Dubai Municipality Signage Approval Process: What Every Business Must Know.
Before a commercial sign is put up in Dubai, it must be granted a permit. Not after. Not ‘we’ll sort it out later’. Commercial establishments that do not obtain Dubai Municipality signage approval may be fined, their shops may be demolished and in certain cases, their applications for future permits may be denied. When you’re starting a new shop, changing the name or changing an old signboard, it’s important to know what steps you’ll need to go through in order to get the sign approved so you can avoid weeks of delays and rework.
This guide explains who approves what, what documents are required, how long it really takes and the rules for design that cause applications to be turned down on the first pass.
You need to determine which authority will approve your signage.
No one agency is responsible for all the signage permits in Dubai. It is dependent on the location of your business.
Dubai Municipality approves signage for businesses on the mainland (outside free zones) Applications go through the Smart Advertising Single Window portal.
Dubai Development Authority (DDA) is responsible for signage within the TECOM free zone (Dubai Media City, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Studio City and Dubai Knowledge Park). These applications also go through the Smart Advertising Single Window portal but the permit is issued by DDA.
The Trakhees’ area includes DP World managed areas such as JAFZA, Dubai South and Palm Jumeirah. The Dubai Municipality portal does not apply to businesses here, they apply directly to Trakhees.
When signage is in the way of a road, highway or public transport corridor, RTA intervenes.
The general rules of compliance are the same in the free zone as on mainland. It’s the portal and the reviewing body that change.
Before you apply, you should have the following documents:
The biggest cause of delay is the failure to have documents. Be sure to have these prepared before you submit:
– Valid trade license
– Ejari tenancy contract
– NOC from the landlord/building owner
– Design of signboards including dimensions, materials and lighting requirements.
– Shopfront photograph
– Copy of the passport of the applicant
Submit a structural review and risk assessment in addition to the sign if it is greater than 2.5 metres. For larger installations, near roads, there may also be a need for sign-offs from Dubai Civil Defence (fire safety) and DEWA (electrical work).
There are design rules that will make applications fail.There are design rules that will cause applications to fail.
Dubai Municipality has a set of compliance rules that are applied to all applications. If you miss one of these, you’ll have to resubmit.
All Arabic text must be in Arabic. All commercial signs need to have Arabic text as well as English text, usually on the right or top of the sign. Technical review will be forfeited if a submission is missing it.
The name must be identical to your trade license, abbreviations, logo only designs and even minor spelling differences are reason for rejection. Your sign must include the words “Al Noor General Trading LLC” if your trade license includes the words “Al Noor General Trading LLC”.
LED and lightbox signs have limits on size, position and lighting, to ensure they do not cause light pollution. There must be no obstruction of emergency exits, fire equipment or public walkways and nothing may extend beyond the plot boundary into public space.
Content should be respectful to public decency standards as per UAE regulations — both imagery and words.
Since everyone in the fabricator’s line of business is familiar with these rules, you don’t have to go back and forth with your fabricator on how you want the fabricator to apply the rules.
Applying for a permit can take as long as two years.It can take up to two years to get a permit.
Each authority and each first submission will have different timelines:
– DED signage: approximately 2-5 working days
– Dubai Municipality: approximately 5 – 10 working days, depending on complexity of cases, but up to 20 days.
– Signage on the RTA: 20 working days
A resubmission, due to missing document or design that is not to spec, will take another 4 – 10 working days. Those companies that get their documentation right the first time are the ones that install on schedule. Everyone else waits.
If you do not give your permission, what happens?What if you don’t approve?
There is no grey area when it comes to installing signage without a permit; it’s a direct violation of Dubai’s outdoor advertising rules. Consequences include:
– Fines
– Removal of the signage at the business’ expense
– Potential problems on subsequent permit applications
If you have an unapproved sign in storage while you wait for approval it’s much more cost effective than having to fabricate, install, and then be told to remove it.
## Permit Renewal
The Dubai signage permits are issued for one year only and can’t be renewed. Monitor the expiry date and apply for renewal before it expires, otherwise the permit is considered null and void and the fines and removal penalty will apply again. A new application is needed, not a renewal, if the sign design, size or location is changing.
## Where Ambert Fits In
Fabrication and approval are always tightly coupled — if a sign is designed and never approved, then it’s a waste of material and money. At Ambert Industries, which is a signage company in Dubai, we work within the design specifications of Dubai Municipality since the very first draft, and therefore what is fabricated is what is approved, not a redesign after rejection.
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