UAE Advertiser Permit: A Guide for Brands Hiring Influencers

Since February 2026, anyone who promotes a brand on social media in the UAE needs an Advertiser Permit from the National Media Authority, and that includes gifted and barter posts, not only paid ones. If you are a brand hiring creators in the UAE, the simplest rule is this: ask for the permit number before anyone posts.

This guide covers who needs the permit, what it costs, what brands should check, and the fines. It is general information based on official UAE sources as of October 2026, not legal advice. Rules change, so check with the authority or a lawyer before a large campaign.

Who needs the permit

The UAE media law (Federal Decree-Law No. 55 of 2023) requires a permit for any person who publishes advertising on social media, paid or unpaid. The National Media Authority (NMA), which replaced the UAE Media Council on 1 January 2026, says the permit covers advertising for compensation or free of charge. In practice:

• A creator paid in cash for a reel needs it.
• A creator who gets a free meal, a treatment or a product in exchange for a post needs it too. Barter counts as advertising.
• Creators in the UAE on a visit visa need a separate Visitor Advertiser Permit.

Two groups are exempt: people promoting their own business or product on their personal account, and under 18s making educational, sports, cultural or awareness content.

What the permit costs and how creators get it

• Residents and citizens: the permit lasts one year and can be renewed. The official fee is AED 1,000 a year, and the NMA says it is free for the first three years.
• Visitors: the Visitor Advertiser Permit lasts three months, can be extended to six months in total, and costs AED 500 for every three months. It can only be requested through a UAE-licensed advertising or talent agency approved by the NMA.

Creators apply online through the NMA's e-services with UAE PASS. The NMA lists a digital ID, passport, photo and a commercial licence among the documents, asks applicants to complete its training programme, and quotes about three working days to process.

What brands should check before a campaign

The regulator has publicly asked companies to work only with licensed creators, and the advertising rules apply to anyone who runs an ad. Before you pay or gift a creator in the UAE:

1. Ask for the permit number. Creators must show it clearly on their social media accounts. Check it is on the account that will post.
2. Check visitors. A creator here on a visit visa needs the Visitor Advertiser Permit, arranged through an approved agency.
3. Put it in the agreement. Write the permit number into your brief or contract, and agree that the post will be labelled as an ad.
4. Label every ad. The law says advertising must state clearly that it is advertising, and any paid relationship must be disclosed. No exact wording is set, so use a clear label such as "Ad" in English posts and its Arabic equivalent in Arabic posts.
5. Check your sector. Ads for food, medical and health products, clinics, real estate, finance and education may need approval from the relevant authority before they run.
6. In Abu Dhabi, check the local rules. In 2024 Abu Dhabi's Department of Economic Development said businesses need its permit for advertising and must make sure the influencers they hire hold a valid licence from it, with fines from AED 3,000 to 10,000. Confirm the current requirement before a campaign there.

What the content must not do

Every ad must follow the UAE's media content standards. For brands, the practical points are: no false or misleading claims, no exaggeration or unsupported "best" or "exclusive" claims, no attacks on competitors, nothing against the country's values, religion or national symbols, and no promotion of alcohol, tobacco or smoking. Keep what you say about results, prices and offers accurate.

The fines

The penalty schedule (Cabinet Resolution No. 42 of 2025) sets the fine for advertising on social media without a permit, for people and companies alike: a written warning the first time, then AED 20,000, then AED 50,000, doubling on further repeats. Breaking the advertising conditions costs AED 20,000, then AED 50,000. Breaches of the content standards are fined more heavily, up to AED 1,000,000 for the most serious. The same violation repeated within a year doubles the fine.

Working with UAE creators on Collabfront

Collabfront is opening in the UAE soon. Until then, you can see how it works for brands in Lebanon: what creators charge, barter collabs, and how to post a campaign for free.