In Abu Dhabi, a home let to guests for short stays is a holiday home, and it needs a Holiday Home Licence from the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi (DCT) before it is listed on any website or platform. The licence is issued for each unit, lasts one year and comes with its own rules: safety and furnishing standards, an inspection, insurance and a 6% tourism fee on every stay. Below is what an owner needs, the steps, and how a holiday home differs from a yearly lease registered on Tawtheeq.
Who can apply for a holiday home licence?
DCT's holiday homes rules (version 02, 2026) name three kinds of applicant:
- You, the owner. If the title deed shows several owners, one of you can apply when the others authorise it. One person can hold at most six licences; further units go through a licensed company.
- A company that owns the unit and holds a commercial licence with a matching activity.
- An Authorized Operator: any person, your tenant included, or a company that you authorise in writing to run the home as a holiday home. The authorisation lasts one year at most, and you confirm it yourself on DCT's system.
The home must be complete and privately owned. Apartments, townhouses and villas qualify, and so do farms, caravans and floating homes under extra conditions. DCT can refuse a licence for a grant property or for a property whose rules do not allow holiday home use.
What the home needs before it is licensed
DCT sets minimum standards for every unit. For an apartment, townhouse or villa the main ones are:
- Fire safety: a valid preventive fire safety certificate from the Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority, a fire extinguisher, a fire blanket, smoke detectors and the emergency numbers on display. A villa's fire detectors stay connected to the Civil Defence monitoring system, Hassantuk.
- Security: a CCTV camera covering the entrance, to the Monitoring and Control Centre's requirements.
- Furnishing: beds and full linen, a kitchen with a cooker, oven and fridge, a bathroom with hot water, a television, and the House Rules on display.
- Space: at most three guests per bedroom. Living rooms and hallways are never used as bedrooms, and the home cannot be divided to add capacity.
- Insurance: a holiday home policy from a UAE insurer covering the unit, guest damage and third party liability, valid for the whole licence and one month after it.
How to get the licence, step by step
- Read DCT's rules and check that your unit type is eligible.
- Prepare your passport, Emirates ID, title deed and the insurance policy. If the developer has handed the home over but the title deed is not issued yet, DCT may accept the sale and purchase agreement, a handover certificate or a possession letter.
- Apply on the Holiday Homes System on DCT's website. DCT says the service will move to TAMM, so check its holiday homes page for the current channel first.
- Villa or townhouse: book the on-site inspection with the application. The licence is issued once the inspection is approved and the fees are paid.
- Apartment: the licence is issued once the fees are paid, but it stays inactive. Book the inspection within three working days; the licence starts on the day DCT approves the inspection.
DCT says it issues a licence within 15 days of a complete application, once every condition is met. The fees are set by DCT and are not refundable. Its 2026 rules do not list the amounts, so check the figure the system shows.
Running a licensed holiday home
- Let the whole home, by the day, week or month. Letting by room or by bed is not allowed without a special exception from DCT.
- Show the licence number on every listing page. Since 1 January 2026, DCT's Circular No. 8/2025 bars unlicensed listings, and platforms must remove them within 30 days of DCT's notice.
- Collect the tourism fee of 6% of the guest's total invoice and show it on the invoice.
- Declare each month's revenue on DCT's system within the first five working days of the next month, even with no bookings, and pay the fee within 15 days after the month ends.
- Keep the home ready for inspection. Operating without a licence is fined AED 5,000 the first time, rising to AED 40,000 by the fourth.
The licence lasts one year and does not renew by itself. DCT sends a reminder six to eight weeks before it ends, and its rules ask for the renewal within 30 days of the expiry date, on the same conditions as the first licence.
Holiday home or yearly lease: what changes?
A yearly lease is a different route. Outside ADGM it is registered on Tawtheeq through DARI: you start the contract and the tenant accepts it. On Al Reem and Al Maryah Islands it goes on ADGM's AccessRP platform instead. Abu Dhabi's tenancy law, Law No. 20 of 2006, asks for a written lease and sets the notice periods, and outside ADGM rent increases are at 0% since 3 June 2026, until further notice. The same law lists real estate let to the hotel and tourism industry, furnished apartments included, among its exemptions. Holiday homes have their own rules from DCT, under Decision No. 3 of 2020 as amended.
| Point | Holiday home | Yearly lease |
|---|
| Rules | DCT Abu Dhabi | Law No. 20 of 2006 and ADREC (ADGM on Al Reem and Al Maryah) |
| Record | A Holiday Home Licence for the unit, renewed every year | A Tawtheeq contract on DARI (AccessRP in ADGM) |
| Who stays | Guests, by the day, week or month | A tenant, for the agreed term |
| Official charges | 6% tourism fee on every invoice, declared monthly | Tawtheeq fees when the lease is registered |
| Ending | Cancel the licence through DCT once bookings and fees are settled | Written notice two months before the end; the law limits eviction |
If your tenant asks to run your home as a holiday home, DCT treats them as an Authorized Operator who needs your written authorisation, and the tenancy law already bars subletting without your written permission. For the yearly route, see how to register a lease on Tawtheeq, and for this year's changes read Abu Dhabi's new holiday home rules.
Official sources
Read on 31 October 2026. Rules and fees can change: check the official page before you act.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licence to let my home as a holiday home in Abu Dhabi?
Yes. DCT Abu Dhabi requires a Holiday Home Licence for each unit before it is listed on any website or platform, and the licence number must show on every listing. Operating without one is fined AED 5,000 the first time.
Can my tenant run my home as a holiday home?
Only with your written authorisation. DCT treats the tenant as an Authorized Operator; the authorisation lasts one year at most and you confirm it on DCT's system. The tenancy law also bars subletting without your written permission.
How long does a holiday home licence last?
One year, and it does not renew by itself. DCT sends a reminder six to eight weeks before it ends, and its rules ask for the renewal within 30 days of the expiry date.
What is the tourism fee on a holiday home?
6% of the total amount invoiced to the guest. The licence holder declares revenue every month, within the first five working days, and pays the fee within 15 days after the month ends.
Can I let a single room as a holiday home?
No. DCT's rules let the whole home as one unit, by the day, week or month, with at most three guests per bedroom. Letting by room or by bed needs a special exception from DCT.
How is a holiday home different from a Tawtheeq lease?
A Tawtheeq lease registers a tenant for an agreed term under the tenancy law. A holiday home holds a DCT licence, is let to guests for short stays and collects the 6% tourism fee. Each follows its own rules.
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