Short answer
Screens inside your own shop, office or home usually do not need an outdoor advertising permit, though malls and landlords have their own approval. Screens facing a street or mounted outside a building generally do. In Dubai that means Dubai Municipality and, near public roads, the RTA; in Abu Dhabi the Department of Municipalities and Transport (via TAMM); in Sharjah, Sharjah City Municipality.
Usually no outdoor-advertising permit needed
- Screens inside your shop, office, showroom, school or home.
- Menu boards and promotional screens inside a restaurant.
- Rental screens inside an event venue (the venue may have its own rules).
Inside malls, business towers and master communities, the landlord or developer normally approves the screen’s size, position, brightness and content. Ask them early — they often want drawings and a specification sheet.
Usually a permit is needed
- Screens on a building façade or rooftop.
- Shop-front screens that face the street.
- Pole, pylon or monopole screens.
- Any screen on or next to a public road, bridge or transport asset.
Who handles it in each emirate
What you will normally be asked for
- A valid trade licence and the landlord’s no-objection.
- Location plan and drawings showing size and position.
- Structural details for façades, poles and rooftops.
- Screen specifications, including brightness.
- Content that follows UAE media content standards (UAE Media Council).
