Sheikh Mohammed Issues Decree Waiving 10% e-licensing, e-ticketing Fee In Dubai

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and the Ruler of Dubai have issued a new decree, the Decree No. 5 of 2023, that amends some of the provisions under Decree No. 25 of 2013 which pertains to the laws concerning the eLicensing and eTicketing systems for events conducted in Dubai.

As per the Decree No. 25 of 2013, an “e-Licensing System” is an electronic system that is used to license events and record any relevant information and data such as the venues, event timings, etc. that are associated with the actual event itself.

New Decree Will Increase Profitability in Events Sector, Increase Competitiveness

Also, an “e-Ticketing System” as per the decree is an electronic system that is utilized to market and distribute the tickets to an event.

The decree of 2013 applies to all areas within the emirate of Dubai and also includes the free zones and the Special Development Zones within the emirate, such as the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

According to the amendments made under the latest Decree No. 5 of 2023, the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai has waived collecting a 10 percent ticketing fee on future ticket sales.

Until the issuance of the latest decree, a fee that amounts to 10 percent of the actual or estimated ticket fee, not exceeding AED 10 per ticket, was collected on every ticket sale as per the old decree. With the new decree issued, there will be no such ticketing fee collected.

However, the fee related to the annual subscription to the e-ticketing or e-permit systems will still be collected as before.

The new decree is part of a series of resolutions that are issued by HH Sheikh Mohammed, with the aim being to raise the competitiveness in the economic activities within the emirate, to create a business environment that is rooting for growth as well as to improve the standards across the various sectors in Dubai.

By issuing the new decree concerning e-ticketing and e-licensing in Dubai, the emirate looks to position itself in a better way as a destination to host international events, which supports the objectives that are laid out by the plans that are part of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33.

The Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) is put in place to ensure that the economy of Dubai doubles in its size and further solidifies its position as one of the top three cities of the world.

As part of the reforms to achieve D33, the Dubai ruler recently also announced a resolution to establish new corporations with affiliations from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, which enhances key factors for economic growth, such as the attractiveness of businesses in the emirate, better development and exposure of development initiatives, easiness of conducting business, and protecting the consumers and ensuring better governance across sectors.

Speaking about the new decree on e-licensing and e-ticketing, Ahmed Al Khaja, the CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, stated “The leadership of Dubai continues to extend their support to develop the events sector in the emirate and also to help raise the contributions made by the sector to the sustainable development of the economy.

The amendments made in the regulations related to e-licensing and e-ticketing affirm the importance of the events sector and also encourage the growth of entertainment activities, festivals, and events, within the emirate. Thus ultimately attracting more visitors into Dubai.”

Dubai is already one of the top destinations picked to conduct international and regional events. In fact, the emirate was able to win 232 bids to conduct business events in 2022, which is close to twice higher in the number of bids for events the emirate won just one year prior in 2021.

Related Topics

🔹List Of Upcoming Exhibitions In Dubai, UAE 2023

🔹Get Your Visa Issues Resolved: GDRFA’s ‘A Homeland For All’ Campaign At Deira City Center

It is considered that the events conducted in Dubai, as per the bids won, will bring in over 135,000 people into the emirate, which includes scientists, business people, thought leaders, industry experts, and more.

By conducting such important events in Dubai, the emirate will be able to enhance the value proposition for not only being the best place to conduct events, but also the best place for the best people from all around the world to live, work, and conduct business.

Further adding to this point, Al Khaja said “The flexibility offered by the legislative framework in Dubai helps to achieve the goals laid down by the Dubai Economic Agenda D33. As always, we remain to be committed to increasing the level of competitiveness of the business sector in the emirate and also to making Dubai the fastest growing and the most-attractive business hub globally.”

The new decree will definitely function as a boost to the events sector in Dubai, which will further help organizers to conduct events, festivals, and other functions more efficiently and attract people from all over the world to attend these events.