Filming Permits in Dubai and Abu Dhabi: The 2026 Guide to Who Needs One, What It Costs and How to Get It

Almost every brand shoot that gets stopped in the UAE is stopped for the same reason: someone assumed a permit was only for feature films. It is not. A two-person crew filming a product video on a public beach, a drone operator capturing a villa for a listing, an influencer shooting a sponsored reel outside a mall: all of them need permission, and all of them can be shut down without it.

This guide explains, as of 2026, who needs a filming permit in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which authorities issue them, what they cost, how long they take, the special rules for drones and sensitive locations, and how a local production company handles the whole process for you.

Fees and processing times change. Confirm current figures with the issuing authority before you schedule a shoot.

Do you need a permit?

The rule of thumb across the UAE: if the footage is commercial and the location is not fully private, you need a permit.

“Commercial” is interpreted broadly. It covers advertising, corporate and brand films, content for paid partnerships, monetised YouTube or social channels, real estate marketing, music videos, documentaries for sale or broadcast, and anything produced by a company for its own promotion.

You generally do not need a permit for personal, non-commercial photos and videos of yourself and your family in public places, or for filming inside a fully private property with the owner’s consent and no public visibility, though even then hotels, malls and communities usually require their own written approval.

Grey areas are decided by the authorities, not the crew. When in doubt, apply.

Who issues permits

Dubai

The Dubai Film and TV Commission (DFTC) is the single point of contact for filming in Dubai. It coordinates with the relevant landowners and government departments and issues the permit through its online portal. Depending on the location, DFTC obtains or requires additional approvals from:

• Dubai Media Office, when officials or government buildings are involved
• Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) for road filming or closures
• Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) and the federal General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) for drones
• Dubai Police for shoots involving weapons, uniforms, stunts or traffic control
• Landowners and operators: Emaar, Nakheel, Dubai Holding, DMCC, hotels and malls, each of which issues its own no-objection certificate (NOC)

Abu Dhabi

In the capital, filming is regulated by the Creative Media Authority (CMA) through the Abu Dhabi Film Commission. Public locations, government sites, cultural institutions (Louvre Abu Dhabi, Qasr Al Watan, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque) and free zones such as twofour54 each have their own approval routes that the Film Commission coordinates. Abu Dhabi tends to require more lead time and more documentation than Dubai, particularly for anything touching government, energy, or cultural sites.

Other emirates

Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah run their own media or tourism authorities. If a shoot crosses emirate borders, each emirate needs its own permit.

What a permit costs in 2026

Public sources and the DFTC’s own schedule put Dubai costs in these ranges:

• DFTC application fee: around AED 520 per application
• Location fees: from zero for some public areas to AED 25,000 per day for premium or sensitive sites, with most standard commercial locations falling in the low thousands per day
• Drone filming: roughly AED 4,000 for standard zones and AED 8,000 for restricted (red-zone) airspace, plus aviation authority approvals
• Road closures, police presence, traffic management: quoted per shoot
• Private-venue fees: set by hotels, malls and developers and paid separately from the permit

Abu Dhabi fees are set per location and per project by the CMA and the venue; budget on similar or higher ranges for landmark sites.

Foreign productions that are not UAE-licensed cannot apply directly. They must appoint a licensed local production company to sponsor the application, which is one of the reasons international agencies engage a Dubai or Abu Dhabi partner from the start.

How long it takes

• Standard Dubai permits: typically 2–5 working days.
• Sensitive locations (airports, mosques, government buildings, residential communities, malls, hotels): up to 10 working days or longer
• Drone permits: 5–10 working days, because the aviation approval runs in parallel with DFTC.
• Government officials or buildings: 7–14 working days via the Media Office
• Abu Dhabi landmark and government sites: allow 2–3 weeks

Plan permits before you plan the shoot date, not after. Rush processing is sometimes available but never guaranteed.

What you need to apply

1. Script, synopsis or storyboard describing what will be filmed
2. Shooting schedule with dates, times and exact locations
3. Crew list with passport and visa copies for every member, including foreign crew
4. Equipment list, including drone make, model and serial number if applicable
5. Public liability insurance
6. NOCs from private landowners, venues or communities
7. Trade licence of the applying production company
8. For drones: GCAA operator registration, pilot certification and DCAA flight approval

Missing documents restart the clock, which is why an experienced producer prepares the pack before submission.

Drone filming: the rules that catch people out

Drones are the most regulated part of UAE filming. Commercial drone operation requires the operator and aircraft to be registered with the GCAA, the pilot to be certified, and each flight to be approved for the specific location and time. Dubai adds DCAA approval, and large areas of both cities, including anywhere near airports, palaces, military sites, and much of the coastline, are no-fly or red zones needing extra clearance.

Flying without approval is treated seriously: confiscation of the aircraft, fines and, for repeat or reckless cases, prosecution. A hobby drone bought at a mall does not come with commercial permission, and footage from an unpermitted flight cannot be legally published.

Sensitive locations and content

Some subjects need more than a location permit. Filming government buildings, officials, military and police personnel, airports, ports, oil and gas facilities or religious sites requires specific approval and sometimes an escort. Content itself must comply with the National Media Authority’s standards, which prohibit material offensive to religion, public morals or the state, and require clear labelling of paid promotion. Since February 2026, anyone publishing promotional content from within the UAE also needs the NMA’s Advertiser Permit, which is separate from the filming permit.

What happens if you film without a permit

Publicly reported penalties range from AED 10,000 to AED 100,000, alongside confiscated equipment, stopped shoots, deleted footage and, for visitors, visa complications. Beyond the legal risk, the practical one is worse: a client’s launch film that cannot be used because the permit was never obtained.

How a production company handles it for you

For every shoot we produce in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Zaini Media manages the permit process end to end:

1. Location and content review at treatment stage, flagging anything that needs extra approvals before the schedule is built
2. Document pack assembled from the crew, equipment, and insurance we already hold
3. Submission and follow-up with DFTC, the CMA, aviation authorities and venue owners
4. On-set compliance: permits carried on location, a producer liaising with security, drone pilots certified and approvals in hand
5. Contingency: alternative locations pre-cleared for weather or access problems

As a registered partner of Abu Dhabi’s Creative Media Authority and a licensed UAE production company, we can also sponsor permits for international agencies and brands shooting in the country. Learn more about our video production in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, or send us your shoot dates and locations and we will tell you what permits you need and how long they will take.