What the law actually says
Two lines in UAE law do the work.
Article 20(2) of the Media Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 55 of 2023): "All advertisers must include in all advertising materials something that explicitly and clearly indicates that it is advertising material."
Article 33 of the Executive Regulation (Cabinet Resolution 68 of 2024) adds two conditions:
- (6) ads must be clearly identified, distinct and separated from other content by clear boundaries;
- (7) where an ad implies the advertiser promotes or endorses a product or service, the advertiser must clearly disclose any financial return received through a commercial relationship with its owner.
The law names no hashtag, no font size and no position. The test is "explicitly and clearly". Everything below is our reading of what passes that test in practice. It is not an official NMA guideline, and we have not found one that specifies wording.
Who has to label
- Creators and influencers posting for a brand, for money, for a free product, a free stay or a commission. The Advertiser Permit regime covers all of these, barter and promo codes included.
- Brands running paid ads and boosted posts, and when they repost a creator's sponsored content.
- Employees promoting their employer are exempt from the permit, but a staff member's personal account that looks independent should still say who they work for. Otherwise the post is ambiguous, which Article 33(1) prohibits.
Eight captions, pass or fail
| # | Caption opening (visible before "more") | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Ad · Paid partnership with @brand. Ad Permit: 65834. Tried their new brunch…" | Pass | Label first, relationship named, permit number shown |
| 2 | "إعلان / Ad. Gifted stay at @hotel, I chose what to post." | Pass | Explicit label in two languages, gift disclosed |
| 3 | "Best brunch in Dubai!! 🍳 … #food #dxb #brunch #ad" | Weak | Label hidden at the end; "best" is an unprovable superlative under Art. 33(2) |
| 4 | "Thanks @brand for having me 💕" | Fail | "Thanks" does not say it is advertising or that it was paid |
| 5 | "Collab with @brand" | Weak | "Collab" can mean anything; not an explicit ad label |
| 6 | "Use my code SARA20 for 20% off @brand" | Fail without a label | A promo code is a commercial relationship; needs "Ad" and disclosure |
| 7 | Platform "Paid partnership" tag, no text | Partial | Helpful, but not shown in every view and lost on reposts; add text |
| 8 | "Not an ad, just love this place" (after a free dinner) | Fail | A free meal is a financial return; the statement is misleading |
Where to put the label
- Reels and TikTok: in the first line of the caption and as on-screen text in the first seconds. Viewers in the feed often never open the caption.
- Stories: text on every sponsored frame, not only the first, because each frame can be viewed or shared alone.
- YouTube and long video: spoken or on screen at the start, plus the platform's paid promotion setting.
- Static posts: first line of the caption; for carousels, on the first slide.
Meta's own branded content policy already requires the Paid partnership label whenever there is an exchange of value, gifts included. So use it: you need it for the platform anyway. Treat it as an addition to the written label, not a replacement.
The permit number
Summaries of the NMA FAQ say creators should show their permit number on the profile or in the ad, in the format "Ad Permit: 65834". The simplest setup is the number in the bio plus "Ad" in each sponsored caption. Brands should check the number is real before the campaign; see our guide to the UAE Advertiser Permit.
What it costs to get wrong
Under Cabinet Resolution 42 of 2025:
- breaching the Article 33 conditions, missing label included: AED 20,000, then AED 50,000, doubled on further repeats;
- advertising on social media with no permit: written warning, then AED 20,000, then AED 50,000.
Full list in our table of UAE media law fines.
What nobody tells you
- "Gifted" is not a loophole. In the UAE regime a free product is a form of payment. A gifted post without a label is an unlabelled ad.
- The disclosure must be honest as well as present. "#ad but I genuinely love it" is fine. "#ad, best clinic in the UAE" fixes the label and breaks the superlative rule in the same line.
- Reposts lose platform tags. When a brand downloads a creator's reel and runs it as an ad, the Paid partnership tag is gone. The on-screen "Ad" text survives, which is why we burn it into the video.
- English-only labels may not be "clear" to everyone. The law does not demand Arabic in a social caption, but a bilingual "Ad / إعلان" costs nothing.
Vladimir Chernyshev, GM: brands sometimes ask creators to hide the label because "ads perform worse". In our view the risk is not worth it: the fine for the post is AED 20,000, and the audience in Dubai has seen enough sponsored content to recognise it with or without a hashtag.
Not sure whether your campaign needs a permit at all? Run it through our permit checker.
