Government approvals
Media approvals in Dubai: licences and permits for media activities
Media activities in the UAE are regulated at federal level by the National Media Authority (NMA), which took over from the UAE Media Council under a 2025 decree-law. Publishing, broadcasting, film, digital media and similar businesses need a media licence or permit as well as a trade licence. People still search for this as "NMC approval". Caliph prepares the application.
At a glance Fact sheet
- Federal regulator
- National Media Authority (NMA)
- Earlier names
- National Media Council (NMC), then the UAE Media Council
- Main law
- Federal Decree-Law No. 55 of 2023 on media regulation
- Covers
- Broadcasting, film, publications, digital media, photography, book fairs and video games
- Filming in Dubai
- Location permit applications go through the Dubai Film and TV Commission
- Works alongside
- The trade licence from DET or a free zone authority
Overview
The National Media Council that many founders remember no longer exists. It was merged into the Ministry of Culture and Youth in 2020. Media regulation then passed to the UAE Media Council, and a federal decree-law issued in December 2025 folded the UAE Media Council, the National Media Office and the Emirates News Agency into one body, the National Media Authority. When an old checklist asks for the council's approval, this is the authority it now means.
The media law lists the activities it regulates: radio and television broadcasting including streaming services, films and other artistic works, newspapers and publications, book fairs, electronic and digital media, photography, and video games. A company in one of these fields needs the media licence or permit for its activity, and what it publishes has to follow the national media content standards. Advertising is covered too. Adverts must respect the same standards and be clearly identified as advertising.
Many approvals are for a piece of work, not for the company. Printing or circulating a publication, screening a film, having a script approved, filming on land, at sea or from the air, and bringing media material into the country each have their own permit. Caliph identifies which ones your business will need and files them.
How Caliph helps with media approvals
Today's authority, not the old name
Names, forms and portals have changed several times. We apply to the body that handles your activity now.
Activities mapped to the media law
We compare your business plan with the regulated media activities and tell you which licence or permit each one needs.
Company documents made ready
The media licence application asks for the trade licence, the Memorandum of Association and the lease. We prepare all three so that they agree.
Mainland or media free zone
Several emirates have free zones built for media companies, such as Sharjah Media City (Shams) and Ajman Media City. We compare them with a mainland licence for your plans.
Permits for single projects
Shoots, publications and campaigns often need their own permit. We file these as they come up, once the company is licensed.
What to have ready
- A UAE PASS digital identity for the applicant
- A passport copy and a personal photo of the licence holder
- A short profile of the business and the media activities it will carry out
- The Memorandum of Association
- The trade licence
- The tenancy contract for the office
- Any approval from another authority that the activity depends on
The applicant must be of good conduct, and a company must be a sole establishment or a company formed under the UAE Commercial Companies Law. Your Caliph consultant confirms what applies to you.
How a media licence application runs
Define the media activities
Your consultant lists what the company will do and matches each item to the regulated media activities.
Set up the company file
The trade name, the legal form, the Memorandum of Association and the office lease are arranged with DET or the free zone.
Apply on the authority's e-services
The application is filed online with UAE PASS, the company details and the documents.
The authority reviews the request
The application is checked against the licensing conditions and is then approved or rejected.
Pay and receive the licence
The fees are paid after approval and the media licence is issued.
Add permits as you work
Filming, publication, screening and similar permits are requested project by project.
Good to know
- A media licence does not replace the approvals of other authorities. A broadcaster, for example, also needs frequencies allocated by TDRA.
- Individuals who publish advertising content on social media need a permit from the media authority. Visiting creators apply through an advertising agency licensed in the UAE.
- A company licensed in a media free zone works within that zone. Activity outside it falls under the rules that apply in the rest of the country.
- The order between the trade licence and the media approval can differ by licensing authority and by activity. Your consultant plans the sequence.
Questions people ask
What replaced the National Media Council (NMC)?
The National Media Council was merged into the Ministry of Culture and Youth in 2020. Media regulation later moved to the UAE Media Council, and under a federal decree-law issued in December 2025 it sits with the National Media Authority, which also took over the National Media Office and the Emirates News Agency.
Which businesses need a media licence in the UAE?
Businesses that carry out regulated media activities: radio and television broadcasting and streaming, films and artistic works, newspapers and other publications, electronic and digital media, photography, book fairs and video games. The exact licence or permit depends on the activity, so your consultant checks your plan against the list.
Do I need a permit to film in Dubai?
Yes. Filming is regulated under the media law, which covers land, aerial and marine photography. For shoots in Dubai, location permit applications are handled through the Dubai Film and TV Commission. Tell your consultant where and what you plan to shoot so that the right applications are made.
Do influencers and content creators need a permit?
Individuals who publish advertising or media content on social media accounts, websites or other digital platforms, paid or unpaid, apply for a permit from the National Media Authority. The application asks for identity documents and a commercial licence. Visitors to the UAE apply for a temporary permit through a licensed advertising agency.
Do media free zone companies need federal media approval?
The federal media law applies to media free zones as well as the mainland, and the National Media Authority states that it supervises media outlets and activities in free zones too. A free zone media company works inside its zone. Activity outside the zone falls under the rules for the rest of the country.
Is a media licence enough to start publishing?
Not always. The licence covers the company's activity. Individual works can still need permits, for example to print or circulate a publication, to screen a film or to have a script approved. Everything you publish must also follow the national media content standards.
Reviewed by Caliph Business Solutions on . Rules differ by activity and by authority. Your Caliph consultant confirms what applies to you.
Ready to establish your company in the UAE?
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