A Dubai apartment is not a short-let until the permit says so.
The change
A furnished residential unit let short term in Dubai has to be registered as a holiday home with the Department of Economy and Tourism before a guest arrives. Owners, tenants with their landlord's consent, companies and professional operators all register on DET's Holiday Homes system, and the permit is issued once the unit clears DET's checks.
Two rules catch people. The unit is let whole — you cannot share it with the owner or with other guests, so letting a spare room is not a holiday-home let. And the permit is time-limited and has to be renewed to keep operating.
What it means if you are entering
If your UAE plan includes buying an apartment to let short term, the registration and the permit sit inside the acquisition timeline, not after the keys. The listing platform is irrelevant to the obligation.
It also decides who should own the unit. Registering as an individual owner and registering as a professional operator are different routes with different requirements, and that choice is easier to make before the purchase than after.
- Gulf News — How to get a Holiday Home Permit in Dubai
- Khaleej Times — Is Airbnb legal in Dubai? How to register apartments as holiday homes
The authority is Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism and its Holiday Homes portal; the two references above set out the process. Fees and requirements are revised periodically — confirm the current position with DET, or with us, before relying on it.