If your brand works with influencers in the UAE, the rules changed in 2025. Every creator who publishes advertising content on social media from the UAE now needs an Advertiser Permit from the UAE Media Council, and brands are expected to check it before a campaign goes live. This guide explains who needs the permit, what it costs, how visiting creators are handled, and what your marketing team should check before signing any influencer.
What is the UAE influencer licence?
What people call the "influencer licence" is the Advertiser Permit issued by the UAE Media Council under Media Council Decision No. 3 of 2025, which sits under Federal Decree-Law No. 55 of 2023 on media regulation. It replaced the older National Media Council e-media licence.
The permit covers advertising content on any social platform, such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube and X. It applies whether the creator is paid in cash or receives products, services, a free meal or any other benefit in return for the post. The registration window closed on 31 January 2026, so the rules now apply in full.
Who needs an Advertiser Permit?
In short: anyone who publishes promotional content for a third party on social media from the UAE. That includes UAE citizens, residents and visiting creators.
| Creator type | Needs a permit? | How they get it |
|---|---|---|
| UAE citizen or resident influencer | Yes | Applies directly to the UAE Media Council with a qualifying trade or freelance licence |
| Visiting influencer (on a visit or tourist visa) | Yes | Through a licensed advertising or talent agency approved by the Council |
| Business owner promoting their own product on their own account | No | Exempt, as long as it is their own business |
| Under 18 posting educational, sports, cultural or awareness content | No | Exempt for non-commercial content |
| Company account posting its own ads | Not this permit | The company may need a separate media licence, depending on its trade licence |
One detail many brands miss: the permit is issued to individuals through a sole establishment or single-shareholder licence. A company cannot hold an Advertiser Permit in its own name, so the permit always belongs to the creator, not the agency or the brand.
What residents need before they apply
- A trade or freelance licence with a media or advertising activity, for example from the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai or a free zone that offers a sole-establishment option.
- A good conduct certificate from the police or the Ministry of Interior.
- An online application on the UAE Media Council website, linking the social media accounts that will carry the ads.
Once the permit is issued, the creator must show the permit number on each registered social media account and publish ads only from those accounts.
How much does the permit cost?
| Permit | Fee | Validity |
|---|---|---|
| Resident or citizen Advertiser Permit | Free for the first three years, then AED 1,000 a year | 1 year, renewed every year |
| Visiting Advertiser Permit | AED 500 to issue and AED 500 to renew | 3 months, can be extended once (6 months in total) |
The trade licence and good conduct certificate are separate costs. Fees can change, so always confirm the current amounts on the UAE Media Council website before you budget a campaign.
Visiting influencers: what changes for brands
Brands in Dubai often fly in creators for launches and events. A visiting creator cannot apply alone. The application must go through a UAE agency that is licensed and approved by the Media Council, and it includes the contract between the creator, the agency and the brand. The agency acts as the creator's representative in the UAE.
In practice, this means a visiting creator needs to be booked earlier than before. Build the agency step and the permit approval into your launch timeline, rather than leaving it to the week of the event.
What brands should check before hiring an influencer
The permit belongs to the creator, but the law does not leave brands out. Liability for non-compliant advertising can extend to the business that commissioned it. Before you sign, check these points:
- The creator holds a valid Advertiser Permit, and the permit number is shown on the account you are paying for.
- The permit is linked to the exact accounts that will publish your content.
- For a visiting creator, the agency is licensed and approved by the UAE Media Council.
- The permit will still be valid on every posting date in the campaign.
- Your sector does not need an extra approval. Health, medical, financial and real estate ads often do.
- The content follows the UAE media content standards: no misleading claims, no offensive content and clear disclosure that it is an ad.
Clauses to add to influencer contracts
- A copy of the creator's trade licence and Advertiser Permit, attached to the contract.
- A promise to keep the permit valid for the whole campaign and to tell you if it is suspended.
- Clear disclosure of the paid partnership in every post.
- Responsibility for regulatory breaches sits with the creator, with the right to end the contract if the permit lapses.
- Which platforms, markets and dates you are allowed to reuse the content on.
Penalties for working without a permit
Publishing advertising content without a permit breaks the UAE media law. Penalties under the law and its regulations include fines, content removal and suspension of accounts, and brands that commission the content can also be held responsible. Penalty amounts are set in the law and its executive regulations, so check them with the Media Council or a legal adviser rather than relying on figures quoted online, which vary.
How this affects your influencer marketing plan
The permit makes influencer marketing in the UAE more professional. Creators with a permit are easier to verify, and brands can build long-term partnerships with less risk. A simple process for your team:
- Shortlist creators who already show a permit number on their profile.
- Collect licence and permit copies at the proposal stage, not after the brief.
- Add the permit check to your campaign approval checklist.
- Track permit expiry dates for creators you use every month.
- Measure results with tracked links or codes, so you can compare creators fairly. See our guide to brand awareness strategy for the KPIs to track.
For campaign ideas that combine creators with paid social, read our guide to digital marketing campaigns in Dubai. If you want a team to find, vet and manage creators for you, see our influencer outreach services.
