The steps to open a jewellery shop in Dubai have to happen in a set order:
- Choose your licence route
- Get initial approval
- Secure the unit and register the tenancy
- receive the trade licence
- Design the shop and security plan together
- Certify the plan with SIRA
- Get landlord and civil defence approvals
- Build
- Pass inspections and the SIRA audit
- Open
Getting the order of approvals wrong is the most common reason a jewellery shop opens late.
Based on SIRA’s, DDA’s, and the Dubai Land Department’s published requirements as of November 2026. Landlord and permit steps vary by mall and zone.
The sequence
| Step | What you need first | What it unlocks | |
| 1 | Choose the licence route and activity | A business plan | Initial approval application |
| 2 | Get initial approval and reserve the trade name | Route, activity, owner details | The lease, Ejari and other departments’ approvals |
| 3 | Choose the unit and read the landlord’s fit-out manual | Format, budget, route | The tenancy |
| 4 | Sign the tenancy and register it where required | Initial approval, chosen unit | The trade licence |
| 5 | Receive the trade licence | Initial approval, registered tenancy, documents, fees | SIRA plan certificate and fit-out approvals |
| 6 | The security consultant prepares the security plan; the layout is designed around it | Site survey and brief | SIRA submission and approval drawings |
| 7 | SIRA security plan certificate, applied for by your security consultant | Trade licence, planning map, project plan | Security system installation |
| 8 | Landlord design approval and NOC | Drawings | Permits |
| 9 | Fit-out permit (where required), Civil Defence drawings and DEWA load approval | Landlord NOC; in DDA zones, a copy of Ejari | Site works |
| 10 | Build and install to the certified plan | Permits | Inspections |
| 11 | Civil Defence completion, landlord inspection, SIRA audit | Finished works | SIRA system certificate; in DDA zones, the fit-out completion certificate |
| 12 | SIRA security system certificate | Initial approval or trade licence, certified plan and successful audit | Trading |
| 13 | Compliance registrations and opening | Trade licence | Your first sale |
Design starts once the unit is chosen, and the licence, the SIRA plan certificate and the landlord’s approval progress side by side.
Where the tenancy is registered
- Mainland (DET): Register the lease on Ejari. Dubai Land Department says commercial Ejari “must be issued under the authority’s name with a valid licence”, while DET needs a registered lease to issue the licence. The bridge is DET’s initial approval, which is commonly accepted for Ejari for a new business.
- DDA zones (for example, Dubai Design District and Dubai Studio City): DDA’s fit-out permit lists a copy of Ejari and the building owner’s NOC among its required documents.
- DMCC: The lease is lodged with DMCC as part of the licence application.
Do you need a fit-out permit?
Under Dubai Municipality’s Administrative Resolution No. 85 of 2019, units inside malls and units up to 100 sq m are exempt from the decoration permit. They still need a DM-approved contractor, Civil Defence compliance, and the landlord’s consent. Units in zones such as DDA follow that authority’s fit-out permit.
Timings and fees
The authority steps themselves are quick:
| Service | Authority | Time | Fee |
| Security plan certification | SIRA | 3 business days | AED 100 + AED 20 knowledge and innovation fees |
| New security system certification | SIRA | 2 business days | AED 100 + AED 20 knowledge and innovation fees |
| Fit-out permit | DDA | 2 working days | AED 0.90 per sq ft (min AED 200, max AED 10,000) + AED 20; valid 6 months |
Most of your time goes into design sign-off, landlord reviews, showcase production, and night-shift work, not the authority steps.
What can run in parallel
- Design can start once the unit is chosen. Submit approvals once the licence and tenancy are in place.
- Showcase production can run while permits are processed, once drawings are fixed. This is the single biggest way to protect your opening date.
- Compliance registrations (hallmarking, goAML, and VAT) can be arranged during the build. See compliance before your first sale.
What cannot be skipped or reordered
- The trade licence comes before SIRA’s plan certificate. SIRA lists it as a required document.
- The security plan is certified before the system is installed, and the installed system is audited afterwards. The certificate must be stamped by both the security consultancy and the installation company.
- Permits and landlord approval come before any site works.
- A successful SIRA audit and the security system certificate come before trading. SIRA says the activity must not be carried out until a successful audit report is obtained.
Five mistakes that delay opening
- Signing the lease before reading the landlord’s fit-out manual: It sets hoarding, working hours, deposits and contractor registration.
- Designing before planning security: Camera positions, conduit, panic buttons and the safe must be in the drawings from the start.
- Expecting the fit-out company to get SIRA approval: SIRA’s design approval for jewellery shops goes through SIRA-approved consultants, and the plan is stamped by a security consultancy and a SIRA-licensed installer. Appoint your security consultant at the same time as your fit-out company.
- Starting showcase production before the design is fixed: It’s the costliest late change.
- Forgetting the rules after opening: SIRA must be told about any change to layout or components, so a later refit may need the certificate modified.
What this means for your fit-out: a real Paras timeline
| Week | What happens | Who |
| 0 | Unit chosen; we review the landlord’s fit-out manual and survey the site | You, Paras |
| 1 | Tenancy signed and registered; security consultant appointed | You, landlord |
| 1 to 3 | Layout and 3D designed around your consultant’s security plan | Paras, consultant |
| 2 to 3 | Trade licence issued | Setup company |
| 3 | SIRA security plan certificate (3 business days once submitted) | Consultant |
| 3 to 5 | Landlord design review and NOC | Paras, landlord |
| 4 to 9 | Showcases made in our workshop, starting as soon as drawings are fixed | Paras |
| 5 to 8 | Civil Defence drawings, DEWA load approval, and fit-out permit where required | Paras |
About 15 to 16 weeks from choosing the unit to opening.
That’s in line with the 12 to 16 weeks typical for a mid-range mall unit in Dubai. Two things keep it there:
- Showcases start in week 4, not after the permits: They’re the slowest item, so we make them in our own workshop while the approvals run. If they started after the permits, the shop would open 4 to 6 weeks later.
- Security is in the drawings from week 1: Your consultant’s plan shapes the layout before anything is submitted. That way the SIRA plan certificate and the landlord review don’t send the design back.
Where this can stretch:
- Busy malls: Large mall landlords can take 4 to 10 weeks to approve a design.
- Power upgrades: A DEWA load upgrade adds time.
- Late changes: Changing the design after the showcases are in production adds time.
- Rent-free period: Negotiate one that covers the full programme.
From a real project: At BAFLEH Jewellery’s office in Deira Gold Souk, we combined two neighbouring units into one office of around 5,000 to 6,000 sq ft. The work covered demolition, new washrooms and plumbing, waterproofing, a new ceiling, metal barricades behind the windows, and the full layout, in about two to three months on site.
Want a programme for your unit? Book a free planning call, and we’ll map these weeks to your opening date.
How we work around your security consultant
We ask for your security consultant’s plan before we finalise the layout. We then run the DCD, DEWA, DMCC, and Dubai Municipality approvals alongside showcase production, so neither waits for the other. SIRA submissions stay with your consultant. See how the work is split on our jewellery shop setup and fit-out service. For what happens at each design and build stage, see the 8-step turnkey process.
If you’re still choosing your licence route, start with our trading licence guide, or read the complete setup guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Licence route, initial approval, unit and tenancy, trade licence, security plan and layout design, SIRA plan certificate, landlord and Civil Defence approvals, build, inspections and SIRA audit, system certificate, then opening.
On the mainland, yes: DET needs a registered lease to issue the licence. Dubai Land Department says commercial Ejari must be issued in a licensed entity’s name, so a new company usually registers Ejari using its DET initial approval. Confirm with your landlord and setup company.
Usually, yes. Fit-out permits ask for a registered tenancy. DDA’s fit-out permit, for example, lists a copy of Ejari and the building owner’s NOC among its required documents. Mall landlords set their own requirements in the fit-out manual, so check yours before you book contractors.
Design and some works can start. The security plan should be certified before the system is installed. SIRA says the business must not operate until a successful security audit report is obtained, and you need the security system certificate before trading.
The authority steps take days: 3 business days for SIRA’s plan certificate, 2 for the system certificate and 2 working days for a DDA fit-out permit. The total depends on the unit, route and showcases. Ask each party for a stage-by-stage programme, plan back from your opening date, and negotiate a rent-free fit-out period that covers it.
- Your business setup company handles the company licence.
- Your SIRA-approved security consultant handles the security plan, SIRA approvals and audit.
- Your fit-out company handles the design, the DCD, DEWA, DMCC and Dubai Municipality approvals and the build.
