Do I need a permit to rent my Dubai home as a holiday home?

Yes. All villas and apartments rented as holiday homes must be registered with Dubai Economy and Tourism (DET) and hold a holiday home permit. These properties may then be listed on Airbnb or any similar site.

A property owner may apply for a holiday home permit using a title deed or sale and payment certificate for new construction, a recent DEWA bill, a letter from a property management company, passport or Emirates ID. DET typically processes these applications within one business day. A tenant may also apply provided they have a letter from the property owner stating permission to rent the property.

DET charges a fee based on number of bedrooms in the property. The fee for one studio or one bedroom is AED 370 and an additional AED 300 is charged for each additional bedroom. Holiday home permits are issued for between 3 and 12 months. Guests pay a Tourism Dirham per night per bedroom. It is a good idea to confirm the current fee in DET's system prior to applying.