Carving Dreams
A sunlit historic Dubai alley in warm sandstone.

Guide

How to film in Dubai

A licensed house, a script the commission can read, and a permit before the first camera rolls.

Foreign productions film in Dubai by appointing licensed local support, clearing the script when required, and holding a filming permit before a camera rolls. We produce that path — and the day after it.

The working order

  1. Write a brief: dates, city, pages or a treatment, camera language.
  2. Appoint a licensed UAE production house. Public reporting of the commission’s process says this is required.
  3. Submit the full script if approval is needed — even if only some sequences are shot here. See script approval in Dubai. Reporting has cited up to 25 business days.
  4. Apply for the filming permit after script approval, with locations, kit and insurance.

Nearby questions

Drones need aviation paper as well as a filming permit. YouTube and influencer days that earn money are still a shoot. Abu Dhabi is a second commission — not the same file. We do not invent fees.

Official source

Current terms live on the Dubai Film and TV Commission site.

Questions

Do I need a local house?
Public reporting says yes. Read the commission’s current terms.
How long for a script?
Reporting has cited up to 25 business days.

Ready when you are.

Start your project