The rule
The Department of Economy and Tourism (DET, formerly Dubai Economy / DED) says it plainly: in addition to a valid trade licence, "obtaining a permit is also mandatory for any promotional offer". That covers discounts, sales, special offers ("buy one get one", scratch-and-win), clearance sales, instant prizes and raffles. Between January 2019 and July 2020 DET issued 15,477 such permits, including 6,689 for instant prizes and 4,624 for raffles.
The channel does not change the rule. A prize promoted on Instagram is still a prize promotion by a licensed business.
What it costs: the official fee schedule
The fees sit in Executive Council Resolution No. 13 of 2011, the DED fee table published on the Dubai Legislation Portal (2016 compilation, no amendments recorded). The lines a marketer needs:
| Permit | Official fee, AED |
|---|---|
| Raffle draws, 1 to 5 | 1,000 per draw; +100 for each draw after the fifth |
| Instant prizes, weekly campaign up to 30 days, prize ≤ AED 500 | 500 for up to 10 sites, +100 per extra site |
| Instant prizes, prize > AED 500 | 1,000 for up to 10 sites, +100 per extra site |
| Instant gifts up to 30 days, gift ≤ AED 500 | 1,000 per site, max 10,000 |
| Instant gifts, gift > AED 500 | 2,000 per site, max 15,000 |
| Sale up to 30 days | 2,500 (≤ 2,000 sq ft), 3,500, 8,000, 13,500 (> 6,000 sq ft) |
| Special offers up to 15 days | 2,500; +500 for one extra week |
| Clearance up to 30 days | 2,500; +1,500 for one extra week |
| Sale advertisement | 250 |
| Free samples up to 30 days | 500 |
| Promotion during DSF or DSS | 500 |
| Changing campaign details or dates | 500 |
Government fees in Dubai often carry small knowledge and innovation charges on top, and a 15-year-old schedule may have been revised in the portal. Treat these as the official baseline and confirm at application. Agency guides quote wider "indicative" ranges, for example AED 1,000 to 15,000+ for a prize draw; those are market estimates, not tariffs.
The fines
From the same resolution's Schedule 2:
| Violation | Fine, AED |
|---|---|
| Sale, offer, promotion or prizes without a permit | 10,000 |
| Raffle draw without a DED/DET representative present | 10,000 |
| Rigging raffle results | 15,000 |
| Not handing over prizes to winners in time | 5,000 |
| Running a promotion in breach of the permit | 5,000 |
| Selling promotional coupons without a permit | 5,000 |
| Extending a campaign without approval | 3,000 |
| Missing the raffle timetable | 2,000 |
| Using the DSF or DSS logo without a permit | 20,000 |
A repeat within a year doubles the fine, capped at AED 100,000, and DET can close the business for up to six months.
The draw-day rule nobody mentions
DET's compliance manual, as described by Dubai Media Office, says raffles are held under the supervision of its consumer protection inspectors, the winner is announced in the presence of a DET representative, and "any raffle held in the absence of a CCCP inspector is deemed illegal". After the draw:
- the prize must reach the winner within 60 working days;
- the business sends DET a closing statement with winners, prize types and values;
- any prize the winner does not receive is handed over to DET.
That is why "comment and tag three friends, we'll pick a winner on Friday" is not as casual as it looks. A random pick from comments is a draw.
Worked example: a café's Instagram giveaway
A DET-licensed café in Jumeirah runs a two-week Instagram campaign: "Win a brunch for four" (prize value about AED 600), with one winner picked at random.
| Item | AED |
|---|---|
| Raffle permit, 1 draw | 1,000 |
| If they also run "20% off brunch" in the same post: special offers permit (15 days) | 2,500 |
| Advertisement permit for the sale | 250 |
| Total official permit fees | 3,750 |
| Fine if skipped: promotion without a permit | 10,000 |
| Plus, if the draw happens without a DET representative | 10,000 |
The giveaway alone costs AED 1,000 in fees. Skipping it risks AED 10,000 to 20,000.
Social media giveaway checklist
- Confirm who holds the trade licence: DET mainland, or a free zone (ask your free zone authority).
- Apply for the right permit type: raffle (random winner), instant prize, or competition.
- Write terms: dates, eligibility (18+, UAE residents), prize and value, how the winner is chosen, how they are contacted, and the permit number.
- Book the DET representative for the draw date.
- Label the post as an ad if a creator posts it, and check their NMA permit; see our ad disclosure guide.
- Don't offer alcohol or shisha as prizes: they can't be advertised at all. A clinic treatment as a prize brings in the health ad rules.
- Deliver the prize within 60 working days and file the closing statement.
What nobody tells you
- "No purchase necessary" doesn't remove the permit. The permit is tied to giving prizes to the public, and the fee schedule has no exception for free entry.
- Skill contests are a grey zone. If a jury picks the "best photo", it isn't luck, but it is still a promotion with a prize. Ask DET before assuming no permit.
- Partner giveaways double the paperwork. If two businesses co-host, check which licence the permit sits on and that both names appear in the terms.
- Physical promotions add other authorities. Displaying a prize car on the pavement needs an RTA pavement permit at AED 3,000 a month plus a AED 10,000 refundable deposit, and the RTA asks for the DET raffle permit first.
Vladimir Chernyshev, GM: for a small venue a single giveaway rarely pays back AED 1,000 of permit fees plus the prize. If you do run one, film the draw with the DET representative present and post it: it is proof for the regulator and good content.
Related: UAE media content standards, restaurant marketing in Dubai.
