August 2026 ยท Corporate & Commercial Law ยท 12 min read ยท Ahmad Abdulla Ahli Advocates & Legal Consultants
Dubai has introduced a significantly strengthened legal framework governing engineering consultancy activities across the emirate. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, issued Law No. (14) of 2025 Regulating the Practice of Engineering Consultancy Activities in the Emirate of Dubai. The legislation regulates who may provide engineering consultancy services, how consultancy offices and engineers must be registered and classified, and the penalties that may be imposed for non-compliance.
A person cannot practise or promote themselves as an engineering consultancy office in Dubai unless the required commercial licence has been obtained and the office is registered in the relevant register. An engineering consultancy office must operate within its authorised engineering activities and classification and cannot use engineers who fail to meet the required registration and professional competency requirements. Persons in Dubai are also prohibited from contracting with a company to perform engineering consultancy activities unless that entity holds the required commercial licence and registration. The law covers activities throughout Dubai, including special development zones and free zones, expressly including the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
The law was published in Dubai's Official Gazette, Issue 741, dated 7 October 2025. Article 26 states that it comes into force six months after the date of publication โ accordingly, the law became effective on 7 April 2026. Existing engineering offices and engineers working for them when the law came into force are given one year from its effective date to regularise their status, meaning the ordinary compliance period runs to 7 April 2027, subject to the relevant committee's power to extend the period for a similar duration.
The definition is intentionally broad, covering approved engineering consultancy activities connected with architectural, civil, electrical, electronic, mechanical, mining, geological, coastal, petroleum, chemical and other approved engineering fields. The legislation should not be viewed as applying only to conventional architectural or construction consultants.
Article 5 establishes central restrictions. A person may not undertake engineering consultancy activities in Dubai or promote themselves as an engineering office unless they hold the appropriate commercial licence and are entered in the prescribed register. An engineering office is also prohibited from carrying out activities outside its approved scope or classification, engaging an unregistered engineer, or using arrangements that circumvent the regulatory requirements. The prohibition on contracting with an unlicensed consultancy has important consequences for developers, property owners and corporate clients โ compliance due diligence should occur before an engineering consultancy agreement is signed.
Dubai Municipality, in coordination with the competent authorities, is responsible for establishing and operating a unified electronic system linked with the Invest in Dubai platform, handling registration, classification, professional competency certificates and other regulatory matters. Dubai Municipality also maintains the electronic register of engineering offices, their approved activities, classifications and technical staff, and currently lists Law No. 14 of 2025 among the legislation relevant to its Buildings Regulation and Permits functions.
The law also establishes a permanent Committee for the Regulation and Development of Engineering Consultancy Activities, chaired by a representative of Dubai Municipality, responsible for overseeing implementation, approving engineering consultancy activities, coordinating between authorities and approving the applicable code of conduct.
Article 17 establishes extensive continuing duties. Among them, an engineering office must:
Article 20 contains the principal administrative penalty provision. Subject to any more severe penalty available under another applicable law, a violation of Law No. 14 of 2025 or decisions issued under it may attract a fine of AED 1,000 to AED 100,000. If the offender repeats the same violation within one year of the previous violation, the fine may be doubled, up to a maximum of AED 200,000. A headline stating only that the maximum fine is AED 100,000 does not tell the complete compliance story, because repeat violations can expose an offender to a substantially higher penalty. The specific violations and corresponding fines are to be determined through a decision issued by the Chairman of The Executive Council.
Depending on the circumstances, additional measures can include suspending an engineering office from operating for up to one year, reducing its classification, removing it from the register, cancelling the commercial licence, suspending a member of technical staff for up to one year, cancelling a professional competency certificate, removing an engineer from the register, and notifying the UAE Society of Engineers of an engineer's deregistration. For an established consultancy, these administrative sanctions may present a greater commercial risk than the monetary fine itself, directly affecting existing projects and staffing.
Yes. Article 22 establishes a formal grievance procedure. An interested person may submit a written grievance within 30 days from notification of the relevant decision. A committee formed by the responsible official of the competent authority must decide the grievance within 30 days from its submission, and the resulting decision is final under the grievance mechanism, with the complainant notified within five working days after it is issued. Businesses receiving a violation notice should avoid delaying their review, given the statutory 30-day grievance period.
Law No. 14 of 2025 repeals Local Order No. 89 of 1994, which previously regulated the engineering consultancy profession in Dubai. Existing decisions, regulations and guidelines issued under the earlier regime continue to apply to the extent they do not conflict with the new law, until replacement measures are issued โ compliance cannot necessarily be assessed by reading Law No. 14 of 2025 in isolation.
In a more centralised, competency-based regulatory environment, checking that a consultancy exists is no longer enough โ clients and consultants alike need to check that the consultancy is authorised for the specific activity and classification required for the project. Our Corporate & Commercial team advises engineering consultancies and their clients on Dubai licensing, registration and compliance matters โ read more about our Corporate & Commercial Law practice.