The rule for Dubai training institutes
Training institutes in Dubai are licensed by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) under Executive Council Resolution No. 50 of 2015. Its implementing bylaw, Administrative Resolution No. 2 of 2018, Article 15, is short and strict:
"Any media" includes Instagram, TikTok, Google Ads, flyers and billboards.
What it costs and how long it takes
From KHDA's service page:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Fee | AED 100 per approval |
| Time | 2 working days from a complete application (the bylaw allows up to 3) |
| Validity | 3 months |
| Prerequisites | Valid KHDA Educational Services Permit and commercial licence |
| Where | KHDA e-services portal, with all proposed materials attached |
| Standard | KHDA's Advertising and Marketing Materials Guide |
KHDA can also order an institute to withdraw a published ad or republish it differently at any time, and the institute is liable for the accuracy of everything in it.
What an ad must not do
Article 15(b) lists five conditions. Here they are with the marketing habit each one rules out:
| Bylaw condition | Typical ad that fails |
|---|---|
| No reference to KHDA unless approved and in KHDA's format | "KHDA approved!" sticker made by the designer |
| No suggestion of sponsorship by public figures, officials or government bodies without a real link | A minister's photo from an event; government logos on a slide |
| No misrepresentation of training activities and programmes | "Internationally accredited diploma" for an unaccredited course; "native-speaker teachers" if they aren't |
| No promotion of another commercial activity | A course ad that also sells visa services or a partner's laptops |
| Compliance with Dubai advertising law | Outdoor ads without the Arabic and permit rules; promotions without a DET permit |
The institute must also use its name exactly as approved by KHDA in all its publications and advertising material, under the same bylaw.
The federal layer on top
The federal Media Law lists education among the five sectors whose ads need the relevant authority's approval: Article 33(10)(d) of the Executive Regulation covers "advertisements concerning providing educational services". Publishing without that approval costs AED 10,000 under Cabinet Resolution 42/2025, and misleading claims cost AED 20,000, then AED 50,000. A creator promoting the course needs their own NMA Advertiser Permit and an ad label.
Worked example: a language school's autumn campaign
A Dubai language institute plans three months of ads: four reels, a Meta lead campaign and one outdoor banner.
| Step | Cost or time |
|---|---|
| KHDA approval for the reel scripts and ad copy, one submission | AED 100, 2 working days |
| Approval valid until | 3 months from issue, covering the campaign |
| New creative in month 2 (different offer) | New approval, AED 100 |
| Outdoor banner | KHDA approval plus outdoor permit (see our outdoor advertising guide) |
| "20% off for early birds" | DET promotions permit as well (see our promotions permit guide) |
The KHDA fee is the smallest line in the budget. The real cost of skipping it is a pulled campaign in the middle of enrolment season.
Pre-submission checklist
- Institute name exactly as on the KHDA authorisation.
- Every course named as it appears on your approved programme list.
- Accreditation claims match documents you can attach.
- No KHDA logo or "approved" wording except the approved tagline format.
- No public figures, officials or government logos without a real, documented association.
- Student testimonials with signed consent; no invented results or pass rates.
- Prices and discounts consistent with your DET permit if there's an offer.
- One submission per creative set, so the 3-month validity covers the whole campaign.
What nobody tells you
- Approval expires before many campaigns end. Three months is shorter than a school year. Plan resubmission dates into the content calendar.
- Changing the creative restarts the clock. The approval covers the content you submitted. A new hook or a new offer is new content.
- Creators and agencies can't approve on your behalf. Responsibility for accuracy sits with the institute.
- Free zone institutes aren't automatically outside KHDA. KHDA issues permits for training institutes in Dubai free zones too, through its e-services portal (KHDA).
Vladimir Chernyshev, GM: batch your creative. Shoot a month of reels in one day, write all captions at once, submit them to KHDA together. One AED 100 approval and two days of waiting beats a dozen submissions scattered across the term.
Related: UAE media content standards, ad disclosure rules.
