Social media rules in the UAE: what businesses can't post

Check the date on any UAE social media rules guide before you trust it. The regulator changed in December 2025, when the National Media Authority was created by federal decree-law to replace the former media council, the National Media Office and the Emirates News Agency, and the Advertiser Permit has been mandatory since 1 February 2026. A guide that names the old body, or gives an October 2025 deadline, is out of date.

This guide is limited to what published sources let us confirm as of November 2026, with the source and date beside each point. Where we couldn't confirm something, it says so. None of it is legal advice.

Who regulates what a business posts?

The National Media Authority now issues the Advertiser Permit, according to The National. The content rules sit in Federal Decree-Law No. 55 of 2023 on Media Regulation, with fines set by Cabinet Decision No. 42 of 2025, in force from 29 May 2025. We couldn't open the official text of that decision, so the penalty figures come from law-firm and press summaries, and each carries its date.

What fines are reported, and how reliable are they?

Do you need an Advertiser Permit?

The National reported in January 2026 that the Advertiser Permit applies to anyone who posts promotional content on social media, whether they're paid or not. The deadline was extended to 31 January 2026 and the permit has been mandatory since 1 February 2026.

Two exemptions were reported. One covers people promoting what they sell themselves, or what a company they own sells, from a personal account. The other covers under-18s in educational, cultural, sports or awareness activities who meet the age rules. The first doesn't stretch to brand deals or gifted products.

Reports differ on the edges. Press coverage mentions a trade licence in electronic media for citizens and residents, and a law-firm update is reported to limit the permit to sole establishments, which we couldn't confirm. Ask the National Media Authority how your own set-up is treated, and see the UAE advertiser permit for the fuller picture.

On fees, Pinsent Masons reported that the permit is free for the first three years for UAE citizens and residents, with a renewal fee of AED 1,000 a year from the fourth year. The free period was tied to registering before the deadline, so don't assume a new applicant gets it.

Which prices and claims count as misleading?

The UAE government portal says suppliers who advertise misleading prices and false data on goods and services face up to two years in prison and a fine of up to AED 2 million, under Federal Law No. 15 of 2020 as amended by Federal Decree Law No. 5 of 2023. That is a ceiling, and administrative fines are separate and reported differently by different sources.

Read plainly, misleading prices include a 'was' price that was never charged and a 'from' price nobody can buy. Whether a particular post crosses the line is a question for a lawyer, but treat every price and every result on a post as a claim you may have to prove.

Can you photograph and film people for a post?

We couldn't confirm a UAE rule on photographing people in public or semi-public places for a business post, so we won't state one. The sources do confirm something narrower: Dubai Health Authority's social media standard requires documented consent from any patient or individual shown in a health advertisement. The federal personal data law, Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021, exists, but its implementing regulations hadn't been published at the June 2026 report.

Our working practice, which is practice and not law: get written consent from anyone identifiable, in a language they read, naming the platforms and any paid use, and keep it with the date. The DIFC and ADGM each have their own data protection law, so a business based in either should check that regime too. PDPL and marketing in the UAE covers consent in more depth.

What do health and property rules add?

For health, Dubai Health Authority's standard on medical advertisement content in social media, issued in 2022 and effective from 3 October 2022, requires a facility's official account to carry its medical advertisement licence number. It also requires the medical director to approve content that names a facility, influencer content included.

The same standard bars absolute or exaggerated claims such as the best, the safest, 100%, no side effects and immediate results. Press described the rules as new in September 2026, but the document is dated 2022. A new clinic has a further limit: DHA's licensing manual, version 1.2 of 30 September 2026, says a facility in its initial approval period is barred from marketing any health service.

DHA's rules apply to DHA-licensed facilities in Dubai, and we couldn't confirm Abu Dhabi's process. Clinic marketing in Dubai turns them into a workflow.

For real estate, Dubai Land Department's Trakheesi system issues advertising permits, at AED 1,000 for most permit types and AED 5,000 for a project launch event permit, plus a further AED 20 knowledge and innovation fee. Trakheesi advertising permits explains where the permit sits in a campaign.

What does this guide not cover?

This guide doesn't cover defamation, content touching religion, public figures or other businesses, comparative advertising, copyright in music and images, or filming permits in public places. We couldn't confirm the detail for any of them from the sources checked, and a blog post is the wrong place to learn it. If a post would criticise, name or imitate someone, get a UAE lawyer to read it first.

What should you check before every post?

1. 01Is every price, discount and result true today, and could you prove it? Keep the price list, the invoice or the data.
2. 02Does the post promote something, and from whose account? A founder promoting their own company from a personal account is the exempt case as reported. A creator, an employee promoting a company they don't own, or a paid partnership means asking about the Advertiser Permit.
3. 03Is an identifiable person in the photo, video or voice note? Get dated written consent, and in health content the documented consent the DHA standard requires.
4. 04Does it run a sale, giveaway or promotion in Dubai? Ask the Department of Economy and Tourism whether a permit is needed.
5. 05Is the business in a regulated sector? Health means the licence number on the account, no absolute claims and medical director approval. Property means the permit number on the ad.
6. 06Does it criticise or name a person or another business? Stop and get legal advice.
7. 07Do you hold the rights to the music, images and text, for business and paid use?
8. 08Has a native reader checked the Arabic for meaning and tone, not just spelling?
9. 09Is there a record of who approved it and when?

Put one name next to 'approved by' and keep a folder of consents. When the list throws up a question you can't answer, ask the National Media Authority about permits and content, the Department of Economy and Tourism about Dubai promotions, DHA about Dubai health content, Dubai Land Department about property ads, and a UAE lawyer about everything else. The wider plan is in social media marketing in the UAE.