There is no single real estate name registration for businesses in Dubai: the right route depends on whether you are naming a brokerage company or a development. We help you register the name the right way, through the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) for companies or the Dubai Land Department (DLD) process for projects.
Real estate name registration is often sold as if it were one service. It is not. DLD does not run a name registration for businesses. Instead there are two separate routes, and picking the wrong one wastes time and fees.
If you are opening a brokerage, leasing or property management company on the Dubai mainland, its name is a trade name. DET checks and registers it during company setup, under the same naming rules as any other business. The real estate side follows: the license application starts with DET, the activity is then licensed through DLD and its Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) on the Trakheesi system, and brokers receive practice cards once that license is in place.
If you are a developer, the name belongs to the project registered with DLD, not to your company. A project name change is requested by the developer through DLD's systems and needs a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the master developer, a letter giving the reasons and notices sent to investors.
Whichever kind of business you run, exclusive rights to the brand itself come from a trademark registered with the Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MoET).
Founders setting up a mainland real estate company who need a trade name DET will accept and a clear view of the DLD steps after it.
Developers who want the request, investor notices and master developer NOC prepared properly before submitting to DLD.
Companies whose name sits with their free zone authority and which need that authority's NOC for the DLD license.
Brokerages that want their agency name or logo protected as a trademark, beyond the trade name.
Clear boundaries, so you know exactly what you're paying for and who decides each step.
DLD sets conditions for project renaming, such as the project being active, and we check these against your project before preparing the file.
Government fees, paid at cost
Trade name fees are set by DET, and any fees for real estate licensing or project changes are set by DLD. Both are paid at cost; we confirm exact amounts before you pay, separately from our written service quote.
Global Sky PRO service fee
Quoted in writing before we start, so you know the full cost up front.
Timing
A clean trade name is usually a quick step, but a rejected name sends you back to the shortlist. A project rename depends on the master developer issuing its NOC and on DLD's audit, so allow time for both.
Each step shows who does what, so you always know where things stand.
A brokerage, a branch, a development or a brand. Share your shortlist and your license or project details.
We confirm whether you need a DET trade name, a DLD project name change or a trademark, and what each requires.
For trade names, we check the rules and reserve the name with DET. For projects, we prepare the request, forms and letters for the developer to submit.
DET accepts or rejects the trade name. For a project, DLD audits the request and accepts or rejects the change.
Use the registered spelling across your license, signage, listings and marketing so your records line up.
A brokerage name follows the general trade name rules. It ends with the legal form, such as LLC, suits the licensed activity, avoids religious names and the names of authorities or external bodies, respects public order and morals, and is not already registered. Because the name must suit the activity, words linked to property or homes usually sit well with a brokerage.
Short answers here. Your situation may differ, so ask us before you decide.
For a mainland brokerage, the name is registered as a trade name with DET during company setup. You choose the name and legal form, DET checks it against its naming rules, and once reserved it moves on to initial approval. The real estate activity is then licensed through DLD. We check your shortlist and handle the reservation.
Project names sit with the developer and DLD. A developer requests a project name change through DLD's systems, supported by an NOC from the master developer, a letter giving the reasons and notices to investors. DLD audits the request and accepts or rejects it. We prepare the paperwork; the developer submits it and DLD decides.
DLD's published services do not include a separate name approval for brokerages. The company name is a DET trade name, checked under DET's rules, while RERA licenses the real estate activity and registers brokers through Trakheesi. Some activities carry extra conditions, such as a branch name matching its parent license, so we confirm the current requirements for your setup before you apply.
You submit the license application through the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), and the Dubai Land Department (DLD) then licenses the real estate activity through its Trakheesi system or Invest in Dubai. At the time of writing, DLD lists one working day for its part of the service. Once the license is issued, DLD asks you to apply straight away for a Real Estate Activity Practice Card, which brokerage activities need. Free zone companies also need a no-objection certificate from their licensing authority.
The Dubai Land Department (DLD) charges an annual fee that depends on the real estate activity you license. At the time of writing, DLD lists AED 25,000 a year for real estate development, AED 15,000 for leasing and managing property for others, AED 10,000 for valuation, exhibitions or owners' association supervision, and AED 5,000 for other activities, each plus an AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation fee. Trade license fees from the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) are separate. All government fees are paid at cost.
Renaming a registered project is a separate Dubai Land Department (DLD) service that the developer applies for. DLD now lists it as the "Changing the name of a real estate project application" service. DLD sets the conditions and decides each request, and its requirements can change, so we confirm the current conditions with DLD before the developer applies.
Yes, you can register an agency or project brand as a trademark with the Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MoET), since UAE trademark law covers signs that distinguish services as well as goods. A trade name from the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) or a project record with the Dubai Land Department (DLD) does not give you exclusive rights to the brand. For a development, agree first who will own the mark, as the project name sits with the developer.
Source: UAE Government: Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2021 on trademarks
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Trademarks are examined and registered by the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism. We prepare and file your application; registration is decided by the Ministry. Last reviewed 31 October 2026 by the Global Sky PRO team.