Intelaq licence in Dubai: fees, rules, food (2026)

What is the Intelaq home business licence in Dubai?

Intelaq is Dubai's licence for a business run from home. Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), calls it "a license for UAE or GCC national(s) residents of Dubai, to run a business from home in various fields, for a minimal fee paid annually" (Dubai SME). DET issues it; the service sits on Invest in Dubai.

It is a sole proprietorship, no partners and no age limit. Several people can each hold one at the same house, in their own names.

The legal basis is Dubai Law No. 13 of 2011: Article 18 lets DET waive the usual premises requirement for certain activities run from home, and Article 29 sets a fine of AED 100 to AED 100,000 for trading without a licence (Dubai Legislation Portal). Article 18 names UAE nationals; DET extends this to GCC nationals, so confirm with DET.

For both Dubai routes side by side, see the home business licence in Dubai. For all seven emirates, start with the UAE home business licence guide.

Who can get an Intelaq licence?

DET lists three conditions (Invest in Dubai):

The house must be in the Emirate of Dubai.
The enterprise must be 100% owned and managed by UAE or GCC nationals.
You must not hold more than five trade licences, counting licences you partly own or manage.

One contradiction: the 2020 Dubai Media Office release said "an applicant cannot have more than two Intelaq licences" (Dubai Media Office), while the current DET page says five trade licences. If you already hold licences, ask DET which limit applies.

Expats cannot get Intelaq. An older UAE government page called it a licence for "Dubai residents" (u.ae, archived), but that page is gone: Dubai SME, DET, the Dubai Media Office and Dubai Municipality all say UAE or GCC nationals only, and the municipality's guide limits the Trader or Intelaq food licence to UAE and GCC citizens residing in Dubai (DM-FSD-GU62). Non-GCC residents, read selling food from home in Dubai.

How much does Intelaq cost, and how do you apply and renew?

The fee

AED 1,070 per year to issue and to renew, which "does not include fees and guarantees for federal government agencies and some other entities" (Invest in Dubai). The figure moved: that page showed AED 1,050 until January 2026, and Dubai SME's pages last showed AED 1,050 (snapshots to May 2025) (Dubai SME renewal). Check before you pay.

Food activities also need Dubai Municipality approval, and the guide does not publish that permit fee; ask the Food Safety Department (Foodpermits@dm.gov.ae or 800900).

Validity and renewal

One year, renewed annually, and the renewal approval letter is valid for six months (Dubai SME renewal).

Food has a longer clock. The 2020 rules allow food activities under Intelaq for five years, renewed each year, after which "the licence must be converted into a commercial licence" (Dubai Media Office). The current DET and Dubai SME pages do not restate this, so confirm with Dubai SME whether the cap still applies.

Applying, step by step

No official page publishes one checklist; this is assembled from them.

Confirm you meet the three conditions above.
Request it through Invest in Dubai or Dubai SME: Dubai SME issues an approval letter, DET issues the licence.
For a food activity, get Dubai Municipality's approval. Permits are requested via invest.dubai.ae (DM-FSD-GU62).
After licensing, give the Food Safety Department your start date and register on Foodwatch (foodwatch.dm.gov.ae), where daily food operations are logged.
Renew every year at AED 1,070.

Do not sell before the licence is issued. In June 2026 Dubai Municipality confirmed that "any food sale activity, no matter how small, requires prior approvals and licences" from DET, and said it encourages home businesses within that framework (Khaleej Times).

Which food activities does Intelaq cover?

Food preparation and food trade are Intelaq activities needing external approval. Contracting, barber and beauty salons, and other health, safety and environment activities are restricted (Dubai SME). A beauty salon does not fit Intelaq; a sweets business does.

On 17 August 2020 Dubai SME extended Intelaq to food, adding 19 food trading activities and 7 food preparation activities (Dubai Media Office).

The 7 preparation activities

Candies and confectionery; pies and pastries; desserts and traditional sweets; juice; selling snacks; sandwiches; ice cream.

The 19 trading activities

Dates; food and beverages; baby food; snacks; dairy products; sugar; tea; coffee; canned and preserved foods; nuts; salt; mineral water; drinks; juices; ice; spices; bread and bakery products; sweets and chocolate; honey and bee products.

What Dubai Municipality allows

The guide narrows this. Under the "snack preparation" activity you may prepare appetisers, pastries, sweets, pickles, sandwiches, salads, juices, spices, and hot and cold drinks. You may not prepare rice meals with chicken, meat or seafood, any grills, sushi, or seafood (DM-FSD-GU62). A cake or karak business fits. A biryani or grill business does not.

What can a home business not do on an Intelaq licence?

Preparing food in the family space

Both sources bar the family food preparation space; they differ on where the separate one must be. The 2020 rules require a designated space outside the home with its own entrance (Dubai Media Office). The municipality's 2023 guide rules out an apartment and a villa's internal one: it must be a separate, dedicated food preparation space within the house (not the family one) (DM-FSD-GU62).

So apartments are out, and a villa needs a second, dedicated space on the plot with a hand-wash sink, separate sinks for raw meat and vegetables, a triple sink, chillers and freezers. Ask the Food Safety Department which layout it will accept before you build. The Dubai Food Code agrees: food "prepared in a private home" may not be sold unless the place is approved by the Food Control Department (Dubai Food Code, 3.2.2.2). Only one Trader or Intelaq licence may operate in one space.

Serving customers at home

Serving consumers inside the house, garden or annexes is prohibited, with penalties up to suspension or cancellation of the licence and blocking of the website used. You sell through social media and, with a Food Safety Department permit, at official temporary events. Staff of Dubai SME, DET and the municipality may enter to inspect; refusing is a fine, and on a repeat refusal the municipality asks DET to suspend the licence (DM-FSD-GU62).

Employees and visas

Up to three employees, "according to the approval of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization" (Dubai SME). An Establishment Card gives work visas for up to three employees (Dubai Media Office). Every food handler must be trained, and a health supervisor must be accredited among the workers registered on the licence (DM-FSD-GU62). The Food Code calls the role the Person in Charge, certified by examination for five years (Dubai Food Code, 3.1.1); GU62 does not say how a home business books that exam, so ask the Food Safety Department.

Food trading from home

If you trade rather than prepare, the residence may only be a management office: no storage or repackaging at home, goods from licensed suppliers held in licensed warehouses, products registered on the federal ZAD portal before import, an AED 15,000 deposit if you use the Food Import Re-Export System, and delivery by means approved by the Food Safety Department (Dubai Media Office).

Intelaq vs eTrader: which one do you need?

Dubai's other home licence is eTrader, issued by DET for business done through social media.

	Intelaq	eTrader
Who	UAE or GCC nationals resident in Dubai; 100% owned and managed by them	UAE or GCC nationals in Dubai (18+); other Dubai residents from 21
Fee	AED 1,070 a year	AED 1,070 plus AED 300 Dubai Chamber membership on commercial licences
Validity	1 year, renewed annually	1 year; one-month grace to renew after expiry
Legal form	Sole proprietorship, no partners	Single owner only
Employees	Up to 3, with MOHRE approval	None; 3 visas only if 100% Emirati owned
Shop or signboard	Business run from home; no retail premises	No shop; no signboard without a DED permit
Food preparation at home	Yes, 7 activities, with DM approval and a separate dedicated space	Only with DM approval, and DM limits it to UAE and GCC nationals
Activities	Set by Dubai SME; food capped at 5 years under the 2020 rules	Up to 10 from the same group
Authority	Dubai SME and DET	DET

Table sources: Dubai SME, Invest in Dubai and Dubai Media Office for Intelaq; DET trade licence, DED Trader FAQ and u.ae for eTrader; food rule from DM-FSD-GU62.

The eTrader sources disagree on expats: the UAE portal says UAE and GCC nationals only, while the official FAQ admits other Dubai residents from 21. If you are not a UAE or GCC national, ask DET which activities are open to you. Unlicensed selling draws a fine starting at AED 25,000 (DED Trader FAQ).

Whichever licence you hold, you need somewhere to take orders.KLU is a UAE marketplace for home businesses: free to join, no listing or subscription fees, 5% commission on completed orders plus 2% card processing, weekly payouts to a UAE bank account, and a storefront link to share. Buyers order on the iOS app, the Android app or your link and choose pickup or delivery, with the buyer paying the delivery fee. One caveat: the guide names social media and official events as channels and is silent on marketplaces, so ask the Food Safety Department if you want certainty. See also delivery for a home business and how to set your prices.

Frequently asked questions

Can an expat get an Intelaq licence in Dubai?

No. DET requires 100% UAE or GCC ownership and management, and Dubai Municipality restricts food preparation at home to UAE and GCC citizens residing in Dubai. For a non-GCC resident, the official route is licensed premises approved by the municipality.

How much is the Intelaq licence fee?

AED 1,070 per year to issue and to renew, per DET's Invest in Dubai page. Dubai SME's pages last showed AED 1,050. The fee excludes federal fees and the municipality's food permit, whose fee is not published.

Can I prepare food in my own house under Intelaq?

Not in the family food preparation space. The 2020 rules require a designated space outside the home with its own entrance; the 2023 guide requires a separate, dedicated food preparation space within the house (not the family one) and rules out apartments.

Can I sell biryani or grilled food from home on Intelaq?

No. The municipality's guide excludes all rice meals with chicken, meat or seafood, all grills, sushi and seafood. Sweets, pastries, sandwiches, salads, pickles, juices and hot and cold drinks are allowed.

Sources

Last verified: 23 August 2026.