Kiosk license in Dubai [2024 Guide]

]Dubai is an entrepreneur’s dream. This United Arab Emirates city boasts business opportunities for every business size, from multinational brands to medium-sized enterprises to kiosks. A kiosk business is a small retailer usually located inside shopping malls.

Malls attract high numbers of foot traffic that offer tremendous potential for huge profits for kiosk business owners.

In this article, we’ll cover how to get a kiosk license in Dubai so you can start trading:

  • Steps to get a kiosk license
  • Different types of kiosks in Dubai
  • Benefits of starting a kiosk business in Dubai, UAE
  • Working with Trade License Zone

Steps to get a kiosk license

Opening your kiosk business in Dubai starts when you apply for your kiosk license. This enables you to operate in Dubai legally. Here are the steps to get a kiosk license in Dubai:

Step 1: Partner with Trade License Zone

The first step in starting a kiosk business in Dubai is to partner with Trade License Zone. Our professional team will manage all aspects of your company registration, trade license application, and setup process to guide you on all the documentation required for the various government authorities on your behalf.

Step 2: Pick a mall for your kiosk or stall

Research and scout the different malls in Dubai. Consult with the mall management teams. These management teams will assess the product or service you intend to sell. If the management of the mall is interested in the product or service you are offering to their shoppers, they will quote you with rent options of available mall spaces.

Step 3: Choose a company name

Trade License Zone will help you choose and register your kiosk business name with the UAE’s Registry Office. You can use your name in the company’s trade name, but you must use it in full instead of just your surname or initials. The business name must adhere to the UAE’s naming policies, including that a business name cannot include any offensive or profane language, or references to Allah or Islam.

Step 4: Apply for a DED license

The Department of Economic Development (DED) is responsible for issuing kiosk business licenses in Dubai. You will be required to select your business’s activities from the approved activity lists regarding your kiosk business.

Applying for your kiosk license is a streamlined process – when you know what you’re doing, that is. That is why you can seek the expert services of company formation professionals at Trade License Zone to help you get set up quickly and efficiently.

Step 5: Submit all documents

When you submit your kiosk license application, you will need to attach the following documents:

  • Proof of ID and addresses for directors and shareholders (as well as local sponsors, if applicable)
  • Passport copies of shareholders and directors
  • Copy of the company name certificate from the UAE’s Registry Office
  • Copy of the mall management team’s approval
  • Copy of the mall tenancy contract
  • Completed kiosk license application


Step 6: Once your kiosk business license is issued

After you’ve applied for your kiosk license in Dubai and the DED has issued it to you, you can apply for your visa and open your corporate bank account. Your visa may enable you to sponsor the visas of family and staff, depending on your license’s conditions. Contact Trade License Zone’s expert team to help you with this critical step.

Different types of kiosks in Dubai

Dubai is a global city with high standards of living for its majority foreign national population. There are many malls and business zones in which to operate a kiosk. The best opportunity is one taken after due diligence of the prospective mall or area you wish to operate, the type of shoppers, and the amount of foot traffic that passes by the kiosk’s zone.

Here are the most popular types of kiosks in Dubai:

  1. Beverage kiosk Dubai: A beverage kiosk business is one of the most popular types offering shoppers a variety of soft drinks, bottled water, energy drinks, smoothies, juices, milkshakes, and more.
  2. Candy kiosk business: Candy kiosks sell a wide range of candy and chocolate types, from locally made to imported brands. Confectionery kiosks are popular in all malls.
  3. Electronic gadget kiosk business: Everyone has a smartphone, and these regularly require items such as screen protectors, charging cables, and phone cases. Other gadgets are also popular in electronic gadget kiosks.
  4. Ice cream kiosk: An ice cream kiosk is popular in every mall in Dubai thanks to the high ambient temperatures, sweet flavours, and variety of ice cream types.
  5. Jewellery kiosk: Dubai is world-renowned for its jewellery industry, and jewellery kiosks in Dubai generate fantastic business returns.
  6. Pastry kiosk: A pastry kiosk is a popular on-the-go source of food. Every Dubai mall has a pastry kiosk.
  7. Perfume kiosk: Perfume kiosks are growing in popularity in Dubai, offering shoppers boutique perfume brands and fashion brands.
  8. Popcorn kiosk: Popcorn is Dubai’s favourite snack, and it is no surprise that every mall and business centre has a popcorn kiosk.


Benefits of starting a kiosk business in Dubai, UAE

Some of the most famous malls in the world are found in Dubai. This UAE city is a shopper’s delight. The malls owned in Dubai are multinational brands with well-established markets and present huge profits businesses in big malls.

High rent costs for shops in malls make it difficult for new business opportunities to compete against these multinational brands. Still, kiosks provide small business owners opportunities to offer high levels of customer service and niche products and services.

Location is critical for the success of a kiosk business. Fortunately, Dubai’s malls are spread over several areas so that you can find the right audience for your business.

Kiosks can offer customers services and solutions and expect huge profits. Research the market, the mall space, and the customers first, and you’ll be well prepared to compete in the malls on a solid business footing.

Working with Trade License Zone

Business setup in Dubai is straightforward when you partner with a team of experts such as Trade License Zone. Starting a kiosk business in Dubai can be tricky regarding applying for a kiosk trade license, government approvals, and visa regulations. When you partner with Trade License Zone, we will save you from unnecessary delays or rejections and streamline the entire process of company formation in Dubai.

The specialists at Trade License Zone can get started once you provide us with some basic documentation and a little information about the nature of your company and business activities. Then, please sit back and let our team take care of the rest. We’ll manage your kiosk business’s trade license and visa applications, communicate with all relevant local departments and authorities and report when you’re ready to trade. It really is that simple.

Contact us to get a personalized quotation based on your business activity

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