Real estate brokerage licence in Dubai
Brokering Dubai property is a regulated activity, not a generic commercial licence you start using on the day DET prints it. Dubai Land Department’s real estate licensing service lists sales-and-purchase brokerage and leasing brokerage among the activities it handles. Its terms say you submit the licence application through DET, register in the Trakheesi system, and apply for a real estate activity practice card after the licence is approved. RERA’s brokerage guide says the same sequence: a licence from the licensing authority, registration in Trakheesi, then a broker card. Free zone licences need a no-objection certificate from the licensing authority. This page does not copy DLD’s annual fees, because the fee table does not label a line as sales-and-purchase brokerage.
Licence, Trakheesi, then the card
Trade licence
DLD says the licence application goes through the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism. Real estate is already inside the commercial-licence description on our licence types page. The activity wording still has to be the brokerage you will practise.
Trakheesi
Register the licence in Trakheesi on the Dubai Land Department website. Free zone licences must obtain a no-objection certificate from their licensing authority. DLD says that certificate is required for free zone licences.
Practice card
Apply for the real estate activity practice card after the licence is approved. RERA’s guide says the card is issued through Trakheesi once the fees are settled. Those card fees are on DLD’s renewal page for a broker card. We do not mix them up with the annual activity fees, and we do not quote either as a THAJ package.
People who sell
The renewal terms say the applicant must have passed the annual test to practise the mediation profession, and that sales personnel must be registered and hold cards. A company licence does not let unregistered staff broker deals.
THAJ’s fee is quoted in writing after the activity wording is accepted. Authority charges are extra and are not invented on this page. VAT & Corporate Tax Support is not included: Get connected with our licensed accounting and tax partners for VAT registration, Corporate Tax registration, return filing and bookkeeping.
Why this page has no dirham figure
DLD’s licensing page publishes annual fees that differ by activity. Some lines name exhibitions, owners-association supervision, valuation, leasing and management, development and registrar trustees. Brokerage sits in the service description, not on a fee line we can point at without guessing that it falls under “other activities”. The figure is omitted. The current page is the source when we quote a client. Development, valuation and trustee activities are different products with their own conditions, including land ownership for development. We do not file a brokerage and call it a developer.
A brokerage is also not a Golden Visa. Property investors use the property route. Owning a brokerage does not lower the AED 2 million test and does not replace a broker card.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a real estate brokerage licence in Dubai?
Apply for the trade licence through DET, register it in DLD’s Trakheesi system, and apply for a real estate activity practice card after approval. RERA’s brokerage guide describes that sequence. Free zone applicants also need a no-objection certificate from their zone.
Is a DET commercial licence enough to broker property?
No. DLD’s terms require Trakheesi registration and a practice card. Sales staff need their own cards.
What is the government fee?
DLD publishes activity fees, and they are not all the same. This page does not copy a number for sales-and-purchase brokerage, because that label is not on the fee line. We quote from the current DLD page in the written estimate.
Can a free zone company broker Dubai property?
Only with the no-objection certificate DLD requires from the licensing authority, plus the same Trakheesi and card steps. A zone licence alone is not the card.
Official sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on 5 November 2026. Rules and fees can change; the authority’s current page always prevails.
- Real Estate Licensing Application — Dubai Land Department (DLD)
- Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide 2024 — Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA), Dubai Land Department
- Business licensing — licence types and set-up process — Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET)
- Business set-up options: mainland or free zone — Government of Dubai (dubai.ae)
Say brokerage, not “real estate”
Sales, leasing, development and valuation are different DLD activities. We file the one you will practise.