for an Emirates ID and a passport copy, and DET says the service takes 5 minutes.
The fee has moved. Dubai SME's renewal page said AED 1,050 in May 2025, with the renewal approval letter valid for 6 months (Dubai SME, Wayback, 20 May 2025), and the DET page still showed AED 1,050 on 19 November 2025 (Wayback). Treat AED 1,070 as current and confirm with DET or Dubai SME at the counter.
Two lines stay open. Dubai Chambers membership is compulsory, but the 2023 resolution exempts micro and small enterprises and manual trades that Dubai Chambers and DET agree on, and it does not say whether Intelaq holders fall inside that exemption or name any fee (Dubai Legislation Portal). Ask DET or Dubai Chambers. The other is eTrader: its portal no longer resolves and the u.ae page for it returns a 404 (u.ae), so there is no current fee to put in the table. The archived figures are in the eTrader guide.
For who qualifies and how to apply, see the Intelaq licence guide.
What does Dubai Municipality charge a home food business?
Dubai Municipality's service document for food permits lists a permit called "Trader (Licensed Home Businesses)", for owners of licensed home businesses in Dubai "that prepare sweets, light, traditional foods". It costs AED 200, is issued in 1 working day, is valid for 1 year and is renewed by applying again (Dubai Municipality). You request it by email to FoodPermits@dm.gov.ae, after registering as a Trader on FoodWatch, listing your food items there and passing an inspection.
The municipality's own document says AED 200. It dates from 2020, so email FoodPermits@dm.gov.ae or call 800900 to confirm the current fee before you pay anyone to arrange it.
The rest of the municipality's side:
- FoodWatch. GU62 requires you to register the licence on FoodWatch and log daily food operations there. GU62 states no fee. That means unpublished, not free.
- Layout assessment or inspection. Ask the Food Safety Department whether an Intelaq food business needs a layout assessment or inspection, and what it costs.
- Events. Selling at an event takes a Food Activity at Events permit at AED 160 per event, valid until the event ends, and a home business supplying one needs prior inspection and approval.
- Your own vehicle. GU62 says every food establishment needs an annual permit for a food transport vehicle or delivery motorbike. The fee is set by the municipality's contracted testing centres and is not published in its vehicle guideline (DM-FSD-GU63). A 2007 Khaleej Times report gave Dh100, which is history, not a quote. If you contract a courier, GU63 makes you responsible for checking that the courier meets the rules.
The biggest unpriced cost is the space itself. The 2020 announcement asked for a designated space outside the home with its own entrance (Dubai Media Office); GU62 in 2023 asks for a separate, dedicated food preparation space within the house boundary, not the family one. Which one your home can offer decides the fit-out bill, and no authority prices it.
What do food safety training and a health card cost?
GU62 requires every food handler working for an Intelaq holder to be trained in food handling basics, and an accredited health supervisor among the workers registered on the licence (section 8.1.10). Working alone, that supervisor is you.
The supervisor qualification is the Person in Charge (PIC) certificate. The Dubai Food Code says it comes from passing a written examination acceptable to the food control department and is "valid for a period of five years from the date of issuance" (Food Code). GU64 confirms the 5 years and says basic food safety certificates are issued without a validity date. Training is delivered by external training centres approved by the municipality, and the municipality publishes no fee for either course. Get quotes from several approved centres; you pay for the PIC once in five years, not every year.
The health card is less settled. The Dubai Health Authority's 2022 service catalogue prices occupational medical screening for the food handler category at AED 170, open to citizens and expats, done in 45 minutes, and adds that DHA may amend its prices (DHA). The catalogue does not say how long the certificate lasts. Call DHA on 800342 for today's price and validity.
Whether you need one is its own open question. The Food Code says food handlers should keep occupational health cards, and GU63 says anyone who transports or delivers food should hold a valid DHA occupational health certificate. GU62, the guide written for home businesses, says nothing about health cards. Ask the Food Safety Department whether an owner working alone needs one. The Food Code's annex says the cards are issued by Dubai Municipality; GU63 and DHA say DHA, so follow DHA.
Do you pay for an advertiser permit, TDRA approval or VAT?
Usually not.
- Advertiser permit. The National Media Authority exempts "individuals advertising their own products or services or those of a company they own via their personal accounts" (NMA). A separate brand account is not mentioned, so ask the NMA at info@nma.gov.ae. If you do need the individual permit, it is free for the first 3 years and AED 1,000 after that, and it requires a commercial licence (NMA). Details are in the advertiser permit guide.
- TDRA. The UAE portal says all eCommerce licences need TDRA approval (u.ae). The TDRA no objection certificate for an online activity is free, takes 2 working days through UAE Pass and asks for your social media account names and links (TDRA). The page states no validity or renewal period.
- VAT. Registration is mandatory at AED 375,000 of taxable supplies and voluntary from AED 187,500 (FTA). Below that it costs nothing, because there is nothing to register. See VAT for home businesses.
What changes after the first year?
On the published figures, very little: AED 1,070 for Intelaq and AED 200 for the permit, again each year. The PIC certificate does not come round again until year 6, and basic training certificates do not expire. The health screening, if it applies to you, depends on a validity DHA does not state.
The real unknown is year 6. When food activities were added to Intelaq in 2020, they were allowed "for five years, provided the licence is renewed every year", after which "the licence must be converted into a commercial licence" (Dubai Media Office). The DET and Dubai SME service pages cited here do not mention that cap. If it still applies, the cost after year 5 is a full commercial licence and premises, a different order of money. Ask Dubai SME before you plan past it.
Set against that, the cost of skipping the licence. Dubai Law No. 13 of 2011 fines violations of the law, including trading without a licence, between AED 100 and AED 100,000 (Dubai Legislation Portal). The top of that range is roughly 80 years of published fees.
Once the fixed costs are known, the orders have to cover them. KLU is a UAE marketplace for home businesses: free to join, with no listing, subscription or setup fees, a 5% commission on completed orders plus 2% card processing, and weekly payouts to a UAE bank account. You get a storefront link to share, buyers order on iOS, Android or the web, and they choose pickup or delivery, paying the delivery fee themselves. GU62 names social media and official events as sales channels (section 8.1.4) and says nothing about marketplaces, though its title covers selling through electronic channels generally, so ask the Food Safety Department if you want that confirmed. For turning these costs into prices, see how to price a home business, and for the full licence picture, the Dubai home business licence hub.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a home business licence in Dubai?
For food, AED 1,070 a year for Intelaq plus AED 200 a year for Dubai Municipality's home business permit, so AED 1,270 in published fees. Training and fit-out costs are extra and unpriced. Intelaq is open only to UAE and GCC nationals living in Dubai.
Is the Dubai Municipality home food permit really AED 200?
That is the figure in the municipality's own service document, which dates from 2020. Confirm it at FoodPermits@dm.gov.ae or 800900 before paying.
How much does the PIC certificate cost in Dubai?
Dubai Municipality does not publish a fee. Approved training centres set their own prices, so compare a few. The certificate is valid for 5 years.
Do I need a health card to sell food from home in Dubai?
The home business guide, GU62, does not say. The Food Code expects food handlers to hold occupational health cards and GU63 says anyone delivering food should hold one. Ask the Food Safety Department; DHA listed the food handler screening at AED 170 in 2022.
Does the fee change if I use a courier instead of delivering myself?
It removes one line. The annual vehicle permit applies to your own food transport vehicle or motorbike, and its fee is set by testing centres. With a courier you skip it, but GU63 still makes you responsible for the courier meeting the rules.
More questions about selling on KLU are on the FAQ.
Sources
- Invest in Dubai (DET): Intelaq licence (Arabic, Wayback, 10 April 2026)
- Invest in Dubai (DET): Intelaq licence (Arabic, Wayback, 19 November 2025)
- Dubai SME: Intelaq renewal (Wayback, 20 May 2025)
- Dubai Municipality: Food Related Permits and Approvals Services (2020)
- Dubai Municipality: DM-FSD-GU62 home business guide (Arabic)
- Dubai Municipality: DM-FSD-GU63 food transport and delivery vehicles
- Dubai Municipality: DM-FSD-GU64 training management system
- Dubai Municipality Food Code (2013)
- Dubai Health Authority: Medical Fitness Centres service catalogue (2022)
- TDRA: no objection certificate for an e-activity
- u.ae: eCommerce
- u.ae: DED Trader licence (404 on 22 September 2026)
- National Media Authority: advertiser permit exemptions
- National Media Authority: individual advertiser permit
- Federal Tax Authority: VAT registration
- Dubai Legislation Portal: Dubai Chambers Board Resolution No. 4 of 2023
- Dubai Legislation Portal: Law No. (13) of 2011
- Dubai Media Office: Intelaq adds foodstuff (2020)
- Khaleej Times: DM approval for transporting food (2007)
Last verified: 22 September 2026.
