How to open a real estate brokerage in Dubai

There are four official steps: get the trade licence, register it in Trakheesi, get broker cards for your agents, and get a permit for every advert.

The Dubai Land Department (DLD) says the licence application goes through the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), and the applicant then registers in Trakheesi on the DLD website and applies for a practice card straight after approval (DLD, real estate licence service). DLD's brokerage practice guide sets out the same order for getting a broker card (DLD/RERA Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide, Nov 2024).

You apply through DET, either directly or through the Invest in Dubai platform, which DLD lists as a channel for the real estate licence service. If you are licensed in a free zone, you also need a no-objection letter from your licensing authority (DLD).

DLD licenses real estate work by activity, and its licence page lists annual fees by activity type, from AED 5,000 for "other activities" up to AED 100,000 for registration trustees. Which fee applies to you depends on the activity on your licence, so ask DET and DLD which category your brokerage falls into before you budget. DET also sets the trade licence and office requirements; confirm those with DET before you sign a lease.

Trakheesi is DLD's system for real estate licences and permits. It issues professional practice cards and office registration certificates, and handles any violations or warnings issued to the company (DLD practice guide).

Registering your licence in Trakheesi is what gives your office its registration with DLD, the number most people call the ORN. DLD's guide puts this registration before any broker card application, and advertising permits are applied for in the same system. For what the ORN and each agent's BRN are, and how to keep them current, see RERA broker cards, BRN and ORN explained.

Each agent needs a broker card, also called a real estate activity practice card. DLD says nobody may practise a licensed activity until they have registered and obtained the card (DLD, practice card issue).

DLD lists these conditions for a broker card:

• A good conduct certificate from Dubai Police.
• A pass in the broker exam, which DLD describes as the annual test to practise the profession. DLD exempts people over 55, brokers with five consecutive years in the same office, and start-up licence holders.
• A personal photo and a copy of the Emirates ID, uploaded in Trakheesi.

DLD lists the broker card fee at AED 500 and the broker exam at AED 700, plus small knowledge and innovation fees. The card's validity is tied to the validity of the trade licence.

Here is the sequence in one place, with only the fees DLD publishes.

Sources: DLD licence service, DLD practice card service.

Every property advert needs a permit from Trakheesi, and the permit number must be shown on the ad. DLD's guide lists newspaper, SMS, outdoor, print and electronic ads, classified ads, open days and property platforms among the advert types covered (DLD practice guide).

Two more rules catch new offices out. Brokers may only contact owners who are on DLD's green list in the Dubai REST app. And brokers marketing off-plan projects must check that the project is licensed and registered, and that it has an escrow account.

Once the licences are in place, set up the systems before the first agents start: a CRM, a way to route portal leads to one agent each, a listings record with permit status, and somewhere to keep each agent's BRN and card dates.

A card that lapses means an agent who cannot practise, and Bayut's TruBroker badges require a valid BRN (Bayut support). AIRA, the WhatsApp CRM for Dubai real estate, keeps your ORN in the brokerage settings and each agent's BRN on the team page, and warns you when a card is close to expiry. The full checklist of systems is in our guide to setting up a new brokerage in Dubai.

Agents message AIRA on WhatsApp, by text or voice note, to add leads, book viewings, set follow-ups and ask for brochures or floor plans as PDFs. AIRA updates a full web CRM behind it, so the owner sees the pipeline from day one.

Portal leads from Property Finder, Bayut and dubizzle are routed to the agent who holds the listing. AIRA tracks Trakheesi permits on listings and fills RERA Form I from CRM data. AIRA talks only to your agents and managers, never to clients or landlords. New brokerages get 3 months free · No commitment · No card needed. Pricing after that is on request at hello@airauae.com. See the best CRM for a small Dubai brokerage, or read more about us.