Licenses and permits to open a grocery store in Dubai
Selling packaged food adds food rules on top of a store's usual registrations. Here are the 4 filings, in the order they're made.
Dubai trade licence
Dubai Department of Economy and TourismDubai
Reserve the trade name, get initial approval, then issue the licence online through Invest in Dubai. Free zones license through their own authority instead.
- Fee
- Varies
- Filed
- Filed online
- Renews
- Every year.
Corporate tax and VAT registration
Federal Tax AuthorityUnited Arab Emirates, national
Every company registers for corporate tax on EmaraTax. VAT registration is required once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000 a year.
- Fee
- Free
- Filed
- Filed online
Employer registration and work permits
Ministry of Human Resources and EmiratisationUnited Arab Emirates, national
Register the establishment, then apply for each employee's work permit.
- Fee
- Varies
- Filed
- Filed online
Food establishment approval
Dubai Municipality, Food SafetyDubai
Food businesses get the municipality's layout approval and inspection before the licence is activated.
- Fee
- Varies
- Filed
- Filed online
More on opening in Dubai
Questions people ask
Other businesses in Dubai
Agency requirements change. Check each agency's page before you file.
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Get the plan for your grocery store in Dubai
This guide covers the city. Your exact address decides the county, the health district and the zoning. Placetta maps every filing for it, fills the official forms from your details, adds the deadlines and puts them up for your approval.
- The full list for your address, in filing order
- The official forms, filled line by line
- Renewal and inspection reminders