A supermarket in Dubai is licensed the same way as a grocery: a commercial trade license from the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) with the food retail activity on it, and Dubai Municipality's approval of the layout before fit-out. What makes a supermarket different is everything a larger shop adds. A non-halal section needs its own municipality permit and a minimum floor area, in-store promotions need a permit per product, and a deli or hot-food counter turns part of the shop into a food service establishment under the Food Code.
Supermarket or Grocery: Is the License Different?
The license is not. Both are food retail on a DET commercial license, and the Food Code lists grocery stores and supermarkets together among the food establishments it covers. The differences come from size and from what the shop does besides selling packed goods:
| Grocery or mini-mart | Supermarket | |
|---|---|---|
| DET license | Commercial, food retail activity | Commercial, food retail activity |
| Layout approval and inspection | Yes | Yes |
| Non-halal (pork) section | Not eligible | Possible with a municipality permit, from 7,000 sq ft |
| In-store food promotions | No promotion permit route | Food Promotion Permit, per product |
If you are opening a neighbourhood shop rather than a supermarket, the grocery license guide covers the setup, the documents and the inspection in full.
Selling Pork and Other Non-Halal Food
This is the permit most supermarket plans hinge on, and the published figures are often wrong. Dubai Municipality's food permits and approvals sheet sets out the Non-Halal Food Activity permit:
- Who can apply: individual department stores or supermarkets with a minimum area of 7,000 square feet, five-star hotels with sufficient facilities, and food trading companies with a warehouse in Dubai.
- Condition: the store must be a licensed food establishment with an inspection grade of A, B or C and no major or critical violations linked to space, layout or practices.
- Fee: AED 200. Issued in: one working day. Valid for: one year, renewed the same way.
- Applied for on FoodWatch, by the store's Person in Charge or technical expert.
The Food Code adds how the section must run (section 8.7.5): pork products are sold only after the Food Control Department's prior approval, any butchery handling them must be separate and fully equipped, a designated person must handle them, and they are sold at a separate cash counter. The Code's older text gives 2,500 square feet as the minimum; the permit sheet is the later document and gives 7,000, so plan the floor for 7,000.
Deli, Bakery and Hot-Food Counters
The Food Code defines food service establishments as businesses "such as catering, restaurants, cafeteria, cafe and supermarkets etc. that sell portions of foods directly to the consumers for immediate consumption either on-site or off-site", and it excludes grocery stores from that definition. A supermarket that slices, cooks or serves portions is therefore treated as a food service operation for those counters, with the preparation, temperature and staffing rules that come with it. Decide which counters you will run before the layout goes to the municipality, because the approval is for the plan you submit.
Promotions Need a Permit Too
Tastings, offers and promotional stands for food products need a Food Promotion Permit, which the municipality's sheet says applies "inside licensed department stores and supermarket in Dubai only":
- Apply at least three working days before the promotion starts.
- Each product must be registered in the municipality's food registration systems and listed for your store on FoodWatch.
- Fee: AED 7 per product. Valid for: the product's shelf life, three months at most.
- Promotions in open areas are a common reason for rejection.
Supermarket License Cost in Dubai
The government lines that can be read in Dubai's published fee schedule are below, with the permits a supermarket typically adds. The full license amount depends on the activity and appears on DET's payment voucher.
| Item | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Trade name reservation | AED 200 | Resolution No. 13 of 2011, Schedule 1 |
| License issuance or renewal (the license line) | AED 600 | Resolution No. 13 of 2011, Schedule 1 |
| Permit to establish a store or warehouse | AED 300 | Resolution No. 13 of 2011, Schedule 1 |
| Permit for advertising signboards | AED 250 | Resolution No. 13 of 2011, Schedule 1 |
| Permit to open until 2:00 am | AED 2,000 | Resolution No. 13 of 2011, Schedule 1 |
| Permit to open 24 hours | AED 3,000 | Resolution No. 13 of 2011, Schedule 1 |
| Non-Halal Food Activity permit, per year | AED 200 | Dubai Municipality |
| Food Promotion Permit, per product | AED 7 | Dubai Municipality |
Rent, fit-out, refrigeration and the first stock are the larger part of the budget and depend on the floor. Our Dubai mainland license package starts at AED 10,999.
Fines Supermarket Owners Run Into
- Price discrepancy: a difference between the DET-approved price list and the prices displayed is fined AED 2,000.
- Goods outside the shop: displaying goods or providing services outside the shop without a permit, AED 1,000.
- Opening hours: working beyond regular hours without the permit, AED 1,500.
- Late renewal: AED 250 plus AED 200 for each month of delay.
Repeating a violation within a year doubles the fine, up to AED 100,000.
How to Open a Supermarket in Dubai, Step by Step
- Decide the format: floor area, counters (deli, bakery, butchery), and whether you want a non-halal section, which sets the minimum floor.
- Reserve the trade name and get DET's initial approval for the food retail activity.
- Lease the unit and register the Ejari.
- Have Dubai Municipality approve the layout before fit-out, with every counter shown.
- Fit out to the approved plan and pass the inspection.
- Certify a Person in Charge and register the store on FoodWatch.
- Apply for the permits you need: non-halal, late or 24-hour opening, signboards, warehouse.
- Open the establishment card and the staff visas.
VAT and Corporate Tax
VAT registration is mandatory once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000 a year, and voluntary from AED 187,500. Corporate tax is 9% on taxable profit above AED 375,000, and the company must register whatever its profit.
Getting Your Supermarket Licensed
We run the DET side, coordinate the Dubai Municipality approvals and the FoodWatch permits, and handle the staff visas through our PRO services. Tell us the floor area, the counters you plan and whether you want a non-halal section, and you get a written quote. Supplying other shops in bulk is a separate activity, covered in the foodstuff trading license guide.
Supermarket license questions
Dubai's published schedule sets AED 200 to reserve a trade name and AED 600 for the license line; DET's voucher gives the full amount. A supermarket usually adds permits: a warehouse permit at AED 300, late opening at AED 2,000 or 24 hours at AED 3,000, and the municipality's non-halal permit at AED 200 a year if you have that section.
Yes, with Dubai Municipality's Non-Halal Food Activity permit. Its permit sheet opens it to individual department stores and supermarkets of at least 7,000 square feet with an inspection grade of A, B or C. The section needs a designated person, a separate cash counter, and a separate butchery if pork is cut on site.
The DET license is the same food retail activity. The difference is what a supermarket adds: a non-halal section, in-store promotions and deli or hot-food counters each bring their own municipality rules.
Yes. Food promotions inside a supermarket need a Food Promotion Permit from Dubai Municipality, applied for at least three working days ahead, at AED 7 per product and valid for up to three months.
With a permit. Dubai's fee schedule sets AED 2,000 to extend working hours to 2:00 am and AED 3,000 to operate twenty-four hours. Working beyond regular hours without one is fined AED 1,500.
Sources
- Food and Food Related Permits and Approvals Services, Dubai Municipality: Non-Halal Food Activity permit (5) and Food Promotion Permit (6). Read 25 October 2026.
- Dubai Food Code, Dubai Municipality: definitions (food service establishments), scope (1.4), sale of pork products (8.7.5). Read 25 October 2026.
- Executive Council Resolution No. 13 of 2011, Dubai Legislation Portal: DED fee and fine schedule.
