Can I sell food from home in Dubai?
Yes, but only some people can. Every official source points the same way.
Dubai Law No. 13 of 2011 allows an economic activity in Dubai only through a business licensed by the economic department, now the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). Article 18 lets DET waive the premises rule for businesses run from home, and words that exemption for UAE nationals.
Intelaq, Dubai SME's home business licence under DET, is for UAE or GCC nationals resident in Dubai: 100% national ownership and management, home inside the Emirate of Dubai (Invest in Dubai). Dubai Municipality's guide to preparing and selling products from homes, DM-FSD-GU62 of 19 September 2023, agrees: the Trader or Intelaq licence for food is for UAE and GCC nationals residing in Dubai (GU62, section 8.1.1). Expats (non-GCC residents) have no official route for preparing food at home; their options are below.
A municipality statement of 5 June 2026: any food sale, however small, needs prior DET licences, and it then inspects; it encourages home businesses inside the licensed framework (Khaleej Times). Whatever a seller calls the business online, the licence has to come first.
Which home business licence do you need: Intelaq or eTrader?
Two DET licences cover home businesses, both single-owner. u.ae says an eTrader cannot open a shop or issue visas; the Dubai Media Office (24 January 2022) adds that a licence 100% owned by an Emirati can get three visas, so ask DET if visas matter. Intelaq allows sole proprietorship only (Dubai SME).
| Licence | Who can apply | Fee | Food | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intelaq | UAE or GCC nationals resident in Dubai; 100% national ownership | AED 1,070 to issue and to renew (Invest in Dubai, 2026) | 7 preparation and 19 trading activities; external approval required | Dubai SME, under DET |
| eTrader | UAE and GCC nationals resident in Dubai (u.ae); the DED Trader FAQ admits other Dubai residents from age 21 | AED 1,070 to issue, plus AED 300 Dubai Chamber on commercial licences; renewal fee not published | "Preparing meals from homes" and sweets need Dubai Municipality approval | DET, via Invest in Dubai |
Intelaq for food
On 17 August 2020 Dubai SME extended Intelaq to food (Dubai Media Office). Preparation covers candies and confectionery, pies and pastries, desserts and traditional sweets, juice, snacks, sandwiches, ice cream. Trading covers dates, dairy, tea, coffee, spices, nuts, honey, bakery products, sweets, chocolate and drinks.
Terms, from Dubai SME: one year, renewed annually; sole proprietorship, no partners; up to three employees subject to MOHRE approval; no age limit. Food is capped at five years, then converts to a commercial licence. We could not confirm that five-year cap on DET's current pages, so confirm it with Dubai SME before you plan around it.
Food trading differs: your home is a management office only, no storage or repackaging there, goods from approved sources, products on the federal ZAD portal before import. Read the Intelaq licence guide, or compare both routes in the home business licence in Dubai.
eTrader for food
eTrader is a sole-establishment licence for Dubai businesses run from home, issued through Invest in Dubai at the fees in the table. The official DED Trader FAQ (archived 8 December 2022) says a valid Emirates ID is the only document registration requires, and adds: no workers, one month's grace to renew after expiry, up to 10 activities from one group, a physical Dubai address with a Makani number. It lists "preparing meals from homes" and sweets as needing municipality approval. For how long issuance takes, check the current rule on Invest in Dubai.
What does Dubai Municipality allow you to make at home?
The licence comes first. Then GU62 applies.
The space you prepare food in
Not an apartment's cooking area, and not the family one inside a villa. Food must be prepared in a separate, dedicated food preparation space within the house (not the family one), inside the property boundaries (GU62, 8.1.3). So apartments are out, and a villa needs a second space. One licence per space.
What you can and cannot make
GU62 lists the activities you may run from home: snacks, sweets and candies, pies and pastries, traditional sweets, sandwiches, juice, ice cream. Within snacks it allows appetisers, pastries, sweets, pickles, sandwiches, salads, juices, spices, hot and cold drinks, and bars all rice meals with chicken, meat or seafood, all grills, sushi and seafood (9.1.2). Biryani, mandi and grilled trays are out.
Ongoing obligations
- Tell the Food Safety Department your start date, register the licence on Foodwatch (foodwatch.dm.gov.ae) and log daily food operations there.
- Train every food handler and accredit a health supervisor among the licence's workers. The Dubai Food Code calls this the Person in Charge; the exam certificate lasts five years.
- Let inspectors in. Refusal is a fine; a repeat means DET is asked to suspend the licence.
- Sell through social media and official temporary events with a Food Safety Department permit. Serving customers in the home, garden or annexes is prohibited, penalties up to suspension, cancellation and website blocking.
- Fit the space out: hand-wash sink, separate sinks for raw meat and for vegetables, a triple sink, chillers and freezers. Cold below 5C, hot 60C or above, frozen at minus 18C. A delivery vehicle or motorbike needs an annual municipality permit.
The permit fee, Foodwatch cost and health supervisor exam fee are unpublished; check them at Foodpermits@dm.gov.ae or 800900. Then price the work as a business: see pricing and delivery.
Why do Dubai's official rules disagree?
Ask the authority named before you spend money.
- Where the space sits. The 2020 Dubai Media Office release says a designated space outside the home with its own outside entrance; GU62 (2023) says a separate, dedicated food preparation space within the house (not the family one). Both rule out the family one, but differ on the outside door, so ask the Food Safety Department before you build.
- Intelaq fee. Invest in Dubai shows AED 1,070 from March 2026; Dubai SME's renewal page showed AED 1,050 when archived in May 2025. Treat AED 1,070 as current and confirm with DET.
- How many licences. The 2020 release says at most two Intelaq licences per applicant; Invest in Dubai now says at most five trade licences, including ones you partly own. Follow the current page.
- Expats and eTrader. u.ae says eTrader is for UAE and GCC nationals residing in Dubai; the DED Trader FAQ sets age 18 for UAE and GCC nationals, 21 for other Dubai residents. For food, GU62 settles it: nationals only.
- Meals versus snacks. The DED Trader FAQ says "preparing meals from homes"; GU62 allows only the seven activities listed above and excludes rice meals, grills and seafood. GU62 wins.
- The Food Code. Section 3.2.2.2 bars commercially offering food prepared in a private home, or any place not approved by the Food Control Department. "Approved" reconciles it with GU62: a dedicated, inspected space on your plot is approved; the family one is not.
- Law versus licence. Article 18 of Law 13/2011 names UAE nationals only; DET, Dubai SME and the municipality all admit GCC nationals resident in Dubai. Ask DET if you are a GCC national.
What happens if you run a home business without a licence in Dubai?
- The DED Trader FAQ puts the "illegal selling" fine at AED 25,000 and up.
- Law No. 13 of 2011, Article 29, sets fines from AED 100 to AED 100,000, plus possible closure or licence revocation.
- GU62 adds licence suspension or cancellation and blocking of the website used, coordinated with DET.
- Federally, Decree-Law No. 14 of 2023 requires anyone trading through websites, social media or apps to hold the competent authority's licences; the UAE government portal confirms there is no licence-free way to sell online.
What are the realistic routes if you are an expat?
No official route exists for expat residents to prepare food at home.
Licensed commercial premises. An expat can trade food from premises approved by the Food Control Department, under a normal DET commercial licence. That is the one route clearly open.
Partnering with a national. Not possible here. Intelaq requires 100% UAE or GCC ownership, and eTrader is registered to a single owner who alone carries legal liability.
A licence in another emirate. Abu Dhabi's Trader licence goes to UAE citizens and residents (ADDED); the 2018 expansion took in UAE residents under a limited liability company in partnership with Emiratis (u.ae, archived 20 April 2026), so confirm the legal form with ADDED. Sharjah's e-commerce licence is open to citizens and residents; its Eitimad home licence is for UAE nationals (SEDD FAQ). Neither says an expat may prepare food at home, so ask about food first. See the UAE-wide licence guide and cake businesses in Abu Dhabi you can order from.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run a food business from my apartment in Dubai?
Not a preparation one. GU62 section 8.1.3 needs a separate, dedicated food preparation space within the house (not the family one), which an apartment cannot provide. Only food trading, run as a management office, fits.
How much does it cost to sell food from home in Dubai?
AED 1,070 for either licence, plus AED 300 Dubai Chamber on commercial ones. Municipality permit, Foodwatch and health supervisor costs are unpublished, so check them before you budget.
Can I sell biryani or grilled food from home in Dubai?
No. GU62 section 9.1.2 excludes rice meals with chicken, meat or seafood, all grills, sushi and seafood.
Do I need to register for VAT?
Only once your taxable supplies pass AED 375,000 in the previous 12 months or the next 30 days (Federal Tax Authority). Voluntary registration opens at AED 187,500.
Can I sell through an app or marketplace instead of social media?
GU62 names social media and official temporary events, and is silent on marketplaces and apps, so ask the Food Safety Department whether your channel is covered. KLU gives every seller a storefront link; buyers order on the iOS app, the Android app or that link on the web. More in the FAQ.
Sources
- Request for Intelaq licence, Invest in Dubai (DET) (UAE connections only; 10 April 2026 archive)
- Request to issue a trade licence (eTrader), Invest in Dubai (DET) (UAE connections only; 13 May 2026 archive)
- Request for Intelaq License, Dubai SME (UAE connections only)
- Request for Renewal Intelaq License, Dubai SME (UAE connections only; archived May 2025)
- Dubai SME adds foodstuff to Intelaq licence, Dubai Media Office, 17 August 2020
- e-Trader licence records, Dubai Media Office, 24 January 2022
- DED Trader official FAQ (Arabic), Dubai Economy (archived 8 December 2022; live site closed, service moved to Invest in Dubai)
- DM-FSD-GU62, guide to preparing and selling products from homes (Arabic), Dubai Municipality
- Dubai Municipality Food Code (2013)
- Dubai Law No. 13 of 2011 on Economic Activities, Dubai Legislation Portal
- Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2023 on Trading by Modern Technological Means, Ministry of Economy
- eCommerce, UAE Government Portal
- eCommerce, UAE Government Portal (archived 20 April 2026, eTrader and Abu Dhabi Trader sections)
- Registration for VAT, Federal Tax Authority
- Licensing Requirements, ADDED
- FAQ, SEDD
- Dubai Municipality: selling food needs a licence, Khaleej Times, 5 June 2026
Last verified: 23 August 2026.
