The option for purchasing or renting property in Dubai could be simple now with the assistance of Emaar approval. A few years back, if you are a foreigner in Dubai, then it could have been difficult to get ownership of a property. However, times have changed, and foreigners could easily buy property in Dubai. On the other hand, there are certain concerns which you should focus on to get the job done simply.

Dubai is one of the countries that has been recording immense development over the years. Many industries have been coming up yearly creating a big job market for many Dubai people thus the growth of the economy of Dubai. With this immense economic growth, there arose a need to have a body that will oversee the management of infrastructure. The rapid growth of buildings and other infrastructure requires strict guidelines to ensure that quality is not compromised. For this reason, Trakhees regulations and standards were then created, in 2009, with the main intent of guarantying development of very sustainable and environmentally friendly structures.

Trakhees is in charge of various entities such as lands, port areas, Dubai World and other areas within its mandate. Additionally, Trakhees are also responsible for the issuance of business licenses in development areas. Trakhees is comprised of four sections that all ensure quality and efficiency is maintained in infrastructural development. These sections include Environment, Health and Safety Department, Commercial Licensing Department, Civil Engineering Department and Corporate Excellence Department.

If you wish to get Trakhees Approvals, you have to follow few guidelines listed below:

Regulatory Requirements:

• No construction work should start without approval from the Civil Engineering Department of Trakhees,
• Approval from Nakheel Asset Management.
• Adherence to rules of Dubai World Community Regulations.
• Day-care and nursery amenities should comply with guidelines for Children Day Care

General Guidelines:

• The owner of any premises is solely responsible for all waste management and disposal.
• The unleased area can never be used by the owner.
• Services offered should be in line with those detailed in the license given.
• Any modification work should not compromise the quality of the building.
• Salon facilities should adhere to the rules and guidelines of Beauty Salons Cosmetics as per EHS.

Facility Requirements:

• Workers should be provided with adequate lockers and changing rooms within the premises.
• Washroom facilities in the premises should be up to standard and both men and women should have separate washroom amenities.
• According to the type of the business, there should be adequate space.
• Lightning standards should be adhered to as set by the authority.
• The premises should have well-structured means of ventilation both artificial and natural such that fresh air is never contaminated.
• Water is supplied by a supplier who is approved by the necessary body. Water is treated by a body approved by the Environment, Health and Safety Department.
• There must be adequate hand washing sites for workers in that premises.

Adherence to these rules is a must if you are looking forward to getting a Trakhees approval. Other than the mentioned rules, you must also observe space area, various business facilities are accorded different floor cover. Even after getting Trakhees approval for your business, that’s not all, you still need to ensure that you continue complying with these rules the day in day out. Trakhees online will help you understand these rules and regulations in a better way.

Warehouses are required to abide by certain Building Regulations and Design Guidelines in order to get a license approval for both establishment and for any subsequent Fit-out modifications done to it. The approvals are demarcated between 2 jurisdictions. Warehouses located in Al Quoz, Dubai Investment Parks and Ras Al Khor come under the jurisdiction of the “Dubai Municipality and Civil Defense” whereas, the Jebel Ali Free Economic zone (JAFZA) are required to get a Trakhees license.

Let’s have a look at the general guidelines:

• The locations for warehouses are required to be chosen as special areas usually set aside for industrial types of work. This is as per the Land Use and Classification and Regulations in the Emirates.
• Unless considered otherwise by the authority, warehouses are required to provide skylight openings of at least 5{0eae52fa29939d8be95e5d87686dbae0f164db59518e7c8936993a7728ee1f75} of floor area in order to provide natural ventilation and lighting.
• The net internal height of any storage area such as a depot or a workshop must be between 4 and 9 meters in height unless indicated otherwise by the authority.
• A maximum limit of 20{0eae52fa29939d8be95e5d87686dbae0f164db59518e7c8936993a7728ee1f75} of the industrial area can be set aside to set up commercial activity. Outside of this area, commercial activity or goods display for trading cannot be carried out.
• Provisions for canteen, pantry and changing rooms with lockers are required to be provided for employees. People with disabilities may be employed only when special provisions for them are incorporated into the design of the space.
• Kitchens and related cooking activities are not allowed on site.

Sanitary Provisions:

• Wash closets (WC) and Basins (WB) are required to be provided for male and female staff at the rate of 1 per 25 staff. If the staff number exceeds 100 then WC’s and WB’s are to be provided at the rate of 1 per 40 urinals.
• Toilet corridors need to have a minimum width of 1.2 meters with stall dimensions of 0.9 X 1.25 meters.
• Vending equipment, waste receptacles and dispensers need to be 1 meter above the floor level with the waste receptacles embedded into the walls out of the way of people.
• Common toilets for both sexes are prohibited and doors to male and female washrooms are to be separated well. Self-closing doors to be provided wherever possible.

Parking provisions:

• 1 parking space per 50 square meters of office space to be provided. For vehicles such as buses, parking space provided depends on the operations carried out and number of workers. Parking provision for visitors is 10{0eae52fa29939d8be95e5d87686dbae0f164db59518e7c8936993a7728ee1f75} of space provided for the staff.
• Construction of perimeter fencing must be on property and must not exceed 2.4 meters in height.
• Minimum width of all warehouse doors is 3 meters.

Mezzanine floor constraints:

• A mezzanine floor is simply an intermediate floor space provided above the warehouse floor. Its function may pertain to the space below or above it.
• 100{0eae52fa29939d8be95e5d87686dbae0f164db59518e7c8936993a7728ee1f75} of the mezzanine floor can be used for the purpose of car parking or as an extension of the building’s usage purpose.
• Balconies or terraces are not permitted to be built on mezzanine floors and second mezzanines are not permitted when the first one is being detached and used independently.
• The internal height of ground floor has to be a minimum of 3 meters. With the addition of a half mezzanine floor it has to be between 2.4 – 4 meters. Finally, with the addition of a full mezzanine, the permitted internal height is between 2.6 – 3 meters.
• Mezzanine floors installed must be done so without disturbing the existing warehouse structures.

Fire safety provisions:

• Smoke detectors are required to be fitted in every partitioned area within the building and tested by a EHS (Environment, Health and Safety home)-Approved Fire contractor.
• Fire extinguishers of 9-pound water type and 5-pound capacity carbon dioxide type must be provided at strategic locations on site.
• Sprinkler systems to be provided where there is storage of fire hazardous material and sprinkler piping system is to be tested and approved by the concerned Fire department.

Before commencing any work related to the planning and construction of a project under Dubai Municipality or DM jurisdiction, it is important to first acquire approvals from the DM. DM provides various approvals for individual, commercial and Government services, i.e., individuals, businesses, as well as Government bodies need to acquire a permit or approval before commencing any project work in Dubai. So, let’s discuss some of the approvals provided by DM and what procedure it requires for you to get a DM approval.

New Building Permit:

• The building department of DM provides approvals for new buildings. Any individual, business, or Government body with a proposed building plan can avail this service and get an approval for their project. The approval can be acquired for either Structural plan, or Architectural Plan, or both. The various types of projects that are covered under this service include single and multi-story buildings, industrial structures, villas, and floor ratio area. Before commencing any physical on site, it is important to get the primary approval from DM in order to make sure the project work is as per the standards and guidelines of DM, otherwise, no physical work should be started. However, DM does not require you to get a primary approval, instead, you can directly apply for the final approval.

Procedure to get a New Building Permit from DM:

In order to make sure you get the approval easily, you must follow the given procedure:

• Following the approval from DM, you will get your permit from DM website.
• When all the documents are successfully submitted, you will be required to pay certain fees. In case of villas and multi-story buildings (up to 7 floors), an amount of 100 AED is to paid. 150 AED is to be paid for multi-story buildings with more than 7 floors and 250 AED is to be paid for floor ratio area buildings. Once the payment is done, you will receive a payment voucher.
• Visit DM website and apply for the New Building permit. You will be required to submit the structural and architectural drawing as per the type of service you are applying for.
• From the date of submission, within 3-5 working days, you will receive a reply from DM regarding the approval or rejection of your application.
• If the application is rejected, you should then check for the amendments in your application and then re-submit your application on DM website. The entire process of approval or rejection takes up to 5 working days.

Approval for issue or renewal of DM Plans:

• This service is provided by the Survey Department of DM and provides various sub-services like Land Boundary information, zoning regulations, approved number of floors, use of land, land area, setback area, owner of the title, etc. The most important benefit of this service is that it does not take any long duration of time, i.e., in case of renewal of villas, you can get the approval within 15 minutes, and rest of the services take only 1 working day.

Procedure to get an approval for new or renewal of DM plans:

In order to ensure a smooth procedure for this approval, follow the given instruction:

• Once your application is reviewed, you will receive notifications regarding the approval or rejection from DM via SMS.
• Visit DM website, or call the customer care center of DM, or visit Al Manara Center on Sheikh Zayed road, or visit Al Tawar center in Deira, or Hatta Center, and submit the application form. You will have to submit your UAE identity proof.
• Once you submit the application, a DM plan to register land will be issued to you. For this step, you will be required to submit a copy of Land Department plan not more than 2 years old, and a delegation letter, if your land is within government projects.
• Now you will be required to pay the fees of 200 AED. You will receive a payment voucher that may be helpful for future queries.
• Apart from villas, all other services take 1 working day to complete.

In past couple of decades, Dubai has expanded its industrial and commercial market at a very rapid pace, allowing more opportunities for individuals and businesses. So, it becomes very important for Dubai authorities to manage and maintain a proper set of guidelines in order to maintain quality and safety in all the services. Trakhees has also set up various service codes, wherein every business has to follow certain rules and regulations in its operations.

Trakhees provides five types of licensing services which include New Licenses, License Amendments, License Renewal, License Cancellation, and Commercial Permit. So, in short, if you want to acquire any type of licensing services be it requesting a new license or make changes in your old license, your destination should be Trakhees. So, let’s discuss the procedure for various licensing approvals of Trakhees:

Procedure for New License: This type of procedure is used to get a new license and it is applicable for those parties who come under the jurisdiction of Trakhees. Here are the steps to apply for a new license:

1. For new licensing services, you should visit the Trakhees office.

2. Trakhees CLD provides two types of licenses – Free Zone Licenses and Local Licenses.

3. In the Trakhees office, you can request for the Trade Name Reservation. For that, you need to submit Name Reservation Form, Passport Copy of the local owner. If you are not a local owner, then your visa copy along with the passport is required.

4. The payment advice will be generated by the Trakhees-CLD. Make the payment, show the receipt and collect your Trade Name Certificate from the office.

5. To get the initial approval for federal licenses, you need to visit the office and make a request for the initial approval.

6. To do so, submit the Registration Licensing Application Form, the passport copy, and the Visa copy if you belong to some other nation. If you are a citizen of Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, Palestine, Morocco, Lebanon, Libya, Syria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Christopher and Nevis then last six months bank statements are also required along with the Visa Copy.

7. Make the payment and collect the Initial Approval Certificate from the office.
8. To get initial approval for free zone license, you need to submit following documents: application for license, trade name certificate, FZ/FZCO registration form, environment health & safety form, NOC copy from the employer in case of a non-local, passport copy + visa copy of all shareholders, personal information form, board resolution, and the specimen of signature of manager or owner.

9. Trakhees will check & validate all these documents. If your application has been accepted then you need to make the payment.

10. After completing the payment transaction, you can collect the initial approval certificate from the office.

Procedure for License Amendments: If you have to make certain changes in your existing license, then you have to follow the below-mentioned steps. It must be noted that the amendments which can be made are Changing Trade Name, Changing or Adding an Activity, Change in Address or Location, Changing or Appointing a Manager, Increase in Capital, Changing the Local Agent, Adding or Withdrawing a Partner, and Changing Legal Type. Also, each type of amendment procedures takes a certain amount of time.

1. In case of companies under Free-Zone Laws, an applicant has to visit Trakhees-CLD office and submit the mentioned documents according to the nature of the amendment.

a. For Trade Name Changes, an applicant has to submit Board Resolution from the company, Application amendment form, Original Trade license, Original MOA, Original Share Certificate, Amendment to the Memorandum of Association
concerning the change of Trade Name, and Trade Name certificate.

b. For Changing or Adding an Activity, an applicant has to submit FZ License amendment form, Original Trade license, EHS activity form, and Amendment to the Memorandum of Association concerning the change of activity.

c. For Change in Address or Location, an applicant has to submit Original Trade License, FZ license amendment form, Request Letter, EHS approval, and Copy of Lease agreement registered in Ejari.

d. For Changing or Appointing a Manager, an applicant has to submit Board resolution from the company, FZ license amendment form, Copy of the new manager’s passport along with NOC if the manager is a non-local, NS approval for new manager, Accommodation agreement, Amendment to the memorandum of Association duly authenticated by the Notary public, and Personal information for the manager.

e. For Increasing the Capital, an applicant has to submit Board resolution from the company, FZ license amendment form, Original Trade license, Original share certificate, Confirmation from the bank, and Amendment to the Memorandum of Association.

2. Once the applicant is done with all the document submissions, a submission reference number will be generated.

3. The Trakhees-CLD will check all the documents and if all the requirements are fulfilled correctly by the applicant, a payment advice will be generated.

4. The applicant can submit the fees online and present the receipt to front desk offices. The printed license will be available to collect by the applicant.