Every UAE trade licence lists specific approved activities drawn from the licensing authority's classification system. Those entries define what you can legally sell, what your bank expects to see in your invoices, and which regulators have a say in your business.
This guide explains how the activity system works in Dubai, how activities are grouped, which ones need external approvals, and how to build a list that supports growth without triggering an amendment every quarter.
How the activity system works
The Department of Economy and Tourism maintains a catalogue of more than two thousand activity codes, each with a description and a licence category. Free zones publish their own lists, which are broadly similar but not identical.
You select activities at the initial approval stage. The authority checks that they are compatible with each other and with the legal form of your company, and flags any that require external approval.
Grouping rules
Authorities allow a number of activities on a single licence — commonly up to ten — provided they fall within the same category or an approved group. Mixing a commercial trading activity with a professional consultancy activity is usually not permitted on one licence.
Where a business genuinely spans categories, the options are a second licence, a broader activity that covers both, or restructuring the revenue lines between related entities.
- Activities must share a compatible licence category
- Most authorities permit multiple activities within an approved group
- General trading covers most non-restricted goods under one entry
- Some activities are exclusive and cannot be combined with others
Commonly licensed activities in Dubai
| Activity | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| General trading | Commercial | Broad goods coverage, higher fee |
| Management consultancy | Professional | Qualification may be requested |
| E-commerce / online retail | Commercial | Payment gateway KYC required |
| IT services and software development | Professional | No external approval in most cases |
| Building contracting | Commercial | Municipality classification required |
| Recruitment services | Professional | MOHRE approval and bank guarantee |
| Food trading | Commercial | Municipality food control approval |
| Real estate brokerage | Professional | RERA registration required |
Regulated activities and external approvals
Certain activities cannot be licensed until an external regulator approves them. Healthcare requires DHA approval, education requires KHDA, financial advisory falls under the Central Bank, SCA or DFSA depending on structure, and real estate brokerage requires RERA registration.
External approvals commonly add one to six weeks and may impose capital, insurance or qualification requirements, so identify them before committing to a jurisdiction.
Activities and banking
Banks compare your invoices and incoming transfers with your licensed activities. A mismatch — for example, receiving consultancy fees on a general trading licence — triggers compliance queries and, in persistent cases, account restrictions.
Some activities carry elevated risk ratings with banks, including precious metals, crypto-related services, general trading with high-risk corridors and money service businesses. Where banking speed matters, a narrower and clearer activity set helps.
Building your activity list
- List every revenue line planned for the next twenty-four months
- Map each line to an activity code with the authority's catalogue
- Add adjacent activities within the same group where free of charge
- Confirm which entries require external approval before paying fees
- Check that the combined list is acceptable to your target bank
Amending activities later
Activities can be added or removed by licence amendment, which requires an application, fee payment and sometimes an amended MOA. Where the addition crosses licence categories, a separate licence may be required instead.
IDOS reviews activity lists before formation and handles amendments, approvals and re-issuance where a business expands into new lines.
الأسئلة الشائعة
How many activities can be on one Dubai licence?
Typically up to ten, provided they fall within the same category or an approved group. Free zones set their own limits.
Can I combine trading and consultancy on one licence?
Usually not, because they fall under different licence categories. Options are two licences or a single activity that covers the actual work.
Which activities need external approval?
Healthcare, education, financial services, legal services, recruitment, food handling, transport, real estate brokerage and several others.
What happens if I invoice outside my licensed activities?
It breaches your licence terms, exposes the company to fines and can prompt bank compliance action when invoices do not match the licence.
How much does it cost to add an activity?
Amendment fees vary by authority, commonly AED 1,000 to AED 5,000 including licence re-issuance, plus any external approval fees.
Is general trading better than specific activities?
It is broader and simpler for goods businesses but carries a higher fee and cannot cover professional services.
Do free zones use the same activity codes as the mainland?
The catalogues are similar but not identical; each free zone publishes its own approved list.
Can IDOS check my activities before I register?
Yes. We map planned revenue lines to activity codes and confirm approvals and bank acceptability before any fee is paid.