Which ads need a Trakheesi permit
The Dubai Land Department issues one advertising permit for property marketing, and you apply for it through Trakheesi. DLD lists 14 advertisement types under that permit. Electronic advertisements, classified listings and promotion platforms are on the list, so social media sits inside the rule, not next to it.
In practice, treat anything that shows a specific property and invites a buyer or tenant to act as an ad:
- a listing on a portal;
- a feed post, carousel or story on Instagram, TikTok or Facebook;
- a reel or YouTube walkthrough of a unit;
- a paid campaign on Meta or Google;
- a WhatsApp broadcast with photos and a price.
To advertise a property as a broker, you also need a marketing agreement with the owner. Without that contract, Trakheesi will not give you a permit for the unit.
The QR code rule
Since 15 April 2023, every property ad in Dubai has to carry the QR code that Trakheesi generates for its permit. The requirement comes from RERA circular 02-2023. The QR code lets a buyer, or a DLD inspector, scan the ad and see that the permit exists and matches the property.
For video, that raises a production question nobody likes to answer on the day of the edit: where does the code go? A QR code in the bottom corner of a 9:16 reel gets covered by the platform's caption and buttons. Plan a clean end card or a static frame with the code and permit number, and put the same data in the caption.
What the permit costs and how fast you get it
The DLD service page lists the fees: AED 1,000 for an advertising permit plus a AED 20 knowledge and innovation fee, AED 5,000 for a project launch event, and a stated service time of one working day. Exhibitions are priced separately (AED 10,200 preliminary booking, AED 1,020 per exhibitor). A broker applying needs a copy of the marketing contract with the owner for every ad type, social media included. How long a permit stays valid is not stated on any DLD page we found.
| Item | Amount | Source and confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Ad permit per property or campaign | AED 1,000 + AED 20 | DLD, official |
| Launch event permit | AED 5,000 | DLD, official |
| Processing time | 1 working day | DLD, official |
Fines and how DLD finds violations
Advertising without a permit carries a fine from AED 50,000, and the amount doubles for a repeat, under RERA circular 1-2020. That figure comes from a property glossary citing the circular, not from the circular itself, so check the current wording with DLD if you face a penalty.
DLD does enforce. In the first half of 2024, the department fined 256 brokers and issued 1,200 warnings, according to the Dubai Media Office. Since late 2024, an AI system has been reviewing listings, and 279,000 ads had been checked by the time of that report. A missing QR code is the easiest thing for an automated check to catch.
The second permit: NMA for the broker
Trakheesi covers the property. It does not cover the person. Since 1 February 2026, anyone who advertises a brand, product or service on social media from the UAE needs an Advertiser Permit from the National Media Authority (NMA, formerly the UAE Media Council). The NMA FAQ, as summarised by UAE Expert Hub, names realtors directly: a broker who advertises the agency's listings needs the permit. Employees who promote their employer are usually exempt, but that exemption does not extend to brokers.
So a broker posting a listing on a personal Instagram account needs two things at once:
- a Trakheesi permit and QR code for the property;
- an NMA Advertiser Permit for themselves.
The Advertiser Permit is free for UAE residents for the first three years, then AED 1,000 a year. It sits on top of a trade licence that includes e-media activity, and that licence is where the real cost lies. Our Advertiser Permit guide walks through the steps.
The fine for advertising on social media without the NMA permit, read from the Arabic text of Cabinet Resolution 42/2025, is a written warning the first time, then AED 20,000, then AED 50,000. The AED 10,000 / 40,000 figure quoted by Gulf News belongs to a different row: running a media activity without a licence. Our media fines table has both.
The media law's executive regulation also lists real estate among sectors whose ads need approval from the sector authority before publication. For Dubai property, that authority is DLD, which brings you back to Trakheesi.
Just Sold posts and other grey areas
Agencies like to post a Just Sold reel the day a deal closes. One agency guide says these posts are allowed only after the transfer of ownership is registered. This rule comes from a single, unofficial source. If you rely on Just Sold content, ask DLD before you build a format around it.
The same advice applies to price claims. Article 33 of the media regulation bans ambiguous ads, claims of exclusivity, exaggeration and attacks on competitors. "The only sea view at this price" is the kind of line that crosses it.
Shooting the property: drones, people, signs
Property video brings its own set of rules on set.
Drone shots
Aerial shots of towers and communities sell off-plan projects, and they are the most regulated part of the shoot. Commercial drone filming needs an operator authorisation from the GCAA (DCAA in Dubai), a licensed pilot and a separate security clearance for the camera. Flying without permission can cost up to AED 50,000 and/or up to one year in prison. Fitting a camera to a drone without permission carries AED 100,000 to AED 2,000,000. Our drone filming guide covers zones and timelines.
People in the frame
Residents, staff and passers-by in a walkthrough are a privacy issue. Under the cybercrime law, photographing or filming a person without consent, even in a public place, can mean prison from six months and/or a fine of AED 150,000 to AED 500,000. Get written model releases from anyone recognisable, and a property release from the owner for interiors.
Outdoor signs and billboards
If the campaign goes offline, Dubai's advertising decree requires Arabic as the main language on ad structures, taking at least 50% of the area, placed at the top or on the right. Websites and social posts fall outside this rule.
A pre-publish checklist for agencies
- Signed marketing agreement with the owner for this unit.
- Trakheesi permit issued, permit number saved.
- QR code placed where the platform interface will not cover it, plus permit number in the caption.
- NMA Advertiser Permit active for every broker whose account will post the ad.
- No "exclusive", "best", "only" claims you cannot prove.
- Releases from people on camera and the owner of the interior.
- Drone footage shot under a valid operator authorisation and clearance.
- Just Sold content held until the transfer is registered.
What property video costs in Dubai
Market prices come from agency and freelancer blogs, so read them as ranges. A walkthrough video runs AED 2,500 to AED 5,500 at one production house, while another lists AED 1,000 to AED 3,500 per unit. A basic photo package for a listing is AED 300 to AED 500, or AED 500 to AED 800 with HDR and drone. For the full picture, see how much video production costs in Dubai.
Savage Media shoots property reels, walkthroughs and photos, with one-off shoots from AED 950 (special offer). If you need a steady flow of content for an agency, Savage Story covers two shooting days a month for a fixed price.
