If you live in Abu Dhabi and own a house, you may capitalize on the growing popularity of holiday homes in the UAE by turning your villa or apartment into one. You must submit an application for a permit with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism in order to register your villa or flat as a vacation property (DCT).
Here is everything you need to know about the procedure and price of issuing a holiday home license with DCT Abu Dhabi if you’re considering earning additional money this summer.
How can one put up their Abu Dhabi home on Airbnb?
There are three things you should consider before you start if you’re interested in offering your home as a vacation rental in Abu Dhabi:
- To begin with, the residential unit must be entirely or partially registered in your name as the owner of the property being registered as a vacation home. In Abu Dhabi, tenants are not permitted to advertise their rental property as a vacation house.
- In addition, you must submit an application for a holiday home permit via the DCT Abu Dhabi website before listing your house as a vacation rental on Airbnb. As a result of a Memorandum of Understanding that was reached between DCT and Airbnb in February of this year, only properties that have been registered as vacation homes are permitted to be advertised on Airbnb.
- The unit must be an integrated private home or apartment that is owned by a private owner, per DCT. It can’t be separate rooms.
How does one apply for a holiday home in Abu Dhabi?
Applying for a holiday home permit involves the following steps:
- Create an online account on DCT Abu Dhabi website here: https://accounts.dct.gov.ae/en/pages/new-registration.aspx?gotourl=https://accounts.dct.gov.ae/en/Pages/Login-Page.aspx and enter the following details:
- Username and email
- Create a password
- Full name
- Date of Birth and birthplace
- Emirates ID
- Passport number and place of issue
- Home address
- Company name
- Company address
- Mobile phone number
- After creating your account, press submit. Return to the homepage after that and log in using your new online account. Make sure you have the following documents before you begin applying:
- Emirates ID
- Passport number
- Insurance certificate for the home
- Tawtheeq contract (rental contract)
- Tawtheeq number
- The application page for the Holiday Homes Permit will appear on your personal account dashboard after you have registered a new account and logged in.
- Select the option labeled “Apply for HH permit.”
- Enter your Tawtheeq number and press the “next” button.
- The Tawtheeq number will automatically fill in the lessor’s full name, nationality, Emirates ID, and mobile number on the permit application page.
- After you’ve double-checked the information you’ve entered to make sure it’s accurate, upload the insurance certificate and a copy of Tawtheeq, then accept the terms and conditions.
- Click ‘submit’.
- The submission procedure is finished, and DCT Abu Dhabi is currently reviewing it for approval.
- You will receive a notification via your registered email address if the license application is granted. After that, you must log in once more to complete the payment. The status of the application will show as “Pending Payment” on your account dashboard. Tap “pay now.”
- Examine the tax invoice from DCT Abu Dhabi before clicking the “pay now” option. The license must be purchased online using a debit or credit card.
- You can download your receipt and your Holiday Homes Permit after paying the payments.
Permit fee
The license application fee is Dh900 and it is non-refundable.
The license is only good for a year, but you can request a renewal, according to DCT Abu Dhabi. After the license expires, the renewal application must be submitted within one month. DCT Abu Dhabi will email you six to eight weeks prior to the license expiration date if your license is due to expire. 900 Dh will be required to renew the license.