Find your Dubai DED activity — with required approvals.
Search by activity name, DED code, or required ministry. Each activity mapped to its layered approvals (DHA, KHDA, RERA, Civil Defence, Dubai Municipality) plus setup cost. The activity-code-to-ministry mapping competitors charge for is published here for free.
- Activities indexed
- 30+
- DED total catalogue
- 1,000+
- Categories
- 4
- Activities/licence
- Up to 10
Activity-to-ministry mapping, searchable.
The Dubai DED activity catalogue maps every business activity to one or more required ministry approvals. Most setup firms treat this mapping as proprietary and charge for it as part of their consulting fee. YABS publishes a working subset publicly below — search by activity name, DED code, or required ministry, and see the layered approval stack + estimated setup cost. Use this to choose the right industry package or to validate whether a YABS quote correctly identifies the approvals your activity actually needs.
Try: "restaurant", "real estate", "5610", "DHA", "RERA", "consulting"…
29 activities matching
5610.10Restaurant
Approvals: Dubai Municipality, DHA, Civil Defence
Front-of-house inspection + kitchen pre-approval + DHA staff cards
5610.11Cloud kitchen (delivery only)
Approvals: Dubai Municipality, DHA
Skip front-of-house inspection; activity added 2022
5610.14Catering services
Approvals: Dubai Municipality, DHA
Kitchen pre-approval + DHA staff cards
9602.01Salon services (women)
Approvals: Dubai Municipality, DHA
Health permits + practitioner cards
9602.02Salon services (men)
Approvals: Dubai Municipality, DHA
Same as women's salon licensing
4791.00E-commerce / online retail
Approvals: Dubai DED
Ejari mandatory; virtual office NOT acceptable post-2022
4771.00Clothing retail
Approvals: Dubai DED
Mall management approval if mall-based
4773.00Pharmacy
Approvals: MOHAP, Dubai DED
MOHAP licence + qualified pharmacist required
4711.00Foodstuff retail
Approvals: Dubai Municipality, Dubai DED
Food permit + storage compliance
4742.00Electronics retail
Approvals: Dubai DED, TDRA (if SIM)
TDRA approval required for SIM card resale
4630.01General trading (master)
Approvals: Dubai Customs, Chamber of Commerce
Customs Code + Chamber membership required
8610.00Hospital
Approvals: DHA, Civil Defence
Full DHA facility + practitioners + medical liability insurance
8620.01General medical clinic
Approvals: DHA, Civil Defence
DHA pre-approval required before DED
8620.02Dental clinic
Approvals: DHA
DHA dental practitioner credentialing required
6820.00Real estate brokerage
Approvals: RERA, Dubai DED
AED 300,000 paid-up + Trakheesi broker cards required
8541.00Training institute
Approvals: KHDA, Dubai DED
KHDA pre-approval + curriculum + teacher credentials
9311.00Sports / fitness facility
Approvals: DHA, Civil Defence
DHA sports facility licence + trainer certifications
4100.00Construction of buildings
Approvals: Dubai Municipality, Civil Defence
Contractor classification (G+1, G+4, etc.)
4321.00Electrical contracting
Approvals: Dubai Municipality, DEWA
DEWA-registered electrical specialty
1071.00Bakery (manufacturing)
Approvals: Dubai Municipality
Industrial food licence + Municipality food code
8121.00Cleaning services
Approvals: Dubai DED, RTA
Crew quota + commercial vehicles
5210.00Warehousing & storage
Approvals: Dubai DED, Civil Defence
Civil Defence approval if storing flammable goods
4923.01Transport - general freight
Approvals: RTA
RTA category permit + commercial vehicle registrations
7022.00Management consultancy
Approvals: Dubai DED
DED Professional licence — flexi-desk OK
6201.00Software / SaaS development
Approvals: Dubai DED
TDRA notification only if telecom-adjacent
6311.00Cloud / hosting / data processing
Approvals: Dubai DED
Standard professional licence
7112.00Engineering consultancy
Approvals: Society of Engineers UAE, Dubai DED
Engineer credentialing required
7320.00Market research
Approvals: Dubai DED
Standard professional licence
7990.04Event management
Approvals: DET, Dubai Police
Per-event permits separately
Frequently asked questions
What is a Dubai DED activity code?
Every Dubai mainland business is licensed under one or more activity codes from the Dubai DED activity catalogue (1,000+ codes total, aligned with the international ISIC classification). The activity code determines which ministry approvals layer on top of the DED licence: DHA for medical/sports, KHDA for education, RERA for real estate, Dubai Municipality for food/cosmetics, Civil Defence for fire-safety scope, TDRA for telecom, etc.
Why does activity classification matter so much?
Two reasons. (1) Cost: layered ministry approvals add AED 1,500–25,000+ to standard DED licence fees. Pick the wrong activity and you pay for approvals you don't need; pick too narrow and you can't legally do the work you want. (2) Operational scope: licence amendments to add activities later cost AED 500–2,500 each plus retypist fees. Getting it right at filing saves repeat amendments.
Can I have multiple activity codes on one licence?
Yes — Dubai DED allows up to 10 activities per licence. First 5 are included in the base licence fee; activities 6–10 cost AED 200–600 each. The activities must be compatible — DED groups activities into categories (commercial, professional, industrial, tourism) and rejects mixed combinations. General Trading is a meta-activity allowing nearly unlimited commodity trading under one umbrella.
How does YABS pick activities for me?
We map your business model to the DED activity catalogue at activity-finder stage, then layer the ministry approvals required for each activity. The mapping is published page-by-page on YABS — competitors generally don't do this; activity selection is part of their consulting fee. Our package pages include the activity codes covered upfront.
Lock in the right activities
YABS confirms exact DED activity codes + ministry approvals at apply stage. No surprises later.
This page was last reviewed by the YABS compliance team in Q2 2026 and reflects current Dubai DED, Dubai Municipality, DHA, MOHRE, FTA, and DLD requirements.