A real estate brokerage license in Dubai lets a company bring buyers and sellers, or landlords and tenants, together and earn a commission when the deal is signed. It is one of the most popular licenses in the emirate, and also one of the most closely regulated.
Most brokerages are set up on the mainland, so our guide to mainland company formation in Dubai is the natural starting point. This article goes further. It covers the real estate layer on top of the company: the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) license, approval from the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA), registration on the Dubai Land Department (DLD) Trakheesi system, broker training and the broker card.
It is written by the business formation team at Exactitude Business Services, drawing on 14+ years in the UAE. The rules below come from official sources: the DLD and RERA service pages, the RERA Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide (second edition, 2024), and the Federal Tax Authority (FTA). Where a point is our own practice, we say so.
What a Real Estate Brokerage License in Dubai Allows
The DLD describes a broker as a person who holds a commercial license for real estate brokerage and is registered in the brokers registry. A broker may complete transactions or contracts for a fee agreed with the customer in advance.
In practice, a brokerage company:
- Lists properties for owners and markets them.
- Finds buyers or tenants and arranges viewings.
- Negotiates between the parties.
- Prepares the official marketing and sales contracts.
- Earns a commission once the deal is concluded.
The DET activity description for sales brokerage says the role ends with the signing of the contract and the receipt of the agreed commission. A brokerage is a go-between. It is not a developer, a property manager, or a valuer. Those are separate real estate activities, each with its own license conditions.
Who Regulates Brokerage: DET, DLD and RERA
Three bodies are involved, and knowing who does what saves time.
- DET (Department of Economy and Tourism) issues the commercial license for a mainland company through the Invest in Dubai platform.
- DLD (Dubai Land Department) is the government department for real estate in Dubai. It runs the Trakheesi system, the Dubai REST app, and the registration of property transactions.
- RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Agency) is the regulatory arm of the DLD. It approves real estate licenses, registers brokers and offices, issues broker cards and permits, and takes action when rules are broken.
The DLD’s licensing service sets the order: you apply for the license through DET, register on Trakheesi through the DLD website, and apply for the professional practice card once the real estate license is approved.
Sales Brokerage or Leasing Brokerage?
The DLD recognises two categories of broker: brokerage in buying and selling property, and brokerage in leasing property. They are listed as separate activities on the DET activity list.
- Sales brokerage covers buying and selling, including resale (secondary market) and, with the right contracts, off-plan projects.
- Leasing brokerage covers finding tenants for landlords and properties for tenants.
Many companies want both. Decide before you apply, because adding an activity later means amending the license and the Trakheesi record. We usually ask a simple question first: where will your first year of commission come from?
RERA also classifies brokerage offices (gold, silver, bronze, and general) using published criteria. This does not affect your first license, but it shapes how the market sees you later.
Mainland or Free Zone for a Real Estate Brokerage Company in Dubai?
Most brokerages in Dubai are mainland companies licensed by DET, because they deal directly with owners, buyers, and tenants across the city.
The DLD states that real estate licensing laws apply to companies doing real estate activity whether they are licensed by RERA, DET, or a free zone in Dubai. The DLD licensing service adds that free zone licenses must obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from their licensing authority. In other words, a free zone license does not remove the need for RERA registration.
For most first-time brokerage owners, the mainland is the more direct route. We review the free zone option case by case, for example, for groups that already hold a free zone company.
Ownership
Since the 2021 changes to the Commercial Companies Law, many mainland activities can be fully owned by foreign investors. Ownership conditions for real estate activities are set at the initial approval stage, and some older DLD material still shows earlier conditions. We confirm the current ownership position for your exact activity with DET before you apply, so your shareholding is right from day one.
Step by Step: Getting a Real Estate Brokerage License in Dubai
The official route combines the usual DET steps with RERA approval on Trakheesi. Around them sit some preparation and follow-up.
1. Choose the activity and legal form
Select sales brokerage, leasing brokerage or both on the Invest in Dubai platform. Most owners choose a Limited Liability Company (LLC) or a One Person LLC. Decide who the partners and the manager will be, because their details flow into every later step.
2. Reserve the trade name
Your trade name must follow Dubai’s naming rules and reflect the legal form. Prepare two or three options. Avoid names that suggest you are a developer, a bank, or a government body.
3. Get initial approval from DET
DET reviews the application and issues initial approval. This lets you continue with the other procedures, including the RERA approval your activity needs.
4. Obtain RERA approval through Trakheesi
The DLD’s published activity sheet says the license application is submitted through DET and then approved by RERA through the Trakheesi system. Conditions for the parties include minimum age, real estate training, a good conduct certificate from Dubai Police, and, for an expatriate manager, residency on the same license. We check every condition against the people in your file before submitting.
5. Secure an office and register the lease
A mainland brokerage needs a business address in Dubai, registered through Ejari. Choose premises that suit a client-facing business, because buyers, sellers, and tenants will visit you there.
6. Sign the Memorandum of Association
For an LLC, the shareholders sign the Memorandum of Association (MoA) before the license is issued.
7. Collect the license
Once initial approval, RERA approval, the trade name, the MoA and the Ejari are in place, DET issues the commercial license.
8. Office registration on Trakheesi
According to the DLD, the brokerage office is registered automatically when its license is issued. No separate registration application is needed. Your Office Registration Number (ORN) then appears on Trakheesi.
9. Broker cards for everyone who deals with clients
Before the company starts work, the owner, the manager and each salesperson must be registered in the brokers registry and hold a broker card. The DLD is clear that no one may practise the activity on the licence until they are registered and hold the right card.
How long does it take?
It depends on how complete your documents are, how quickly the office is finalised, whether foreign documents need attestation, and how fast each broker completes training and the exam. The DLD lists the licensing approval service at one working day once a complete file is submitted, but the full route takes longer. We give you a realistic timeline after reviewing your file.
Broker Training, the Exam and the Broker Card
This is the part that surprises new owners most. The company license and the individual broker card are two different things.
Training
The DLD’s training service offers official training courses, conducted in English. You can apply for training even if your visa is not under the company. On completion, you receive a certificate.
The broker exam
The DLD says there is no exam at the end of the training itself. Exams are held separately for certain categories, and brokers are one of them. The DLD lists three exemptions from the real estate broker exam:
- Individuals above 55 years of age.
- Brokers with five consecutive years of service in the same real estate office.
- Start-up license holders, who are exempt from attending the exam.
The broker card
The broker card is applied for on Trakheesi. The DLD asks for a personal photo and a copy of the Emirates ID, and the applicant must hold a good conduct certificate from Dubai Police. The card’s validity is linked to the validity of the trade license.
Renewal
Broker cards are renewed on Trakheesi. The DLD’s renewal terms say the applicant must have passed the annual test, and all sales staff must be registered with cards issued. Plan the annual test into your calendar, so renewal does not stall.
Expert tip: treat broker cards like visas. Keep a simple tracker with each broker’s card expiry, test date, and visa expiry in one place.
Documents You Will Need
For the DET license, expect:
- Passport copies of all partners and the manager.
- Emirates ID and residence visa copies, where available.
- The reserved trade name certificate.
- The signed Memorandum of Association.
- The Ejari-registered tenancy contract.
For RERA approval and broker cards, expect:
- Real estate training certificates.
- Good conduct certificates from Dubai Police.
- Personal photos and Emirates ID copies for each broker.
- Proof that the expatriate manager’s residency is on the same license.
If a partner is a company, or if any document was issued abroad, it usually needs attestation and legal translation. Our attestation and legal translation services handle this part of the file.
Rules That Apply From Your First Listing
A real estate brokerage license in Dubai comes with daily rules. RERA’s Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide sets out the main ones.
Smart contracts A, B and F
Brokers must use the smart marketing and sales contracts provided by RERA:
- Contract A: the agreement to market a property, between the seller and the brokerage.
- Contract B: the agreement to purchase, between the buyer and the broker.
- Contract F: the agreement to sell, between the seller and the buyer.
The DLD says a brokerage contract must state the parties, the property, the agreed amount, and the commission rate.
Advertising permits
Every real estate advertisement or piece of marketing needs a permit from Trakheesi, and the permit number must appear on the ad. This covers online listings, social media, print, outdoor ads, open days and exhibitions.
The Green List
The Dubai REST app holds the Green List of registered owners who agree to be contacted. Brokers may not contact owners who are not on it. RERA can issue a violation and suspend operations after a complaint.
Off-plan projects
Before marketing an off-plan project, a broker must check that the project is licensed and registered with RERA, that it has an escrow account, and that buyers are told to pay only into that escrow account. A marketing contract with the developer is also required.
What It Costs to Start
Costs depend on the legal form, the office, the number of visas and the number of brokers. As a starting point, Exactitude Business Services packages for the Dubai mainland begin from AED 11,000 without visa.
That is a starting figure, not a fixed quote for a brokerage. Real estate approvals, broker training, exams and cards, and your office lease are added depending on your case. We share a written estimate once we know your activities, partners, and team size.
After the License: Visas, Bank, VAT, Corporate Tax and Books
The license is the start. A new real estate brokerage company in Dubai usually needs:
- An establishment card and visas for partners, the manager, and brokers. Our PRO services in Dubai handle the government paperwork.
- A corporate bank account. Banks look closely at how commission arrives and how agents are paid. Preparation helps, but every bank makes its own decision. Read more on corporate bank account opening.
- VAT registration once taxable supplies pass the threshold. The FTA’s Real Estate VAT Guide treats estate agent services as services directly connected to real estate, so commission on UAE property is a taxable service in its own right, even when the property sale itself is exempt.
- Corporate Tax registration, which applies to UAE companies separately from VAT. Our Corporate Tax and VAT services cover both.
- Commission bookkeeping. Commission splits, agent payouts, and deal-by-deal records need clear tracking from the first deal. Our accounting and bookkeeping services set this up for brokerages.
If you or your clients are also asking about owning property through a company, see our guide on whether a Dubai offshore company can own freehold property.
Common Mistakes New Brokerages Make
These are the issues we most often fix:
- Applying for sales brokerage only, then needing leasing within months.
- Hiring brokers who start talking to clients before their card is issued.
- Posting listings on portals or social media without a Trakheesi permit.
- Leaving the manager’s visa on a different license.
- Missing the annual test and then finding the card cannot be renewed.
- Marketing an off-plan project without checking its RERA registration and escrow account.
- Mixing personal and company commission in one account.
A Client’s Experience Setting Up a Real Estate Brokerage
This is an illustrative composite based on the kind of cases we handle. Details have been changed, and no client is identified.
“I had worked as a broker in Dubai for six years, always for someone else. When I decided to open my own office with a partner, I thought the license would be the easy part. I was wrong about where the work was.
Exactitude started by asking what we planned to do in year one: sales, leasing, or both. We chose both, so they applied for both activities from the start. That saved us an amendment later.
They explained the order clearly: DET initial approval, RERA approval through Trakheesi, the office lease on Ejari, then the license. Our manager’s visa had to move onto the new license, and they planned that early.
I underestimated the team. Two of our new brokers needed the training and the exam before they could get cards. Exactitude built a simple tracker for us, with each person’s training date, exam, card, and visa.
Before our first listing went live, they reminded us that every ad needs a Trakheesi permit. They also set up our books so each deal had its own record, from Contract A to the commission invoice.
What I valued most was knowing what came next at every stage. We started with everything in order.”
How Exactitude Business Services Helps
- Activity and structure advice: sales, leasing or both, and the right legal form.
- License application: trade name, DET initial approval, RERA approval, MoA, Ejari, and license issuance, through our business formation
- Broker onboarding support: a clear checklist for training, the exam, and broker cards for every team member.
- Visas and PRO: establishment card, partner, manager, and broker visas.
- Accounting from day one: commission tracking, VAT and Corporate Tax set up correctly.
Book a Free Consultation on Your Real Estate Brokerage License
Planning to open a brokerage in Dubai? Book a Free Consultation with Exactitude Business Services. We will review your plans, confirm the activities you need and share a written estimate.
- Call or WhatsApp:+971 52 177 1150
- Email:sales@exactitudebusiness.com
FAQ: Real Estate Brokerage License in Dubai
Who issues a real estate brokerage license in Dubai?
For a mainland company, DET issues the commercial license. RERA, the regulatory arm of the Dubai Land Department, approves the real estate activity through the Trakheesi system and issues broker cards.
Do I need RERA approval as well as a trade license?
Yes. The DLD says the license application goes through DET and then needs RERA approval on Trakheesi. Each broker also needs to be registered and hold a broker card before working.
Can I start working as soon as the company license is issued?
No. The DLD states that no one may practise the activity until they are registered and hold the card for that activity. The office is registered automatically when the license is issued, but each broker still needs a card.
Is there an exam for real estate brokers in Dubai?
Yes. The DLD holds broker exams separately from the training. Individuals above 55, brokers with five consecutive years in the same office and start-up license holders are exempt.
Do I need a permit to advertise a property?
Yes. RERA requires a Trakheesi permit for every real estate advertisement, and the permit number must appear on the ad, including online listings and social media.
Does VAT apply to brokerage commission?
Commission is a separate taxable service. The FTA’s Real Estate VAT Guide treats estate agent services as services directly connected to real estate. A brokerage registers for VAT once it passes the threshold.
How much does it cost to start?
Exactitude packages on the Dubai mainland start from AED 11,000 without visa. Your final cost depends on the real estate approvals, your office, visas, and the number of brokers.