Introduction
Most permit questions from corporate and event clients in Dubai come down to one thing: is my shoot the kind that needs a permit, and who deals with it. This guide answers that for the shoots this studio runs, from an interview in a Business Bay office to a launch at DWTC to a brand film with a scene on the Marina walk. It is operational guidance from a videographer, not legal advice. Every rule, name, fee and timeline in it was read on the relevant authority's own website on 21 September 2026, with the Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and drone rules re-checked on 25 September 2026; rules change, so check the source pages listed at the end before you budget.
When no filming permit is needed in Dubai
The DFTC's FAQ states that a filming permit is not required for weddings, events, educational purposes (colleges and schools), press conferences and any filming for personal use. For the corporate and event buyer that covers a great deal of the calendar:
- Inside your own office, factory, clinic or showroom. Interviews, company films, training modules and internal comms run on your consent as the occupier. Building management may want notice if the lobby, car park or roof is used, and the operator supplies a short letter with kit and crew details.
- Inside a hotel or venue you have hired.A conference, awards evening or launch in a ballroom is the venue's premises with the venue's consent. Hotels have their own media rules (a form, a rigging deposit, a named contact), which is the venue's process, not a government permit.
- Exhibition halls. Filming on a stand at GITEX, Gulfood, Arab Health or Cityscape is arranged through the organiser or the exhibitor as media accreditation: the exhibitor registers the operator, the operator wears the badge. That is the workflow behind the exhibition and trade show video bookings on this site.
One caution. The DFTC's How to Film in Dubai page also says permits are required for media productions on government-operated and private locations, with an NOC from the owner for any private location. Read with the FAQ, the practical line is this: an event, an interview or a company film on private premises runs on the owner's consent; a scripted advertisement with a crew footprint in a mall or hotel public area may be asked by the venue for a DFTC permit as well. The venue's answer at booking settles it, and the operator asks for you.
When a filming permit is needed in Dubai
Any shot that leaves private premises: public streets and pavements, beaches, parks, the Marina walk, the Downtown boulevard, bridges, the metro, public landmarks and any government-operated location. The DFTC lists government departments, ministries, royal palaces, military outposts and refineries as restricted areas where filming is not permitted at all. A crew footprint in public (a tripod, a light stand, a lavalier pack on a presenter) is what draws attention, and it is why a walk-and-talk on a public pavement is a permit item even when the interview inside was not.
Two facts on the DFTC pages matter for budgeting. First, the applicant must be a UAE-licensed production company: the DFTC page says any individual, corporation or entity wishing to film must appoint one, and the client provides a commissioning letter appointing it. Second, the permit fees page (read September 2026) lists a non-refundable processing fee of AED 520 per application, a government location fee of AED 2,500 for corporate content for up to 7 days, and no location fee for aerial filming for up to 7 days. Private location fees are set by the owner, up to AED 25,000 a day for large productions. The same page lists fines from AED 15,000 to 25,000 for filming without permission.
Who issues filming permits in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi
- Dubai: Dubai Film and TV Commission (DFTC). Applications, including drone and broadcasting permits, go through the DFTC online portal. Its FAQ gives one working day for permit approval, subject to the location owner's approval, and two working days to register. This operator allows one to two weeks for a public location because the owner's side is the slow part; that is practice, not a published rule.
- Abu Dhabi: Creative Media Authority (CMA), via the Abu Dhabi Film Commission.The Commission's permits page says CMA content approval is part of every ground, aerial and marine application, a Ground Filming Permit covers public locations, and private locations run on a location agreement with the owner. Its FAQ says CMA review and issuance usually take up to 15 working days once documents are complete. Yas Island, Saadiyat and ADNEC bookings are covered on the Abu Dhabi videographer page.
- Sharjah: Sharjah Media Council.Under Emiri Decree No. 6 of 2017 the Council issues video and photography filming permits for companies and individuals in Sharjah, and its website publishes the fees (priced for 7, 14 or 30 days) and an online application. The permit covers the content only: approvals from the location's owner or authority are arranged separately. Free zone premises in SAIF Zone and Hamriyah need the zone's gate pass, arranged by the client. See the Sharjah videographer page.
For Fujairah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah, the UAE coverage page covers permits and travel terms for every emirate.
Drone filming permits in Dubai and the UAE
Drones are the one item that always needs approvals, whoever owns the ground. The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) regulates drones federally, and since September 2025 its rules bar recreational drones from carrying cameras at all. Any drone filming is therefore a commercial operation: an operator authorisation from the GCAA or the emirate's aviation authority, a licensed pilot, airspace approval applied for at least two weeks ahead, and security clearance for the camera. The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) requires drone operators in Dubai to register with it and approves each mission, and a DCAA registration is valid only in Dubai. The DFTC FAQ confirms that drone permit applications are made on its portal and that aerial and ground filming can go on one application. In Abu Dhabi, the Creative Media Authority issues an aerial filming clearance, after which GCAA approval is still needed. In Sharjah, the Media Council approves the aerial content and the Sharjah Department of Civil Aviation issues the flying permit.
That is three or four approvals per flight, tied to a registered aircraft and a registered operator, which is why this site does not fly its own drone. Aerial shots go through a licensed GCAA and DCAA partner, quoted as a separate line and planned at least two weeks out. The DCAA publishes a Dubai Sky Map of where drones may fly; if your building sits outside a permitted zone the honest answer is no, and the alternative is a gimbal shot from the roof.
Filming permit situations in Dubai at a glance
Lead times marked “practice” are what this operator allows on a booking, not figures published by any authority.
| Situation | Permit needed? | Who applies | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interview or company film inside your own office, clinic or factory | No DFTC permit in practice; owner's or tenant's consent | You, plus building management if a lobby or car park is used | A few days for building management |
| Conference or launch inside a hotel or venue | No DFTC permit (events are listed as exempt on the DFTC FAQ); the venue's own media approval | You and the venue; the operator supplies kit and crew details | About a week for the venue |
| Exhibition stand at DWTC, Expo City or ADNEC | Media accreditation, arranged through the organiser or the exhibitor | The exhibitor registers the operator | When exhibitor registration opens, usually weeks ahead |
| Corporate film with scenes on a public street in Downtown or the Marina | Yes, DFTC filming permit | The operator files; you supply the commissioning letter | One to two weeks (practice) |
| Beach, park, corniche or public landmark exterior | Yes, DFTC permit plus the location owner's approval | The operator files | Two weeks (practice) |
| Government building or free zone facility | The entity's own approval; DFTC lists government departments and ministries as restricted areas | Your contact at the entity, with the operator's paperwork | Two to three weeks (practice) |
| Any drone shot, any emirate | Always: registered drone and operator, plus the emirate's aerial permit or NOC | The licensed drone partner, quoted as a separate line | Two weeks (practice) |
| Public location in Abu Dhabi | Yes, CMA content approval and Ground Filming Permit | The operator files | Up to 15 working days (stated by the Abu Dhabi Film Commission) |
| Public location in Sharjah | Yes, Sharjah Media Council filming permit | The operator files; location approvals arranged separately | Two weeks (practice) |
How permits are handled on a Dubai booking with this operator
- Flagged at the brief. The first WhatsApp exchange asks where each scene is shot. Anything outside private premises, and any drone request, is flagged as a permit item before the proposal is written.
- Listed as its own line. Permit and location fees sit at cost on a separate line of the itemised proposal, never inside the day rate. Camera days on the camera crew page follow the same rule.
- You supply the documents.A commissioning letter on your letterhead appointing the licensed producer (the DFTC publishes a template), a copy of your trade licence, and the location owner's letter of consent for any private location.
- The operator files.Jubin prepares and submits the application through a UAE-licensed production company, as the DFTC requires, chases the location owner's approval and keeps the permit on set. If a permit is refused or late, the scene moves onto private premises or to a later day.
- Nothing is shot in public without it. The DFTC fine for filming without permission is AED 25,000, and no client is asked to carry that risk.
For how a shoot day runs once the paperwork is done, see the video production page and the event videography page.
Sources checked for this Dubai filming permit guide
Checked on 21 September 2026 against the authorities' own pages, with the Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and drone entries re-checked on 25 September 2026. This is operational guidance from a working videographer, not legal advice; confirm anything that affects your budget with the authority before you commit.
- Dubai Film and TV Commission: How to Film in Dubai, Permit Fees and FAQ pages (filmdubai.gov.ae).
- Abu Dhabi Film Commission: Permits and FAQs pages (film.gov.ae), naming the Creative Media Authority as issuer.
- Creative Media Authority: Ground, Aerial and Maritime filming permit pages (cma.gov.ae).
- Dubai Civil Aviation Authority: drone registration FAQ (dcaa.gov.ae) and the Dubai UAS regulations (DCAR-UAS Issue 02, February 2025).
- General Civil Aviation Authority: Drones/UAS Registration page (gcaa.gov.ae) and its UAS regulations, including CAR-UAR Issue 04 (September 2025) on recreational drones.
- Sharjah Media Council: filming permit page and application (smc.ae), and Emiri Decree No. 6 of 2017 on the Council's powers.
Filming permit questions
Do I need a permit to film in my own office in Dubai?
For an interview, a company film or internal content inside premises you own or lease, the shoot runs on the occupier's consent in practice, and the Dubai Film and TV Commission's FAQ lists events, press conferences, weddings, educational and personal filming as not requiring a permit. If building management wants a letter, the operator supplies one. A scene on a public street, beach or landmark is different and needs a DFTC permit.
Who issues filming permits in Dubai and how long do they take?
The Dubai Film and TV Commission (DFTC), through its online portal, and its site says the applicant must be a UAE-licensed production company. The DFTC FAQ gives one working day for approval subject to the location owner's approval, and two working days to register. In practice this operator allows one to two weeks for a public location so the owner's side has time to answer.
How much does a filming permit cost in Dubai?
The DFTC permit fees page, read in September 2026, lists a non-refundable processing fee of AED 520 per application and a government location fee of AED 2,500 for corporate content for up to 7 days; private location fees are set by the owner. Fees are passed on at cost as their own line on the quote. Check the DFTC page for current figures before you budget.
Can you film with a drone at my event in Dubai?
Only through a licensed drone partner, quoted separately, and only where the airspace allows it. The DCAA FAQ says drone registration is mandatory in Dubai and valid only in Dubai; the DFTC FAQ says drone permits are applied for on its portal; in Abu Dhabi the Creative Media Authority issues an aerial NOC. Jubin does not fly drones himself. Allow at least two weeks.
Do I need a filming permit in Sharjah or Abu Dhabi?
Abu Dhabi: the Creative Media Authority issues a Ground Filming permit for commercial filming in public places (AED 500 a day on its own page, up to 15 working days), and private locations need a location agreement with the owner. Sharjah: the Sharjah Media Council issues filming permits and publishes its fees and an online application; its permit covers the content only, so approvals from the location's owner or authority are arranged separately.
Send the locations on WhatsApp and get the permit lines quotedVideo production in Dubai