What happened
On 18 December 2025 the UAE Government announced a federal decree-law creating the National Media Authority (NMA). Federal Decree-Law No. 11 of 2025 makes it a federal public authority attached to the Cabinet, with its own finances and administration. According to the NMA's own page, it replaces three bodies "in all of their functions, rights, and obligations":
- the UAE Media Council, which licensed media activities and ran the influencer rules;
- the National Media Office;
- the Emirates News Agency (WAM), which continues as a sector of the NMA.
On 6 January 2026 Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, who already chaired the Media Council and the National Media Office, was appointed chairman. Same leadership, one roof.
What the NMA does for a business
From its published mandate, the parts that touch brands, agencies and creators:
- proposes the rules for licensing media outlets and media activities, "including digital media and electronic publishing", free zones included;
- sets media content standards;
- monitors everything printed, published and broadcast in the UAE, free zones included, and acts on violations;
- accredits foreign journalists and correspondents.
In practice that means the NMA issues the Advertiser Permit for creators, decides on breaches of the 20 content standards through its committee, and imposes the fines in Cabinet Resolution 42/2025.
What did not change
The name changed; the rulebook did not. These all still apply as written:
| Instrument | What it does | Status after the NMA |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Decree-Law No. 55 of 2023 | The Media Law: licences, content standards, ad labelling | In force |
| Cabinet Resolution No. 68 of 2024 | Executive Regulation, incl. Article 33 on advertising | In force |
| Chairman's Decision No. 3 of 2025 | Basis of the Advertiser Permit (NMA guide) | In force; "Chairman" now means the NMA chairman |
| Cabinet Resolution No. 41 of 2025 | Media fees | In force |
| Cabinet Resolution No. 42 of 2025 | Fines, up to AED 1 million | In force; the text still says "the Council" |
Our table of media law fines translates Resolution 42 row by row.
Federal and local: who regulates what
The NMA is not the only media regulator you deal with. The Media Law lets each emirate name a "competent authority", and the fines resolution gives both levels the power to fine.
| Level | Body | What you deal with it for |
|---|---|---|
| Federal | National Media Authority | Advertiser Permit, content standards, content fines, federal media licensing |
| Dubai | Dubai Media Council, competent authority under Decree 66/2024, DIFC included | Media activity permits in Dubai via its Dubai Media Permits Office |
| Dubai | Dubai Films and Games Commission, under the Dubai Media Council | Successor to the Dubai Film and TV Commission (DFTC) after Decree 67/2024; film and game industry |
| Dubai free zones | Dubai Development Authority (Media City, Studio City) | Keeps jurisdiction in its zones, coordinating with the Dubai Media Council |
| Abu Dhabi | Creative Media Authority | Filming permits and media licensing in Abu Dhabi |
Shooting a commercial on a Dubai street still needs a filming permit; see our guide to filming permits in Dubai. Many filming pages still carry the DFTC name, so expect both names for a while.
What to update in your paperwork
| Where the old name hides | Replace with | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Influencer contracts: "permit issued by the UAE Media Council" | "Advertiser Permit issued by the National Media Authority (formerly UAE Media Council)" | A clause naming a body that no longer exists invites an argument |
| Creator briefs and agency decks | NMA, with the old name in brackets | Creators search for both |
| Compliance checklists | Add Cabinet Resolution 42/2025 fines and Article 33 | The checklist should cite the rule, not only the body |
| Bookmarks for the permit portal | Keep eservices.uaemc.gov.ae, as the NMA guide still points there | The portal had not moved when we checked |
| Complaints and contact details | info@nma.gov.ae; call centre 800971 per summaries | Old uaemc email addresses may stop working |
What nobody tells you
- The fine resolution still says "Council". Cabinet Resolution 42/2025 was issued before the NMA existed. Nobody re-issued it; the NMA simply inherited the Council's powers. Don't let anyone argue the fines lapsed with the name.
- NMA pages are hard to read for machines. Many NMA service pages render with JavaScript and show up empty in some tools and search snippets. Older uaemc.gov.ae pages and the PDF guides often carry the readable text.
- Old articles quote pre-2026 prices. A figure of AED 15,000 for a "National Media Council" influencer licence still circulates. That was the regime before the Advertiser Permit; today the permit is free for residents for three years, on top of a trade licence.
Vladimir Chernyshev, GM: for a restaurant or a clinic, the rename changes one word in the contract. What it signals matters more: one federal body now owns the news agency, the media office and the regulator, and it has said publicly that it monitors content. Plan as if someone is reading.
Next steps: our guides to the UAE Advertiser Permit and to checking an influencer's permit, and our permit checker.
