Jewellery Trading Licence in Dubai: Activities, Documents and Steps

To sell or trade jewellery in Dubai, you need a jewellery trading licence that matches what you actually do. You apply through one of two routes:

• Mainland: The Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).
• Free zone: A free zone authority such as DMCC.

Here’s how to get a jewellery licence in Dubai in six steps and why the licence also controls your premises, your SIRA security certificate, and your fit-out.

Step 1: Match the activity to what you do

Your licence covers only the activities written on it. One licence can hold more than one activity, but each must match what you do on the premises. DET and DMCC use the same 7-digit activity codes:

A few points to note:

• Gold trading vs retail: A gold trading licence in Dubai (raw gold and precious metals) is a different activity from retail jewellery trading.
• Manufacturing and repair need workshop space: DMCC lists “Workshop or Industrial Plot” as the property type for manufacturing and repair.
• Hallmarks: Finished pieces must carry an approved hallmark before sale.

Kimberley Process. If you trade rough diamonds, you also need Kimberley Process certificates. The KP covers rough diamonds only. Polished diamonds don’t need a certificate, and diamonds already set in jewellery fall outside the rough-diamond codes. The UAE’s KP office is in DMCC’s Dubai Diamond Exchange in Almas Tower.

Step 2: Choose the route

• Mainland (DET): The usual route for a shop selling to the public, in a souk, street, or mall.
• DMCC or another free zone: Suits trading, wholesale, and export. A DMCC jewellery licence gives access to the diamond and gold trading community in JLT.

Until 2025, Dubai free zone companies could operate only within their zones. Executive Council Resolution No. 11 of 2025 now allows a branch licence (AED 10,000 a year) or a temporary permit (up to six months, AED 5,000). DET is due to publish the list of eligible activities. Compare the options in Mainland, DMCC, or Free Zone.

Step 3: Prepare the documents

DET’s trade licence service says a normal licence requires:

• A Memorandum of Association, issued electronically or manually
• A site lease contract
• Approvals from other government agencies, if your activity needs them

You’ll also need:

• Passport copies of owners, partners, and managers
• The reserved trade name and initial approval
• Beneficial-owner (UBO) details, declared once the licence is issued

Local service agent. In DET’s estimator, a sole establishment owned by a foreigner needs a local service agent. An LLC (single owner or multi-partner) doesn’t.

DMCC’s set-up page lists:

• ID documents for shareholders, directors, and signatories (passport, visa, proof of address)
• ownership documents (shareholding structure, memorandum, and articles of association)
• the proposed company name and business activities
• office lease or property documents
• a bank reference or capital deposit confirmation
• UBO information for anyone with 25% or more ownership or control

DMCC’s activity list adds three requirements for jewellery activities:

Each authority’s own checklist is the final word.

Step 4: Secure the premises

On the mainland, DET issues initial approval first, at AED 120. Initial approval doesn’t let you trade, but it’s the point at which you secure premises.

• Mainland: DET’s normal licence requires a site lease contract. The Dubai Land Department says commercial Ejari “must be issued under authority’s name with a valid License“. A new company usually registers the lease using its initial approval, so ask your landlord and setup company how they sequence the lease, Ejari, and licence.
• DMCC: You provide office lease or property documents as part of the application.

Before you sign:

1. Read the landlord’s or mall’s fit-out manual.
2. Check the unit’s condition, power supply, and AC.
3. Ask what the landlord needs from you (initial approval, licence, trade name) before approving the fit-out.

Step 5: Apply, pay, and receive the licence

The authority reviews your application and any additional approvals, then issues a payment voucher. On the mainland, you must pay within 30 days, or the application is cancelled. Once you’ve paid, the licence is issued.

Fees from the authorities (checked 11 November 2026).

Mainland (DET):

The estimate rises by about 5% of the annual rent, so enter your own rent in the estimator. DET’s trade licence page says fees “vary depending on the type of licence and specific activities”.

DMCC (Schedule of Charges):

DMCC’s figures exclude office rent, visas, and SIRA and fit-out costs, and DMCC also sells bundled packages. Both authorities say fees can change, so recheck before you apply.

Step 6: Move straight into design and security

Three things depend on the licence.

1. SIRA approval. Gold and jewellery shops are a vital sector under Dubai Law No. 12 of 2016, and DMCC lists SIRA as a required approval for every jewellery activity. Two SIRA certificates are involved:

• Security Plans Certification: asks for the trade licence, a planning map and the project plan. It takes 3 business days and costs AED 120 including fees.
• Security system certificate: accepts either initial approval or the trade licence, plus the approved plan and a successful audit.

Applications go through SIRA-approved consultants, so appoint a security consultant as soon as the licence is under way. Read Trade Licence, Ejari, SIRA and Fit-Out: the right order.

2. Landlord design approval and the fit-out permit.
3. Compliance registrations These are hallmarking, goAML registration, and AML reporting for dealers in precious metals and stones, and VAT where required. See compliance before your first sale.

What this means for your fit-out

• Your activity and unit decide who approves the drawings: The landlord, Dubai Municipality, or a free zone authority, plus Civil Defence and SIRA.
• The licence must match the shop you design: Don’t finalise a retail layout under a trading-only licence, or plan a workshop without a manufacturing activity and suitable workshop space.
• Design can start early: Layout, 3D, and the security plan can begin before the licence is issued, but submit approvals once the licence and tenancy are in place.

Where Paras Interiors fits

We don’t issue licences or handle company setup.

You arrange the licence, usually through a licensed business setup company. We can introduce you to setup companies we’ve worked with.

Once you have your unit, we design the shop, handle the DCD, DEWA, DMCC, and Dubai Municipality approvals, and build it. For the full journey, read our complete setup guide, or book a free fit-out planning call.