UAE businesses — particularly mainland companies — must lease a physical office to obtain and maintain their trade licence. Here is a complete guide to UAE commercial office leasing for businesses in 2025.
Ejari: The UAE’s Tenancy Registration System
Ejari (Arabic for “my rent”) is Dubai’s tenancy registration system — all commercial (and residential) leases in Dubai must be registered in Ejari. For business licence purposes: the Ejari certificate proves your business has a registered office address in Dubai. Mainland DED companies must submit an Ejari certificate when applying for or renewing their trade licence. Ejari registration fee: AED 220 (one-time at lease start, renewable annually). Free zone companies: do not need Ejari — they use the free zone’s own address registration system.
Commercial Office Types in the UAE
Physical Office: A dedicated physical space (private office, suite, floor). Required for most mainland commercial licences. Minimum size: no fixed minimum but landlords and DED prefer at least 200 sqft for a small office. Cost: AED 40,000–200,000/year depending on location and size. Flexi Desk / Shared Office: A dedicated desk in a co-working space. Accepted by many free zones for their licence packages. Not always accepted by Dubai DED for mainland licences. Cost: AED 5,000–20,000/year. Virtual Office: An address service with no physical workspace. Accepted by many free zones (Shams, IFZA, RAKEZ) for service businesses. Not accepted by Dubai DED for mainland licences. Cost: AED 2,000–8,000/year.
Key UAE Commercial Real Estate Markets 2025
Dubai CBD (DIFC, Business Bay, Downtown): AED 150–350/sqft/year for grade-A office space. Dubai mid-tier (JLT, JBC, Barsha Heights): AED 80–150/sqft/year. Abu Dhabi (Al Maryah Island, CBD): AED 100–200/sqft/year. Sharjah (Al Nahda, Free zone areas): AED 40–80/sqft/year. RAK/Ajman: AED 25–60/sqft/year.