Dubai, United Arab Emirates
+971 56 557 0031 pontum50@gmail.com
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Event permits · Government liaison · Dubai

Event permits and regulatory approvals across Dubai.

Pontum Solutions prepares, submits and follows through every approval an event needs before it can open, from the DET event permit to Civil Defence clearance for temporary structures and master-community NOCs. Organisers, promoters and venues work with us when the file has to be right first time and each authority needs one consistent point of contact.

Request an assessment See how an application runs
Authorities we file with
  • Department of Economy and Tourism — ePermits
  • Dubai Civil Defence
  • Dubai Municipality
  • Dubai Development Authority
  • DIFC, Trakhees and other free-zone authorities
An exhibition hall seen from an upper level, with rows of temporary stands, partition walls and overhead lighting under a glazed roof.

Temporary stands, partitions and overhead structures each fall within the scope of a Civil Defence review.

Authorities we file with

  • Department of Economy and Tourism (DET)
  • Dubai Civil Defence
  • Dubai Municipality
  • Dubai Development Authority (DDA)
  • DIFC and Trakhees

Services

Every event in Dubai needs a primary permit and, depending on what is built, sold or staged, a set of supporting approvals from other authorities. We handle all of it, or any part of it, under a single engagement.

Event permit approvals

We submit the primary event permit through DET’s ePermits portal, formerly the DTCM permit, together with the supporting applications each authority requires, and track every one of them to issue.

  • Event permits, ticketed event permits and temporary tent permits through DET ePermits
  • Activity permits for recurring, venue-based entertainment
  • Ticketed events set up within DET’s e-ticketing ecosystem
  • DDA event permits through the Zoning e-Services portal: Commercial or Non-Commercial, structural or non-structural

Event consultation

Before anything is filed, we establish which permits the event needs, which authority has jurisdiction over the site, and what is likely to hold up approval.

  • Jurisdiction check: DET, Dubai Municipality, DDA or a free-zone authority
  • Permit identification by event format, ticketing and structures on site
  • Risk assessment against the UAE Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice
  • A written requirements list, sequenced by dependency, for the organiser and contractors

Documentation handling

Most delays come from incomplete or inconsistent documents. We prepare the file, check every drawing and certificate against what the authority expects, and manage the queries that follow.

  • Scaled site layouts showing egress routes and firefighting equipment placement
  • Master Developer NOC, event agenda, risk assessment, emergency and evacuation plans
  • Contractor method statements, anchorage and load data, flame-retardancy and material certificates
  • Responses to authority comments, revised drawings and resubmissions

Stakeholder and government liaison

We act as the organiser’s point of contact with the authorities, the master developer and the venue, and deal with the issues that come up between submission and approval.

  • Coordination between DET, Dubai Civil Defence and Dubai Municipality on a single event
  • Master-community NOCs from DIFC, Trakhees and other free-zone authorities
  • Negotiating permit conditions and requesting expedited review where the schedule requires it
  • Resolving late changes to layout, structures or programme after submission

Who issues what

Jurisdiction depends on where the event is held and what is built there. Most events involve more than one of these authorities.

AuthorityWhat they issue
Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) The primary event permit, through the ePermits portal (formerly known as the DTCM permit). Also temporary tent permits and ticketed-event approvals.
Dubai Civil Defence (DCD) Life-safety approval and NOC covering temporary structures, egress layouts and firefighting provision.
Dubai Municipality Zoning and building-code consent for structural work within its jurisdiction.
Dubai Development Authority (DDA) Event permits within DDA-governed zones, in Commercial and Non-Commercial categories, structural and non-structural.
Free-zone authorities (DIFC, Trakhees and others) Master-community event NOCs within their own jurisdictions.

We do not publish fees or turnaround times. Both vary by authority, site and event, and we confirm them for each engagement.

How an application runs

The same five stages apply to every engagement. What changes is which authorities are involved and what goes into the file.

  1. Consultation

    We review the event concept, venue and dates, and confirm which authority holds jurisdiction over the site. From that we identify every permit required: the DET event permit, any ticketed-event or tent permit, Civil Defence approval for structures, and any master-community NOC. The organiser receives a written requirements list before any design work is committed.

  2. Documentation

    We assemble the application file: organiser trade licence, event agenda, scaled site layout with egress routes and firefighting equipment marked, risk assessment, and emergency and evacuation plans. Contractor method statements, material and flame-retardancy certificates, and anchorage and load data are collected from suppliers and checked against the drawings before anything is submitted.

  3. Application submission

    Applications go in through the relevant portal: DET ePermits, the DDA Zoning e-Services portal, or the free-zone authority’s own system. Where one approval depends on another, such as a Master Developer NOC needed for the main permit, we sequence submissions so nothing stalls waiting on a missing document.

  4. Approval coordination

    Authorities raise comments, ask for revised drawings or attach conditions. We answer each query, coordinate revisions with the organiser’s contractors, and arrange Civil Defence inspection of temporary structures where it is required. The organiser gets a written update at each change of status.

  5. Final approval

    Once permits are issued, we check the conditions attached to each one and brief the organiser and site team on what must be in place on the day. We hand over a complete set of approved documents for reference during build, show days and breakdown.

What a typical application file contains

  • Organiser trade licence
  • Detailed site layout and scaled drawings
  • Egress routes and firefighting equipment placement
  • Master Developer NOC
  • Event agenda
  • Risk assessment
  • Emergency and evacuation plans
  • Contractor method statements
  • Flame-retardancy and material certificates
  • Anchorage and load data for structures
  • HSE compliance documentation

Sectors

Permit requirements depend more on an event’s format than on its size. A small ticketed show can need more approvals than a large private function.

Stages, rigging and temporary structures Reviewed against the UAE Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice before an event opens.
Stage lighting mounted on an aluminium truss, seen from below against a dark ceiling.

  • Corporate events

    Conferences, launches and hospitality events in hotels, venues and outdoor sites. Usually a DET event permit and venue NOC, with further approvals if structures are built.

  • Concerts and festivals

    Ticketed event permits, set-up within DET’s e-ticketing ecosystem, and Civil Defence approval for stages, rigging and crowd barriers.

  • Sports events

    Tournaments, races and sports exhibitions, often on open sites where jurisdiction spans more than one authority.

  • Cultural and community events

    Public and community gatherings, including Non-Commercial event permits within DDA-governed zones.

  • Trade shows and exhibitions

    Stand builds and temporary structures inside exhibition venues, with method statements and material certificates from each contractor.

  • Private gatherings

    Private events at villas, venues and outdoor sites, where a tent, stage or temporary structure brings a permit requirement.

Licensing

Pontum Solutions operates under the registered trade name Pontum Events, a licensed sole establishment registered with the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).

The establishment is registered under the Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development.

Full licence documentation is available on request to prospective clients and venue operators.

Licensed activities

  • Exhibition organising
  • Conference and seminar organising and management
  • Sports exhibitions organising
  • Sports tournament organising services
  • Parties and entertainment services

About the firm

Pontum Solutions is a Dubai-based consultancy that does one thing: gets events approved. We prepare permit applications, manage the supporting documentation, and act as the organiser’s point of contact with the authorities from first consultation to final approval.

Our approach is procedural. We establish the requirements before anything is designed around assumptions, build each file to the standard the authority expects, and keep a written record of every submission, comment and response. At any stage an organiser knows what has been filed, what is outstanding and what we need from them.

We do not quote fixed turnaround times or fees before we have seen an event. Both depend on the authority, the site and what is being built, and an accurate assessment is more useful to an organiser than a convenient one.

Request an assessment

Tell us about the event. We will reply with the permits it is likely to need, the authorities involved, and what we need from you to begin.

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