Most of the cost and delay in Dubai signage has nothing to do with the sign. It comes from artwork designed before anyone checked what the rules require, then redrawn after the fabricator had already quoted.
This guide covers what the published rules actually say, with the article numbers, so you can check them yourself rather than take anyone’s word for it.
The rules come from one decree
Advertising across Dubai is governed by Decree No. 6 of 2020 Regulating Advertisements in the Emirate of Dubai.
Article 2 is the one people miss: the decree applies to all advertisements in the emirate, including those displayed in special development zones and free zones, naming the Dubai International Financial Centre as an example. Being in a free zone changes who issues your permit. It does not put you outside the rules.
Which authority issues the permit
Article 5 assigns this by medium, not simply by whether you are mainland or free zone:
| Where the advertisement is | Who permits it |
|---|---|
| Commercial outlet facade, leaflets and stickers | Department of Economic Development — now the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) |
| Vacant land and buildings | Dubai Municipality |
| Right of way, and vehicles | Roads and Transport Authority |
| Inside a free zone or special development zone | That zone’s own authority |
| Aerial advertisements | Dubai Civil Aviation Authority |
| Maritime vessels | Dubai Maritime City Authority |
For an ordinary shop sign on the front of a retail unit, that means DET is where to start — not Dubai Municipality, which is the answer most third-party articles give. If your sign is on a building rather than an outlet frontage, or on vacant land, the Municipality is the right door. If it faces the road reserve, the RTA has an interest.
If you are inside a free zone, start with your own zone authority, and expect the decree’s content rules below to apply regardless.
The Arabic rule is a measurement, not a preference
This is the single most useful thing on this page.
Article 11(7) requires that the advertisement use Arabic. A foreign language may be used beside it, provided that Arabic is the main language and the Arabic text occupies at least fifty percent of the size of the advertising medium.
Fifty percent is measurable. A sign with the English name set large and an Arabic line underneath it at a third of the height does not meet it, however good the Arabic is. This is the rule that sends artwork back, and it has to be designed in from the first sketch rather than added at the end.
DET’s published shopfront requirements also specify that Arabic sits above the English, and that signs run horizontally rather than vertically.
What else DET requires on a shopfront
From DET’s published requirements for trade-name signage:
- One trade name only per shopfront. Multiple signs or advertisements are not permitted.
- Horizontal, not vertical.
- Arabic above English.
- Projection from one side only.
- Sized to the shopfront — the sign should align with the height and width of the frontage. Excessive thickness or oversized displays are not allowed.
- Lighting within approved brightness levels. Bright white backgrounds are prohibited.
- Not on balconies, and not on external facades above the ground floor.
The name on the sign
Article 4(b) requires a person conducting an economic activity to display an advertisement on the facade of their premises stating the type of activity and their trade name. DET inspects shopfronts to check the displayed name against the licence, and that the Arabic rendering is accurate.
So the name on the sign is not a branding decision. If you trade under something other than your licensed trade name, that is a question for your licensing authority before a sign is made — discovering it afterwards means a new sign.
What you will generally be asked for
Requirements vary by authority, so treat this as preparation rather than a definitive checklist. Expect to need your trade licence, the tenancy contract, artwork showing the design with dimensions, a photograph of the shopfront or elevation, the proposed position, and an NOC from the building owner.
The artwork is the part that saves money. A drawing showing the sign in position on an actual photograph of the unit, dimensioned, with the Arabic set properly and measured against the fifty percent rule, is the version that gets approved first time.
A realistic sequence
- Identify the authority from your medium and location — before anything is designed.
- Check your licence name reads exactly as you intend the sign to read.
- Measure the frontage and photograph it straight on, in daylight.
- Have the artwork drawn with Arabic as the main language at no less than half the medium, Arabic above English, and the dimensions marked.
- Submit to the issuing authority with your documents.
- Then commission fabrication — not before approval. Fabricating first is betting the cost of the sign on an assumption.
- Install, and keep the permit with your licence records.
Almost every expensive signage story in Dubai is the same story: the sign was made before it was approved.
Where Falcon fits
We design and print signage graphics, and we set Arabic properly as part of that — including laying it out against the fifty percent requirement rather than adding it afterwards.
We do not submit permit applications, and nobody should tell you a permit is guaranteed. What we can do is make sure the artwork you submit is the version that gets approved.
Sources
- Decree No. 6 of 2020 Regulating Advertisements in the Emirate of Dubai — Dubai Legislation. Articles 2, 4, 5 and 11 are the ones cited above.
- Dubai Municipality advertising system
- Dubai Municipality — advertising permit service overview
- Dubai Development Authority — advertising permit
Article references checked against the published decree in October 2026. Authorities change their requirements and their names — the Department of Economic Development named in the decree now operates as the Department of Economy and Tourism. Verify before you rely on any of this.
Published 8 October 2026 · updated 8 October 2026