Signage and hoarding approvals in Dubai: who approves what

Most signs and hoardings in Dubai need approval before they go up. The people who decide are not always the ones you would expect, and which of them you deal with depends on what you are putting up and where.

This is a general guide to who is involved. Your site and your sign will decide the details. We apply for these approvals as part of the job, so what follows is how we approach it.

Dubai Municipality

Outdoor advertising permits in Dubai are applied for through Dubai Municipality's Smart Advertising portal. We prepare the application and submit it for the client.

For larger structures, the application also needs the safety and wind-load documentation. We prepare that too.

DET, for a shop's trade-name sign

For the trade-name sign over a shopfront, the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) issues the signage permit and inspects shopfronts. There are also rules on what the sign may look like: one trade name, horizontal, Arabic above English, static lighting. We cover them in Dubai shopfront sign rules.

These rules sit in the Outdoor Advertising Manual, introduced in 2024 by the RTA and Dubai Municipality, in coordination with Mada Media (source: Dubai Media Office, 12 May 2026).

DEWA, if the sign is lit

An illuminated sign needs a separate clearance from DEWA. A painted board and a lit box are not treated the same way, so say at the start whether your sign will be lit.

The RTA, if a road is involved

If the work affects a lane or a footpath, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) gets involved. This comes up with roadside hoardings. Where we need night access to a road, we plan the installation around it.

Other emirates

Dubai's steps do not automatically apply elsewhere. Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Abu Dhabi and Fujairah each have their own process. We place and build hoardings across all of them, so tell us the emirate when you ask.

What to have ready

Four things let us tell you quickly what you are dealing with:

• the address, or the exact location of the site
• a photo of the wall or the ground where it will go
• the size you have in mind
• whether the sign will be lit

If you already have artwork, send that too.

Where the time goes

Approval is one part of the timeline. The rest is artwork, printing or fabrication, and installation. Once artwork and approvals are in place, most hoardings are printed and installed within a few days. We confirm a fixed timeline when we quote.

For a shopfront sign, fabrication and installation usually take one to two weeks from approved artwork, depending on size and finish.

One contract

You can deal with the approval, the printer and the installer separately. Many clients ask us to do all of it, so there is one team to call if something is delayed. We design the artwork, print or fabricate, manage the approval and install.

Not sure what your sign needs? Send us the address and a photo and we will tell you what approval it involves.

Related services: advertising hoardings and signage and 3D letters.