There is no separate tea shop license in Dubai. A shop that makes and serves karak, chai or bubble tea is licensed under a food service activity, and which one depends on what else you sell. Dubai Municipality's table of food activities gives three that fit: coffee shop for drinks with ready-to-eat snacks and sweets, cafeteria if you also make sandwiches or snacks, and tea trading if you only sell packed tea. The activity sets the minimum floor area, and the floor area decides which units you can lease.
Which License Does a Tea Shop Need?
Choose by what is on the menu, not by the name over the door. From the municipality's activity table:
| Activity (code) | What it allows | Minimum food area |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee shop (5630001) | Prepare and serve hot and cold beverages and fresh juice; display and sell ready-to-eat snacks, sweets and ice cream | 150 sq ft |
| Cafeteria (5610003) | Prepare and sell snacks, sandwiches, hot and cold beverages and juice | 200 sq ft (250 with shawarma) |
| Tea trading (4721036) | Display and sell commercially packed tea to consumers | Depends on the process |
A karak stall selling tea with biscuits and packed snacks fits the coffee shop activity. The moment you make sandwiches, parathas or anything cooked to order, you need the cafeteria activity and its larger floor; the cafeteria license guide covers that route. Selling packed tea for customers to take home is tea trading, a retail activity rather than food service.
What Dubai Municipality Requires
A tea shop is a food service establishment under the Dubai Food Code: it sells portions of food and drink for immediate consumption, on site or to take away. That brings the municipality's rules with it:
- Layout approval before fit-out. The Food Safety Department approves the plan, and other municipality departments (building licensing, planning, drainage) and Civil Defence where they apply.
- Minimum food area for the activity, plus more if your equipment, storage or volume needs it.
- A certified Person in Charge, full time and on site.
- Inspection before opening and while you trade.
Tea Shop License Cost in Dubai
The government lines that can be read in Dubai's published fee schedule are below. The full license amount depends on the activity and appears on DET's payment voucher during the application.
| 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 |
| Name board on the shop front | AED 350 | 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 |
| Fine for working beyond regular hours without a permit | AED 1,500 | Resolution No. 13 of 2011, Schedule 2 |
Rent is usually the largest cost, and the activity's minimum area sets the smallest unit you can take. Fit-out, the tea and coffee equipment, the first stock and staff visas come on top. Our Dubai mainland license package starts at AED 10,999.
Late Hours and 24-Hour Tea Shops
Many tea shops do their best trade late at night. Opening beyond regular hours needs a permit: AED 2,000 to stay open until 2:00 am, or AED 3,000 to operate around the clock, under Dubai's fee schedule. Trading late without one is fined AED 1,500, so put the hours you plan into the application from the start.
How to Open a Tea Shop in Dubai, Step by Step
- Fix the menu. Drinks and packed snacks only (coffee shop), or sandwiches and cooked items too (cafeteria). This sets the activity and the floor.
- Reserve the trade name and get DET's initial approval.
- Lease a unit with enough food area for the activity, and register the Ejari.
- Have Dubai Municipality approve the layout before fit-out.
- Fit out to the approved plan and pass the inspection.
- Certify a Person in Charge and train the food handlers.
- Add the permits you need: name board, late or 24-hour opening.
- Open the establishment card and 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 Tea Shop Licensed
We match the activity to your menu, run the DET side and coordinate the Dubai Municipality approvals, then handle the visas through our PRO services. Tell us what you will serve, the unit size you are looking at and the hours you want to open, and you get a written quote. For the wider choice of food formats, start from how to start a food business in Dubai.
Tea shop questions
A DET trade license with a food service activity. Dubai Municipality's activity table points a tea shop to coffee shop (drinks, juice, ready-to-eat snacks and sweets) or cafeteria (adds sandwiches and snacks you prepare). Selling packed tea only is the tea trading activity.
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 name board permit is AED 350 and late opening until 2:00 am AED 2,000. Rent and fit-out are the larger costs.
150 square feet of food area for the coffee shop activity and 200 for a cafeteria (250 with shawarma), from Dubai Municipality's activity table. The municipality can require more for your equipment, storage or volume.
Ready-to-eat snacks and sweets fit the coffee shop activity. Preparing sandwiches or other snacks needs the cafeteria activity, with its 200 square foot minimum.
With a permit: AED 2,000 to open until 2:00 am or AED 3,000 for 24 hours. Working beyond regular hours without one is fined AED 1,500.
Sources
- Food Establishment Requirements Based on Activity, Dubai Municipality Food Safety Department, last updated April 2020: coffee shop (5630001), cafeteria (5610003), tea trading (4721036), minimum food areas and approving departments. Read 25 October 2026.
- Dubai Food Code, Dubai Municipality: food service establishments (definitions), approval of construction plans (2.2), Person in Charge (3.1.1). Read 25 October 2026.
- Executive Council Resolution No. 13 of 2011, Dubai Legislation Portal: DED fee and fine schedule.
