Everything a Dubai holiday home owner needs to know about the DET holiday home licence in 2026 — registration, documents, costs, renewals and the penalties for getting it wrong.
Operating a Dubai short-term rental without a DET holiday home permit is the single fastest way to attract a fine and have your listing pulled. The good news: the DET holiday home Dubai process is well-documented, predictable, and — for most individual owners — achievable in 7–14 days.
What is DET and why it matters
The Department of Economy and Tourism (DET, formerly DTCM) is the Dubai authority that licenses every short-term residential rental in the emirate. The DET holiday home permit is what makes your Airbnb, Booking.com or Vrbo listing legal — and what your guest's Tourism Dirham receipt is registered against.
Step-by-step DET holiday home Dubai registration
- Create an owner account on the Dubai Holiday Homes portal
- Upload your title deed or registered Ejari and Emirates ID
- Upload a recent DEWA bill in your name
- Upload landlord NOC if you are a tenant subletting short-term
- Upload unit photos that meet DET classification standards
- Pay the per-unit permit fee (AED 1,520–1,950)
- Receive the permit number; add it to your listing within 24 hours
Documents required
- Title deed (owner) or registered Ejari (tenant)
- Emirates ID and passport copy
- Recent DEWA bill in your name
- Landlord NOC for short-term rental (tenants only)
- OA NOC if your building requires one
- Unit photos: living, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, balcony
DET holiday home costs and renewal timeline
Permit fees in 2026 are roughly AED 1,520 for a studio, AED 1,650 for a 1-bedroom, AED 1,800 for a 2-bedroom and AED 1,950 for larger units, plus Knowledge and Innovation fees. Permits are valid for 12 months and renewed annually via the same portal. Renewals should be filed 30 days before expiry — late renewal triggers a per-day penalty and listing suspension.
Tourism Dirham collection
Every DET holiday home in Dubai must collect Tourism Dirham from guests: AED 10 per bedroom per night for standard, AED 15 for deluxe, AED 20 for luxury — capped at 30 consecutive nights. Owners remit monthly via the DET portal. Failure to remit triggers permit suspension faster than any other compliance breach.
Consequences of operating without a DET holiday home licence
- Fines from AED 5,000 per unit, up to AED 100,000
- Airbnb/Booking listings pulled on DET notification
- Permit blacklist — harder to register the same unit later
- Possible criminal referral for repeated offences
DET actively cross-references Airbnb and Booking.com listings against the permit database. Address, photos and unit numbers are visible to inspectors — assume any live listing without a permit will be flagged within weeks.
How Neatly supports licensed holiday home hosts
We handle the DET application end-to-end as part of onboarding: documents, OA NOC chasing, photos, classification, submission, and permit number activation against your channels. For ongoing operations, our holiday home management service includes monthly Tourism Dirham filings, annual renewal and guest ID registration within the DET-mandated 24 hours. See the packages page for what's bundled, or speak to an advisor through contact.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the DET holiday home Dubai permit take to issue?+
Typically 7–14 days from a complete submission. Missing documents — usually the NOC or DEWA bill — are the main cause of delay.
Can a tenant apply for a DET holiday home licence in Dubai?+
Yes, but only with a written landlord NOC explicitly permitting short-term rental. Without that NOC, the application is rejected and the tenancy is also breached.
How much does a DET holiday home permit cost in 2026?+
Roughly AED 1,520 for a studio up to AED 1,950 for larger units, plus statutory fees. Renewed annually.
What happens if I let my DET holiday home licence lapse?+
Your listing is suspended, daily penalties accrue, and the permit may need to be re-applied from scratch. Renew at least 30 days before expiry to avoid both.
