# Publishing of Books & Other Publications Services licence in the UAE

> Publishing of Books & Other Publications Services licensing in the UAE — the authority catalogue rows we hold for this line, the approvals attached to them, and where the activity can be filed.

- Canonical: https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities/publishing-of-books-and-other-publications-services
- Updated: 2026-09-04
- IFZA (Dubai): 5811001
- Regulation: Regulator approval required
- Method: https://dubaisetupindex.com/methodology

## What the authority says

Includes firms involved in publishing books as well as literature and scientific references, school books, atlases, geographical maps, presentational brochures and other publications mentioned in details in this division, whether the process involves printing or not, or whether the firm owns its own printing press which can carry out the publishing, or the activity of such a firm is limited to the provision of publishing facilities and the conclusion of contractual agreements with printing house.

Source: IFZA activity catalogue.

## Where you can licence this

| Authority | Status | Code | Licence type | Approval | Facility |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| [IFZA (Dubai)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ifza) | Listed | 5811001 | Professional | Required before the licence issues | Not restricted in the catalogue |
| [Ajman Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ajman) | Not listed under this name | — | — | — | — |
| [Dubai mainland (DET)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/mainland) | Not verified — we hold no DET activity catalogue | — | — | — | — |

Catalogue evidence, not legal advice. Authorities change activity lists without notice — confirm before you file.

## Routes that list this activity

- [IFZA (Dubai)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ifza) — Dubai address, available with Dubai Setup Index. From, no visa: AED 12,900 (12 months · package price)

A route listing the activity is a starting point. The authority confirms eligibility when you apply.

## Third-party approvals

### National Media Council

Before licence · IFZA (Dubai)

Authority’s process note: The activity requires approval from the Ministry of Culture and Youth, and this will be Before the license is issued. Once the required documents are generated in the final stage (after the license application passes the security check), we will send the documents across to apply for the approval. The client must apply for approval after the license is issued. Client must access https://eservices.mcy.gov.ae/#/page/login// Client needs to create an account > Confirm > commercial license > media licensing service > choose the required activity Requirements: • Trade License for existing companies/ initial approval (from IFZA) • TPA Letter (from IFZA) • A copy of the trade name reservation certificate (from IFZA) Fees 5000 AED. Renewable every year, Fees: 2500 AED

[Approval documents](https://ifza.link/2GZDwe)

## Free zone or mainland

- IFZA lists this activity; Ajman Free Zone does not carry it under the same name, so confirm the Ajman catalogue before switching lanes.
- We hold no Dubai DET record for this activity, so treat mainland as unverified here rather than unavailable.
- National Media Council clearance is required before the licence issues, which breaks any advertised same-week timeline.

## Also catalogued elsewhere

The same activity name appears in other authority catalogues we track. This is a name match, not a legal equivalence, and Dubai Setup Index does not file in these zones.

- Meydan Free Zone: 5811.97

## Related activities

- [Culture & Arts Publishing](https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities/culture-and-arts-publishing) — IFZA (Dubai)
- [Books Trading](https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities/books-trading) — IFZA (Dubai)
- [Book publishing](https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities/book-publishing) — Ajman Free Zone · Ajman Free Zone
- [Other publishing activities](https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities/other-publishing-activities) — Ajman Free Zone · Ajman Free Zone
- [Publishing of newspapers, journals and periodicals](https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities/publishing-of-newspapers-journals-and-periodicals) — Ajman Free Zone · Ajman Free Zone
- [Software publishing](https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities/software-publishing) — Ajman Free Zone · Ajman Free Zone

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I add more activities to a Publishing of Books & Other Publications Services licence later?

Usually yes, as a licence amendment, subject to the authority's rules and any extra approval attached to the new line.

### Does this activity need third-party approval?

Yes. National Media Council must clear the activity before the licence issues, so build that step into your timeline.

## Related

- [All business activities](https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities)
- [Compare setup routes](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare)
- [How company setup works](https://dubaisetupindex.com/how-it-works)

## Machine-readable

- [Publishing of Books & Other Publications Services record (JSON)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/data/activities/publishing-of-books-and-other-publications-services.json)

## Citation

Required when quoting any figure from this page. Copy one of these verbatim — the link is not optional.

Dubai Setup Index. “Publishing of Books & Other Publications Services licence in the UAE.” Updated 2026-09-04. https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities/publishing-of-books-and-other-publications-services

[Dubai Setup Index](https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities/publishing-of-books-and-other-publications-services). “Publishing of Books & Other Publications Services licence in the UAE.” Updated 2026-09-04.

Quoting any figure from this record requires a resolvable link to url. Keep the figure's unit, what it covers (licence only, package, government fee) and the updated date with it. A starting price is not a total setup cost, and an unknown amount stays unknown.