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Starting a personal or household services business in the UAE
A small, practical sector, domestic staff supply is the part that carries real regulation.
What This Sector Covers
Funeral services, wedding and matchmaking services, personal assistant and concierge work, home organisation and moving services, and domestic staff services make up this small sector. Most of these are lightly regulated and straightforward to license.
Domestic worker supply is the exception and is treated seriously: it is governed by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation under the domestic workers framework, with specific sponsorship, contract and welfare obligations. It is a different proposition from ordinary corporate recruitment and should not be approached as though it were the same thing.
Who typically licenses this. Concierge and lifestyle businesses, moving and home services firms, and domestic staff agencies.
Browse by category
Find Your Category First
Not sure which activity you need? Start with the category closest to your business, then pick the activity inside it.
Personal Services
28- Valet & Concierge Services
- Funeral & Burial Services
- Tattoo & Body Art Services
- Matchmaking & Wedding Services
Household Services
1- Home Organisation & Moving Services
Approvals You Should Expect
Across our partner zones, 9 of the 29 listings in this sector (31%) carry a named external approval. These are the bodies that appear most often, an approval here is a condition of the license, not an optional extra, and several must be obtained before the license issues.
Which Zone Carries It
Every partner zone publishes activities in this sector, but not evenly. Meydan carries the most at 9 listings. Breadth is not the only thing that matters (fees, visa quota, facility type and reputation all count) but a zone with a thin list in your sector is a zone that may not have your exact activity.
Before You Apply
- Domestic worker recruitment agencies operate under a dedicated license with financial guarantees.
- Moving and relocation businesses that also store goods need warehousing permissions.
- Funeral services involve health and municipality approvals in every emirate.
A to Z of Every personal & household services Activity
Every activity published in this sector across our partner zones, alphabetically. Zone codes show where each one is available; click any activity carrying ⓘ to read the free zone’s own official description of it.
A
C
D
E
F
G
K
L
P
S
T
V
W
Questions We Get Asked
Do I need the exact activity, or is something close enough?
The exact one. Banks, customs, payment providers and clients all read the license wording literally, and an activity that only roughly describes what you do creates friction at account opening and at import. With 19 activities published in this sector alone, there is almost always a precise line available.
Can I hold more than one activity on a single license?
Yes. Every zone allows multiple activities on one license, usually with a package covering a set number and a fee per additional activity beyond it. Some zones restrict mixing across license types, for example combining a trading activity with a professional one, so the combination matters more than the count.
What does an “external approval” actually mean here?
It means a body outside the free zone has to sign off before your license can issue or before you may operate. In this sector that most often means Sharjah Health Authority, followed by Ministry of Health & Prevention (MOHAP). The free zone will not waive it, and applying without it is the most common cause of a stalled application.
Which free zone should I choose for this sector?
Start by confirming the zone publishes your exact activity, that alone removes several options. In this sector Meydan publishes the most activities. Then weigh cost, visa quota, whether you need a physical facility, and whether your clients or bank have a preference. We do this comparison as part of the setup rather than leaving it to you.
Is a free zone license enough to trade on the UAE mainland?
Not by itself. A free-zone company can sell to mainland customers through a distributor or agent, and can service mainland clients in many sectors, but holding a physical outlet, a workshop or a site presence on the mainland generally needs a DED license or a branch. This matters more in some sectors than others, it is decisive in retail, hospitality and contracting.
How current is this list?
It reflects the activity lists each zone publishes, as loaded into our catalogue. Zones add and retire activities without announcement, and fees change. Treat it as an accurate map rather than a live feed, and confirm the specific activity before you commit.