How to open a nursery in Dubai: the KHDA steps, plus Abu Dhabi and Sharjah

To open a nursery in Dubai you need an Early Childhood Centre permit from KHDA. You get initial approval from the commercial authority, reserve a trade name, submit an academic plan, appoint a manager KHDA has interviewed, pay the AED 10,000 fee, and pass a compliance visit for operational readiness.

Above every emirate sits Federal Decree-Law 51/2022, effective 2 January 2023, covering all nurseries except those attached to private schools. Your day-to-day dealings are with the licensing body in your emirate.

What are the KHDA steps to open a nursery?

These come from KHDA's permit guide, last updated in January 2022, so check them with KHDA before you start:

1. Get initial approval from the commercial authority.
2. Reserve your trade name.
3. Prepare an academic plan following the Early Childhood Guide.
4. KHDA reviews it and gives initial approval and an NOC. You then get the commercial licence.
5. Your manager candidate is interviewed by KHDA's academic team.
6. The permit is issued once the manager is appointed and fees are paid.
7. Get KHDA's prior approval for any marketing.
8. KHDA makes a compliance visit for operational readiness.

Step seven catches people out. Hold your social media launch and any early registration campaign until that approval is in hand.

How much does it cost and how long does it take?

The guide gives a fee of AED 10,000, and renewal is AED 5,000. On timing, KHDA's own pages differ: the guide says 16 working days, while an extract of the service page says 3. Ask KHDA which applies to your step, and do not promise parents an opening date on either number. These are KHDA's fees only. Your commercial licence and fit-out are separate costs.

Who can be the manager?

Treat this as your first hire, because the permit depends on it. KHDA's page, updated in August 2026, asks for:

• A bachelor's degree, preferably with an advanced early childhood qualification completed or in progress, or a professional centre leadership certificate such as Level 5.
• Attested certificates.
• At least three years' experience in early childhood centres.
• Good conduct and no convictions.

What should I plan for once open?

• Ratios: reported in January 2022 as stated by KHDA: 45 days to 17 months, 1 to 3; 18 to 35 months, 1 to 5; 36 to 47 months, 1 to 8; 48 to 71 months, 1 to 12. We have not read KHDA's own table, so confirm before you budget salaries.
• Arabic: KHDA's policy covers birth to six, but Phase 1, the part now in force, applies to ages four to six only. Later phases follow a two-year evaluation, with no date set. Each Arabic teacher spends at least a third of weekly instructional time with children.
• VAT: the FTA's education guide sets two conditions for zero-rating: a recognised institution and a recognised curriculum. Without the curriculum, tuition is treated as including 5% VAT.

What is different in Abu Dhabi?

ADEK is the regulator, and private nurseries there serve children up to four. Gulf News reported that from 2025-26 infants as young as one day old can enrol, and nurseries cannot refuse unless full. Renewal needs a trade licence, staff data on PASS and a CCTV Compliance Certificate. Fee rises follow a fixed calendar with three years between increases.

What is different in Sharjah?

SPEA sets four stages:

1. An application with reasons, age groups and area.
2. A name NOC from the Economic Department, with site map, title deed and plans.
3. The operational plan and feasibility study, lease or deed, Municipality and Civil Defense certificates, professional licence and manager approval.
4. The fee and an electronic licence, valid for one year and renewed annually.

The page words its AED 5,000 fee as for a "private training center", so confirm the nursery figure before you rely on it.

When you are up and running, Bambini handles attendance, daily reports, parent messages and fee collection, in Arabic and English.

Last checked 4 November 2026; rules change, so confirm with the regulator. This is general information, not legal advice.