A restaurant or cafe licence in Dubai typically costs from around AED 20,000 to AED 35,000 in year one, covering the trade licence, Dubai Municipality food approval, a kitchen premises with Ejari, one visa and the establishment card. Fit-out and rent are separate.
What it costs (2026)
Food businesses carry more approvals and a mandatory physical premises, so the range sits above a plain office licence. Here is where the money goes, with honest ranges:
- Trade licence (DET, food & beverage activity): typically from around AED 12,000–15,000 for the initial licence and activity registration.
- Food Control / municipality approvals: Dubai Municipality food safety and health approval on your kitchen layout, plus food-handler requirements; budget roughly AED 3,000–8,000 depending on scope.
- Premises and Ejari: a restaurant needs a real, approved unit. Rent varies hugely by location, so this is usually your biggest line and is quoted separately from the licence.
- Visa allocation: budget roughly AED 4,000–7,000 per visa including medical, Emirates ID and stamping.
- Establishment card: your company’s immigration file, generally a few hundred up to around AED 2,000.
The line most agents skip is the Year-2 renewal. Your licence, tenancy, municipality permits and visas all renew annually, and for a restaurant the premises renewal is the heavy part. Get that year-two figure in writing before you sign a lease, because it is the real cost of staying open.
Requirements & approvals
Restaurants and cafes need approvals beyond the standard licence. Expect Dubai Municipality Food Safety Department sign-off on your kitchen and layout, a food-safety and hygiene plan, staff food-handler training, and often approvals tied to signage, waste and grease traps. If you plan to serve shisha or alcohol, those carry separate permits and location rules. We map the full approval list against your specific concept up front so nothing surprises you mid fit-out.
Process & timeline
- Confirm your food & beverage activity and legal form, then reserve your trade name and get initial DET approval.
- Secure premises and submit your kitchen layout for Dubai Municipality food-safety approval.
- Complete external approvals (municipality, plus shisha/alcohol permits if relevant).
- Register the Ejari tenancy, pay fees and receive your trade licence.
- Open your establishment card and process visas.
Because of the municipality and premises approvals, a restaurant licence realistically takes a few weeks rather than a few days, and fit-out inspection adds time. We give you an honest timeline tied to your unit, not a best-case one.
Mainland or free zone for this activity?
For a dine-in restaurant or cafe serving the public, mainland is almost always the answer, because you are selling directly to UAE customers and need an approved public premises under Dubai Municipality. A free zone licence generally cannot run a public-facing restaurant on the mainland. Free zone can suit a central or cloud kitchen operating within that zone or delivery-only models tied to the zone’s rules, but for a normal customer-facing venue, mainland wins.
Ranges are a starting point, not a quote. Use our free cost calculator for your exact all-in number, or WhatsApp us for a straight answer: +971 54 332 2846.
FAQs
How much does a restaurant licence in Dubai really cost?
Most owners pay from around AED 20,000 to AED 35,000 in year one for the licence, municipality food approvals, one visa and the establishment card, with premises rent and fit-out on top and quoted separately. We confirm your exact all-in figure, renewal included, before you commit.
Do I need Dubai Municipality approval to open a restaurant?
Yes. Dubai Municipality Food Safety must approve your kitchen layout and food-handling before you can operate, and staff need food-handler training. Shisha or alcohol require separate permits. We handle the full approval list against your concept so you are not caught out during fit-out.
What is the Year-2 renewal cost for a restaurant licence?
Your licence, Ejari tenancy, municipality permits and visas all renew annually, and the premises renewal is usually the biggest line. That recurring figure is the true cost of staying open. This is the number most agents hide, so ask us and we will put it in writing before you sign a lease.
See also: the full mainland company formation cost in Dubai (2026).
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