Starting an advertising agency in Dubai

Starting an advertising agency in Dubai is a profitable business idea, especially if you have a low budget and want to establish your company with low investment. Dubai is a business hub and the purpose of advertising is to bring more leads and clients for business. It means if you start an advertising agency business in Dubai, you can find clients all around you.

You can target startups that need clients for their new business or a SME that is planning to upscale. If you have a good portfolio and case studies in your hand, you can definitely target Dubai giants. In other words, clients are out there, all you need to do is to understand the complete setup process.

Prospr wants you to Prosper in Dubai, thereby we are here to unlock a step-by-step guide that you can follow for taking steps towards your business growth in Dubai.

Must read: How to get hotel business license in Dubai

Understand main types of advertising services

Advertising is an umbrella term and under this umbrella you can find tons of other niche-specific businesses such as:

Print ads
Email campaigns
Multimedia advertisements
Billboards
Radio and TV ads

Digital marketing or advertising agencies are in trend but you can definitely think about AI-based advertising agencies- which are the future of the marketing world.

Instead of offering all services, try to start with a service you are good at or have some portfolio to display. It’s because tons of advertisers are out there and you can have your foot in the market only when you can demonstrate your previous experience.

A company will hire your agency only when you can show them that you already bring great business results for others. Thereby, choose a specific niche and start from there. Later on, you can add more services as business grows.

Read 17 easy business ideas for women in Dubai

Advertising agency license in Dubai

Now the very first thing need to secure in your advertising agency setup in Dubai is “Advertising license”. It’s basically your work permit that allows you to continue doing advertising business in Dubai. You can get business license in either Mainland or Free Zones.

Know the difference between mainland and freezone companies

However, it’s suggested to start with Mainland, it may cost you more but you would be able to offer your services anywhere in Dubai, instead of following regional restrictions.

Here are some steps you need to take to get an advertising trade license Dubai.

You will seek initial business approval from the Department of Economic Development (DED). You will provide all the documents about your personal identity alongside passport copies while applying for this approval.
Next you need a trade name certificate. Decide a good name for your business and then register this business name to get a certificate from DED.
Once you have both certificates, you need to find out the best office location for your business. Tons of options are out there, but you need to ensure that your advertising agency office is of 200 square feet as per guidelines set by DED. You need to get an Ejari certificate after signing up your lease agreement. Submit this agreement to DED.
Draft Memorandum of Association for your agency and all the partners of your company needs to sign it.

So, for getting your advertising agency license you need to provide following documents:

The application form of registration from DED
A copy of your passport
No Objection Certificate (NOC), if currently employed with a company in the UAE
The local sponsor’s passport copy (Also read about how to get a trade license in Dubai without a local sponsor)
Your Emirates ID copy
Memorandum of Association (attested)
Your certified tenancy contract of the office space

Once you have your advertising agency business license UAE, you can start visa processing for you and your employees. Get an entry permit then get residency visa after taking medical exams. Once your visa is stamped and you have emirates ID, you can open your bank account for financial transaction of your agency.

Understand: How to start an online business in Dubai

Approvals required for Advertising agency in Dubai

You need two different kinds of approval for this company setup.

External approval

You will get business approval from:

DED
Dubai Chamber of Commerce
Ministry of Economy

Keep in mind that each department has its specific approval fee.

Internal approval

There are some specific government authorities that regulate and maintain advertising agency businesses all over Dubai. You need their approval for running your agency:

You need internal approval for your agency from the NMC- National Media Council. This approval usually takes two to three days. You will pay the fee during the approval application process. When it comes to getting approval regarding your medium of advertisement, you indeed seek approval from KHDA.

Important requirements set by authorities for Advertisement agency

Ads are important part of your business model and whenever you run the ads, you need to keep some important rules and restriction set by KHDA
Always respect religious beliefs, never run any ads that show any disrespect to any religion.
Another thing you can’t afford to miss is people’s privacy, it’s mandatory for you to respect privacy at any cost.
You can’t display the name of your parent company in the ads.
It’s vital to provide accurate and factual information, no fake ads or misrepresentation of any kind.
Ads should not be offensive.

Here are some guidelines from KHDA

Opening an advertisement agency in Free Zones

Although we suggested you start your agency in Mainland, but you can definitely think about opening an agency in the Free zone. There are many different free zones, but Dubai Media City is going to be your best choice. It’s because this free zone is quite supportive for marketing and media related agencies. So, tons of reforms will go in your favor. You can open an agency and enjoy its 100 percent ownership. There is no income tax and complete repatriation of profits for foreigners. However, you need to get approval from specific free zone authorities while setting up a business there.

Learn about cost for setting up a grocery business in Dubai

How much does it cost to start an advertising agency license in Dubai?

You need to be ready to spend around AED 20,000 to AED 40,000 on overall license. The cost of a marketing and communication license is AED 12000 to 30,000. Cost varies depending on your media activities.

Learn about How to add activities in trade license Dubai?

Prospr can quickly process your advertising agency license in Dubai

As you can see tons of approvals are required for setting up an advertising agency business in Dubai. Being a foreigner, you have no idea about local laws and regulations. If you handle it all by yourself, it will take you months. But with Prospr’s business consultants at your side, we will speed up the process and help you land in Dubai within a few weeks. Send us inquiries now at hello@prosprplus.ae

Category: Business Licence

Samad Ahmed

Samad is a tech enthusiast dedicated to delivering socially responsible, ethical, and transparent products in the MENA region. With over a decade of business experience, he continues to support the entrepreneurial community as the owner of Prospr, a company specializing in business setup services across the UAE, particularly in Dubai.