Dubai holiday home permit number on Airbnb

Who this applies to

If you rent out a home in Dubai to short-stay guests, it needs a holiday home permit from DET. That covers owners renting their own place and, according to GuestReady, individuals can run up to 8 units without setting up a company.

I host a place in Dubai myself, so this is the checklist I would want if I were starting again. Every figure below has its source next to it, and where sources disagree, I say so.

It is a busy market. AirROI counts 20,018 active Airbnb listings in Dubai, average occupancy of 39.9%, supply up 86.6% and revenue per listing down 27.6% (AirROI). An operator blog citing DET puts licensed holiday homes at more than 22,000 (Royale Stays), though I couldn't confirm that figure with DET. Either way, you are competing with a lot of listings, and a missing permit number is not a corner worth cutting.

What Airbnb asks for

Airbnb's help article 1522 asks hosts with Dubai holiday homes to add their DET Unit Holiday Home Permit Number to the listing.

Two things I can't tell you from here, and won't guess at:

• The exact screens. Airbnb changes its menus. Help 1522 has the current steps, so follow the article, not a screenshot from an old blog post.
• Exactly what Airbnb does with a Dubai listing that has no number. The article is the place to read Airbnb's current wording on that. Read it before you publish or edit a Dubai listing.

What is clear is that Airbnb expects the number, and DET expects the permit.

Adding the number: a checklist

1. Get the permit from DET for the unit. The name says it: Unit Holiday Home Permit Number. It belongs to the specific home you are listing.
2. Copy the number exactly. Take it from your DET documents, character by character. A typo is as good as no number.
3. Follow help 1522 to enter it. Use the steps in Airbnb's article.
4. Check it saved. Open your listing as a guest would and confirm the change has gone through.
5. Ask DET what must be on display at the property. Operator guides list a fine for a missing QR code, covered below.
6. Put the renewal date in your diary. Permits are renewed, and the fee figures vary between sources.

If you run more than one unit, repeat this for each listing. One permit number per listing, matched to the right unit.

What happens if the number or permit is missing

There are two separate sides to this.

On Airbnb, the expectation is set by help 1522. Read it for Airbnb's current position on listings without a number.

With DET, the issue is operating without a permit, or without what the permit requires. Operator guides quote fines starting low and rising steeply:

These figures come from operator guides, not from a DET page I could retrieve. Treat them as a sign of scale and confirm the current amounts with DET.

The other regular obligations

The permit number is the visible part. Operator guides describe several ongoing duties behind it. Confirm each one with DET, since details change.

Guest registration involves guests' identity documents. Treat those as sensitive personal data: use the process DET sets out and don't keep copies lying around in your phone or email.

Renewal fees: the sources disagree

I found three different versions of the renewal fee, and I couldn't retrieve the DET page to settle it.

Three sources roughly agree on the first version, but that doesn't make it right. Ask DET for the figure that applies to your unit before you budget.

Common mistakes to avoid

These are my judgement, based on how the permit and the listing fit together:

• Using the wrong unit's number. If you run several homes, it is easy to paste the same number into every listing. Each listing needs its own unit's number.
• Letting the permit lapse while the listing stays live. The listing keeps taking bookings whether or not the permit is current. Diary the renewal well ahead.
• Different details on different platforms. If you also list on Booking.com or Vrbo, use the same permit number everywhere.
• Changing the home without telling DET. Some renewal fees quoted above are per bedroom. If you add or remove a bedroom, ask DET whether your permit needs updating.

If a management company runs it for you

Many Dubai owners hand the listing to a management company. Houst describes fees of 12 to 25% as common. If that is you, ask three things: whose name the permit is in, who files the Tourism Dirham returns, and who handles guest registration. Get the answers in writing. The permit number on the listing should still match your unit.

Questions to ask DET

Bring this list when you contact DET, so one conversation covers it:

1. What is the current renewal fee for my unit, and when is it due?
2. What must be displayed at the property, including any QR code?
3. What is the current guest registration process and time limit?
4. How and when are Tourism Dirham returns filed?
5. Does a change in bedrooms or layout need a permit update?

Budgeting the paperwork

Permits, renewals and monthly returns are real costs. Before you decide whether a unit works as a holiday home, put them next to what it can realistically earn. The free occupancy and revenue calculator shows what a home makes at different occupancy levels and nightly rates. With average Dubai occupancy around 39.9% according to AirROI, it is worth running a cautious scenario as well as a hopeful one.

Abu Dhabi has its own rules

From 17 September 2026, individual owners and tenants can operate holiday homes in Abu Dhabi, and eligible units grew 77% to 4,771 in 2025 (The National). Abu Dhabi licenses holiday homes separately from Dubai. A DET permit is for Dubai. If you have a place in each, treat them as two separate sets of paperwork.

Keep the number where guests and inspectors can see it

Once the number is on the listing, keep a copy in the home as well: in your guest guide or house rules, and on a sign if DET requires it.

A quick recap

• Get a DET holiday home permit for each unit before hosting.
• Add the Unit Holiday Home Permit Number to each listing, following help 1522.
• Check what must be displayed at the property.
• Keep up with Tourism Dirham returns and guest registration.
• Confirm renewal fees with DET, since sources disagree.
• Remember Abu Dhabi is a separate system.