Dubai · Compliance for marketers

Trakheesi permits for real estate marketers: what every Dubai property ad needs

Last updated 2026-09-26

What Trakheesi is

Trakheesi is the Dubai Land Department's permit system. For real estate advertising, it issues the permit that lets a licensed company advertise a specific property, project or event. The Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA), part of DLD, supervises advertising against it. Portals check it too: Bayut and dubizzle will not publish a listing without a valid permit (Bayut — Trakheesi for real estate professionals).

Which ads need a permit

DLD's permit service lists fourteen categories (Dubai Land Department — Real Estate Ad Permit). A performance marketer touches most of them:

Who applies, what it costs, how long it takes

Source: Dubai Land Department — Real Estate Ad Permit.

What has to appear on the ad

• The permit number. DLD requires the permit number in all real estate ads (DLD — fines for not adhering to advertising requirements, 20 October 2020).
• The Madmoun QR code. DLD states that real estate companies must display the QR code on all real estate advertisements, whether visual or written, so buyers can verify the ad is approved by RERA (DLD — AI-enabled real estate advertising governance, 24 April 2025).
• Only what the permit covers. The ad has to match the property, project or event on the permit. Price, payment plan and handover claims should come from the same verified fact sheet the permit was issued against.

Enforcement is automated. DLD reported that its AI-enabled monitoring had checked more than 279,000 listings on Property Finder, dubizzle and Bayut, and that 29% were automatically modified (DLD — AI-enabled real estate advertising governance, 24 April 2025).

How the permit changes a Meta or Google campaign

These are the working rules we build into a Dubai campaign. They follow from the requirements above; they are our operating practice, not additional DLD rules.

1. One permit map per campaign. Before creative starts, list every property or project the campaign will advertise and the permit that covers each. An ad set that rotates in a new project needs that project's permit first.
2. Design a permit zone into every template. Reserve a fixed corner for the permit number and QR code in 1:1, 4:5 and 9:16 layouts, outside Meta's Stories and Reels safe-area overlays, and big enough to scan on a phone. Stamping a QR on a finished creative is how codes end up unreadable or covered by interface buttons.
3. Carry the permit onto the landing page and form. The click lands on a promotion platform too. Put the same permit number and QR near the top of the landing page and in the instant-form intro.
4. Track expiry like a budget. DLD has fined companies for using expired permits. Keep expiry dates in the campaign sheet and pause any ad whose permit lapses before it is renewed.
5. Keep claims on the fact sheet. A cheaper-looking price or an earlier handover date than the permit's property supports is both a compliance risk and a lead-quality problem: the buyer calls about an offer that does not exist.
6. Run it from the licensed company's account. The permit belongs to the brokerage or developer, so the ad account, page and landing domain should be theirs. That also keeps pixel history and audiences with the client.

Agents posting on their own social accounts

Individuals who advertise on social media in the UAE need an Advertiser Permit from the UAE Media Council (UAE Media Council; Gulf News — UAE issues 1,800 Advertiser Permits). That sits on top of the property ad's DLD permit, not instead of it. Confirm the current scope for your case with the Council and your brokerage's compliance team before an agent boosts a listing from a personal profile.

Penalties

In October 2020 DLD announced fines against ten companies and warnings to thirty more for advertising without permits, manipulating permit numbers and using expired permits. It described each fine as a progressive AED 50,000, with licence cancellation possible for repeat violations (DLD — fines for not adhering to advertising requirements, 20 October 2020). Treat that as the floor of the risk, and check current penalties with RERA.

Pre-launch checklist

• Every property or project in the campaign is mapped to a valid permit, with its expiry date.
• The permit is held by the client's licensed company; the marketing contract is on file.
• Permit number and Madmoun QR sit in a reserved zone in every size, readable on a phone.
• The landing page and instant form show the same permit number and QR.
• Price, payment plan, handover and amenity claims match the verified fact sheet.
• Off-plan project is registered with DLD's Escrow Account Department.
• Agents boosting from personal profiles hold a Media Council Advertiser Permit.
• Campaigns are created paused and approved by the client before spend.

This is a marketing guide, not legal advice. Rules and fees change; confirm current requirements with the Dubai Land Department, RERA and your brokerage's compliance team before publishing an ad.

Questions marketers ask

Does a Facebook or Instagram property ad need a Trakheesi permit?

Yes. DLD's permit covers electronic advertisements and real estate promotion platforms alongside print, SMS, outdoor and classified ads, so a paid Meta or Google ad for a Dubai property needs a permit before it runs, and the permit number and Madmoun QR code must appear on it.

How much does a Trakheesi permit cost?

DLD lists AED 1,000 per permit and AED 5,000 for a project-launch event permit, plus a AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation fee. Exhibitions carry separate booking and per-exhibitor fees. The stated processing time is one working day.

Can a marketing agency apply for the permit?

No. The permit is issued to a licensed real estate company. A broker applies with a copy of its marketing contract with the property owner. An agency builds the ad under the client's permit; it cannot hold one for the client.

What is Madmoun?

Madmoun is the QR code linked to an advertising permit. DLD states that real estate companies must display it on all real estate advertisements, visual or written, so a buyer can check that the ad is approved by RERA.

What happens if an ad runs without a permit?

DLD announced progressive fines of AED 50,000 per violation in 2020, for ads without permits, misuse of permit numbers and expired permits, with licence cancellation possible for repeat violations. Check current penalties with RERA.