hese information pages can help you get started in learning about some of the laws and registration requirements that may apply to your experiences on Airbnb. These pages include summaries of some of the rules that may apply to different sorts of activities, and contain links to government resources that you may find helpful.
Please understand that these information pages are not comprehensive, and are not legal advice. If you are unsure about how local laws or this information may apply to you or your experience, we encourage you to check with official sources or seek legal advice.
Please note that we don’t update this information in real time, so you should confirm that the laws or procedures have not changed recently.*
Providing food on a commercial basis will be considered an economic activity and will therefore require the applicable license (see the Section on Business Licensing and Registration in Dubai). Serving of meals at home on a commercial basis would also fall under the definition of a “Food Establishment” and the Dubai Municipality Food Code would apply.
The costs and procedure for obtaining this licence depend on the type of “food services” offered, but it can generally be expected to be a time-consuming and expensive process, more suitable for larger scale professional food businesses.
As an exception it might be possible to hire a licensed catering company with the correct food business licenses to provide a food-related experience outside of a food establishment.
If minor refreshments were provided on a genuinely free of charge basis in connection with a different (licensed) activity (e.g. tea and biscuits alongside a yoga or art class), then this would normally not be classed as a licensable food business. However, offering food services without a licence could lead to fines and the experience being stopped. Therefore, if you are considering any type of experience that may involve serving of food then you should take legal advice and be certain that your proposed experience is in accordance with the law.
The Alcoholic Beverage Control Law of 1972 outlines the law on consuming alcohol within the UAE. As the UAE is a Muslim country and governed by Sharia Law, the consumption of alcohol is generally forbidden. However, the country has established laws and regulations to enable non-Muslims to apply for a liquor license to enable them to purchase alcohol from licensed outlets and consume alcohol at licensed premises or at home. On the other hand, it is not permissible for any individual or entity to sell alcohol, save for licensed hotels and strictly limited government-owned retail outlets and specifically licensed events (eg. concerts).
This means that hosts should not serve alcohol as part of experiences. There are only a few types of experiences that might be permissible which could take place in and are organised by a licensed premises such as a hotel.
Breaking the laws relating to alcohol can be a criminal matter so if you are considering any type of experience that may involve serving alcohol then you should take legal advice and be certain that your proposed experience is in accordance with the law.
In Dubai, offering experiences will generally likely be categorised as an "economic activity". This means that they may only be offered by a business with the correct license obtained from the Dubai Department of Economic Development. For additional background, please see Law No.(13) of 2011 Regulating the Conduct of Economic Activities in the Emirate of Dubai
Most activities in the tourism area may also be subject to additional requirements such as having received training organised by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing ("DCTM") and representatives obtaining an identification card and becoming registered on the DCTM Roll. Relevant regulations in this area include Regulation No.(1) of 2009 Amending Regulation No.(6) of 2006 Concerning the Licensing of Tourist Establishments and Travel Agencies, Regulation No.(2) of 2000 Concerning Qualification of Persons Working in the Tourism Sector Dubai, Executive Council Resolution No.(33) of 2012 Regulating the Registration of Representatives of Tourist Establishments in the Emirate of Dubai. Relevant legislation can be found on the DTCM website
Not obtaining the correct licence or following the applicable rules could lead to fines or other penalties, so before offering experiences you should obtain information and advice on the type of licence required for the particular experiences and all other relevant requirements.