Trakheesi Permits & Broker Cards: Dubai Compliance Explained

Dubai's advertising and licensing compliance framework is the practical mechanism that separates legitimate agents from the rest. It takes minutes to check and most buyers never do.

The broker card

Every individual working as a real estate broker in Dubai must hold a RERA broker card with a unique broker number, issued by DLD.

To obtain one: certified training (DREI or approved provider), a passed RERA examination, employment with a licensed brokerage, and card issuance. Total cost roughly AED 4,700–7,000; timeline three to six weeks (Article 78).

Renewal: annual, conditional on continued employment with a licensed brokerage.

It is not portable. The card exists only in connection with a sponsoring firm. Changing employer requires transfer.

How to verify: ask for the broker number and check it via the Dubai REST app or DLD's broker search.

This is the single most important compliance check available to a consumer, it takes two minutes, and an agent operating without a valid card is working illegally — with no recourse mechanism available to you if something goes wrong.

Trakheesi

Trakheesi is DLD's permit system for real estate advertising.

The rule: every property advertisement in Dubai must carry a Trakheesi permit number. This applies to portal listings, social media posts, printed material, billboards and websites.

To obtain a permit, the brokerage needs:

• Valid RERA registration
• A signed Form A from the property owner authorising the agency to market that property
• A permit application for that specific advertisement

Why it exists: to eliminate bait listings — advertising properties that are not available, or at prices that are not real, to harvest enquiries. Before Trakheesi, this was endemic in Dubai.

What it means practically: a listing without a permit number is either non-compliant or advertising a property the agency has no authority to market. Both are reasons to walk away.

The trade licence

The brokerage must hold a valid DED/DET trade licence that explicitly covers real estate brokerage as a licensed activity.

A licence for general trading, management consultancy or marketing does not permit property brokerage. Ask for the number and check the activity.

The forms

DLD standardises agency documentation:

• Form A — seller/landlord and agency. Required before a Trakheesi permit can be issued.
• Form B — buyer/tenant and agency. Establishes buyer representation. Most buyers never sign this, and consequently have no formal agency relationship — they are dealing with the seller's agent.
• Form I — agency to agency, setting out the commission split on a collaborative transaction.
• Form F — the MOU between buyer and seller. The binding sale contract, under which the buyer's 10% deposit is genuinely at risk.

Using the correct form is a compliance requirement, not a formality. An agency operating without Form A cannot legally advertise; an agency claiming to represent you without Form B does not.

The advertising rules

Beyond the permit requirement, Dubai property advertising must:

• Display the permit number
• Not misrepresent the property's characteristics, price or availability
• Not advertise a property without the owner's authorisation
• Display the brokerage's licence details
• Not make guaranteed-return claims

That last one matters. "Guaranteed ROI" and "guaranteed rental returns" marketing has drawn regulatory attention. Treat any such claim as a warning about the firm making it, regardless of how the guarantee is structured.

Social media specifically

Search interest in `ig` rose 40% in this keyword neighbourhood — reflecting agents researching Instagram as a lead channel.

The compliance point is simple and widely ignored: the permit requirement applies to social media. A property advertised on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or WhatsApp status requires a Trakheesi permit and must display the number, exactly as a portal listing does.

For consumers: a property advertised on social media without a permit number is non-compliant. This is where a substantial proportion of Dubai's non-compliant marketing happens, precisely because it feels informal.

For agents: informal channels do not create informal obligations. Advertising without a permit risks penalties and card suspension, and social platforms are increasingly monitored.

A broader caution for consumers: the overwhelming majority of cross-border Dubai property complaints begin with an unsolicited approach — a WhatsApp message, an Instagram DM, a cold call. Legitimate agents exist in very large numbers and are easy to find through portals, referrals and DLD's own broker search. You never need to work with someone who found you.

The consumer checklist

Before engaging any Dubai agent or agency:

Eight minutes. It filters out the large majority of the people who cause problems in this market.

What to do about non-compliance

Report it to RERA/DLD. Channels include the Dubai REST app and DLD's contact centre.

What RERA can do: investigate, penalise, suspend or revoke broker cards and brokerage registrations.

What to include: the agent's name and firm, screenshots of the non-compliant advertising showing the absence of a permit number, dates, and any correspondence.

Document everything. Verbal assurances are unenforceable. Screenshots and written communications are evidence.

Why this framework exists

Dubai's compliance architecture was built largely in response to the pre-2008 environment, in which unlicensed agents advertised properties they had no authority over, at prices that did not exist, to buyers who had no verification mechanism.

Trakheesi, broker cards, mandatory forms, escrow accounts and project registration are all post-2008 institutional responses. Collectively they make Dubai one of the more verifiable property markets available to an individual buyer.

The system only protects people who use it. It exists, it is free, and it takes eight minutes.