Photographing People for Marketing in the UAE: Consent and the Law
How UAE cybercrime and data protection law apply when your marketing shows real people, and how to collect consent you can prove.
Read the articleMost marketing shoots in Dubai need a filming permit from the Dubai Film and TV Commission (DFTC). The brand does not apply for it directly. A UAE licensed production company applies on your behalf, appointed through a commissioning letter, and every private location also needs a no objection certificate (NOC) from its owner.
Script approval is a separate step. DFTC ties it to films, TV series and documentaries rather than to a typical advert or social campaign. This guide explains how the pieces fit together for businesses in Dubai, based on what DFTC publishes as of September 2026.
Key points
- DFTC is the only body authorised to license filming for media production in the Emirate of Dubai, and that definition includes commercials and photography.
- Its guidance covers online and mobile platforms, so content made for Instagram, TikTok or YouTube is in scope.
- Permits are requested by a UAE licensed production company. DFTC will not issue one directly to an international company.
- Private locations need the owner’s NOC, and owners control date restrictions at their sites.
- DFTC’s FAQ lists weddings, events, school and college filming, press conferences and personal filming as not needing a permit.
- Script clearance applies to TV series, films and documentaries, and it is the longest step in DFTC’s published timelines.
Who issues filming permits in Dubai
The legal basis is Dubai Executive Council Resolution No. (16) of 2012, which established the Commission. Article 4 names DFTC as the sole entity authorised to license all filming operations in the Emirate for media production purposes. Article 1 defines media production widely: filming for television, cinema, commercials, drama and documentaries, plus photography, radio programmes and other productions.
Article 5 then says DFTC coordinates with the relevant government entities, private entities and Special Development Zones when it issues permits. In practice that means a shoot inside a free zone, a master community or a government venue is still a DFTC matter, with the site’s own approval collected along the way rather than replacing the permit.
The resolution covers Dubai only. If a campaign also films in another emirate, check that location with the authority responsible there before you lock the schedule.
Does your Dubai marketing shoot need a filming permit?
DFTC’s “How to film in Dubai” page sets out scope along three lines. Permits apply on government operated and private locations. They apply across media platforms, which DFTC lists as television, film, radio, online, mobile and print. And they apply to content formats including advertisements, short form, long form, documentaries, radio programmes and photography.
The FAQ adds the other side. It names weddings, events, educational filming at colleges and schools, press conferences and filming for personal use as scenarios that do not require a filming permit. It also confirms that production, broadcasting and photography activities are the ones eligible to apply.
| Scenario | What DFTC’s published guidance says | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| A paid social advert filmed in a mall | Advertisements, online platforms and private locations are all listed as needing a permit | Mall NOC, permitted filming hours, areas you may use |
| A product photo shoot at a hotel for your website | Photography is a listed content format; hotels are private locations | Hotel NOC and whether guests will be in frame |
| A branded documentary or web series | Script clearance is required before producing documentaries, films and TV series | Full script in English or Arabic, locations named per scene |
| Coverage of your own launch event or press conference | The FAQ lists events and press conferences as not needing a permit | Venue rules, and whether the footage will later be cut into an advert |
| Short videos filmed inside your own office or shop | The guidance does not list an exception for a company’s own premises | Ask your production company or DFTC before assuming it is exempt |
The last two rows are where businesses most often guess. Treat them as questions to settle before shoot day, not as exemptions to rely on.
Why the brand cannot apply on its own
DFTC is explicit that any individual, corporation or entity wishing to film in Dubai must appoint a UAE licensed production company to obtain the permit. For overseas brands and agencies, it goes further: international companies must appoint a company holding a valid UAE production trade licence, and DFTC states it will not issue filming permits to international companies directly.
The link between you and that production company is a commissioning letter from the company assigned to the project. DFTC provides a template for it and reserves the right to request more documents or reject an application.
DFTC also publishes a list of local production houses, with each company’s name in English and Arabic and its website. Before you sign with a production partner, it is sensible to check that the name on its quote matches a name on that list, and to agree in writing who prepares the letter, who requests each NOC and who keeps copies of the approved permit on set.
Script approval and when it applies
Script approval is the step people confuse with the permit itself. According to DFTC’s script approval page, movie and television filming in any government or private location needs script approval before the permit application, which matters for any Dubai filming permit covering scripted work. The FAQ narrows this to TV series, films and documentaries.
- Arabic productions submit the full script in Arabic; all other productions submit the full script in English.
- The entire script is submitted, even if only one sequence is filmed in Dubai.
- For films and TV serials, the final script must list the scene itinerary and each intended location, and no amendments are allowed once it is submitted with the application.
- Scenes must not project disrespect to the social perspectives, culture and values of the UAE, or reflect unethically or negatively on economic, political or ideological issues.
- A submitted request can be cancelled, but it cannot be adjusted unless DFTC asks for a change.
DFTC states that script approval takes up to 25 business days, counted on a Monday to Friday week without public holidays. Its FAQ gives separate ranges: 20 to 25 working days for TV series, 10 to 15 for feature films and 10 to 20 for documentaries. If a brand story is long enough to be called a documentary or a series, plan for that window first.
The permit is usually quick. The script and the location owners are what set your calendar.
Locations: government sites, private property and restricted areas
A private location needs an NOC from its owner before filming, separate from the Dubai filming permit itself, and DFTC provides a template for that too. Its FAQ says charges at private locations are the owner’s decision, and that date restrictions at a location are managed by the owner rather than by DFTC, even though the Dubai filming permit itself comes from DFTC. When a mall, hotel or community management company says a date is unavailable, that answer stands.
Once a Dubai filming permit is issued, the production company may film only in the specified areas and for the time periods DFTC approved. A stairwell, rooftop or car park that was not on the application is not covered just because it sits in the same building.
Some places are off the list entirely. DFTC’s conditions say filming must not take place in restricted areas, including government departments, ministries, royal palaces, military outposts and refineries. Keep these out of backgrounds and establishing shots as well as out of the location list.
Overseas crew, aerial shots and conditions on the day
If a director or photographer is flying in, DFTC’s conditions say international crew may arrive on site only after the script is approved and the Dubai filming permit is issued, and all international crew need valid work or business visas. The licensed production company is responsible for obtaining those visas.
For aerial footage, the FAQ confirms that drone permit applications are available online on DFTC’s portal and that aerial and ground filming can be combined in one permit. Mention drone shots in the first brief, because they affect which approvals the production company requests.
The conditions also shape risk. DFTC lists insurance for crew, equipment, locations and workmen’s compensation as optional. A breach of the permit terms leads to immediate termination of the permit without prior notice, DFTC may cancel a permit or reject a script without giving reasons, and it is not liable for costs from a cancellation. Build some slack into launch dates rather than scheduling a campaign to go live the morning after the shoot.
Planning a Dubai filming permit shoot backwards from the date
DFTC’s FAQ gives two useful timings: registration on its system takes 2 working days, and a Dubai filming permit is approved in one working day subject to the location owners’ approval. Combined with the script window above, a sensible order looks like this.
- Write the location list first. Every site, who owns or manages it, and the hours you want. This is what every later step depends on.
- Decide whether script clearance applies. If the piece is a film, series or documentary, start that clock before anything else.
- Appoint the licensed production company. Confirm its name against DFTC’s list and sign the commissioning letter.
- Request each NOC. Owners set their own dates and conditions, so send requests as soon as locations are fixed.
- Confirm crew and visas. Anyone travelling in waits for script approval and the permit.
- Apply for the permit. Include aerial and ground work together if both are planned.
- Shoot inside the approved areas and times. Keep the permit and NOCs on set.
People appearing on camera raise a separate set of legal questions from locations. Our guide to photographing people for marketing under UAE law covers consent and releases, and if creators are posting the content, read UAE advertiser permit rules for influencers and brands.
This guide summarises DFTC’s published guidance and Resolution No. (16) of 2012 as of September 2026. It is general information, not legal advice. DFTC can update its requirements, so confirm the current position with DFTC or your licensed production company before a shoot.
How Digital Marketing Dubai can help
We are not a licensed production company and we do not apply for Dubai filming permits ourselves. What we do is prepare the parts a permit application depends on: the creative brief, script or shot list, a location list with owner contacts, and a schedule that respects script and NOC timelines, so the licensed production company handling the permit has a complete pack.
For scripted adverts, see commercial videography. For launches and events, promo videography is the better fit, and regular vertical content sits under social media videography. All photo and video work is on the media production services hub, and a written fixed price proposal follows your brief.
