Trakheesi and Madhmoun: a guide to real estate advertising permits in the UAE (2026)

If you advertise property in the UAE, you need a government advertising permit, and which system you use depends on the emirate. Dubai uses Trakheesi, run by the Dubai Land Department. Abu Dhabi uses Madhmoun, run by the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre. This guide explains both in plain English, what they are, who needs them and what to have ready, and points you to the official source for the current rules.

UAE advertising permits at a glance

• Property adverts in the UAE need a valid government advertising permit, and the permit number must appear on the advert.
• Dubai uses the Trakheesi system, operated by the Dubai Land Department (DLD). Dubai also issues a Madmoun QR code with each permit, so anyone can verify the advert is approved.
• Abu Dhabi uses the Madhmoun system, operated by the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC) with the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT).
• Abu Dhabi’s Madhmoun and Dubai’s Madmoun are two separate systems in two different emirates. They share an Arabic root but are not connected.
• In both emirates, all of the major UAE property portals require a valid permit number before a listing can go live.
• The documents you need depend on the listing type (resale, lease or off-plan) and the emirate.
• Rules and fees change and differ by emirate, so always confirm current requirements with the relevant authority before you list.

Madhmoun or Madmoun? They are not the same thing

Both names come from the same Arabic word, مضمون, meaning verified. That is where the similarity ends, and the two are routinely confused.

• Madhmoun, with an h, is Abu Dhabi. It is ADREC’s listing verification and advertising permit platform, accessed through DARI. It is the permit itself, and no advert can be published without one.
• Madmoun, without an h, is Dubai. It is a QR code issued by DLD alongside a Trakheesi permit, letting anyone scan an advert and confirm the permit is genuine. It is not a permit in its own right.

Put simply, Abu Dhabi’s Madhmoun is the gate you pass through before advertising, and Dubai’s Madmoun is the receipt attached to the advert afterwards. A permit in one emirate carries no standing in the other.

Dubai: the Trakheesi system

Trakheesi is the Dubai Land Department’s system for issuing real estate advertising permits. Before a brokerage can publish a Dubai listing, it applies for a permit through the Trakheesi system on the Dubai Land Department’s website, and DLD issues a permit number tied to that specific property and advert. The permit number must appear on the advert, and the advert must match the permit. The aim is to keep listings genuine and traceable, which reduces duplicate and misleading adverts.

DLD’s advertising permit service lists fourteen categories, covering everything from portal and print listings to billboards, exhibitions, open days and project launch events. As at August 2026 the published fee is AED 1,000 plus a AED 20 knowledge and innovation fee for most permit types, and AED 5,000 for a project launch event permit. Check the DLD e-service for the current schedule before you budget.

What you need, by listing type

• Resale: the broker normally needs Contract A, commonly called Form A, the marketing agreement between the seller and the brokerage.
• Leasing: the broker should hold the owner authorisation or leasing brokerage agreement required under the current DLD and RERA process.
• Off-plan: advertising a project or unit generally requires a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the developer.

A seller can appoint one brokerage exclusively, or appoint up to three on a non-exclusive basis, each through its own Form A. The three-broker limit has applied since October 2022. Confirm the exact position with DLD or RERA before you list.

Dubai’s Madmoun QR code

Since April 2023, Dubai adverts have also carried a Madmoun QR code, issued through Trakheesi with the advertising permit. Scanning it opens the official permit card on the DLD website, showing the advertising company, the property details, and whether the permit is valid and RERA-approved.

The requirement was introduced for print and audiovisual advertising, and DLD has since described the code as applying to real estate advertisements whether visual or written. In practice the underlying Trakheesi permit number is required on every advert, online included, and the QR code is the consumer-facing verification layer on top of it.

Why Dubai listings get rejected

Most permit-related rejections come down to a few avoidable problems: no permit number on the advert; an expired permit; a mismatch between the advert and the permit, such as the price or property details; or missing documents, such as a resale advertised without a valid Form A. Most are caught only after the advert has been built, which wastes time.

Abu Dhabi: the Madhmoun system

Madhmoun is Abu Dhabi’s official digital permit system for property advertising, launched by the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC) with the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT). ADREC describes it as Abu Dhabi’s first Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Since 7 July 2025, a valid Madhmoun permit has been required for property advertisements in the emirate, issued through ADREC’s DARI platform (dari.ae), with existing listings revalidated by 7 August 2025.

A few features distinguish it:

• Up to three approved brokers can advertise the same listing, or one broker exclusively.
• Only licensed brokers and companies registered with ADREC can apply, and the property owner must approve a broker’s request before a permit is issued.
• The system verifies listing details against official records before a permit is granted.
• It covers both sale and rental listings, residential and commercial.

Fees are charged per listing on a published DARI schedule rather than as a flat rate. As at August 2026 the schedule runs from AED 50 plus VAT for a one-month rental listing up to AED 25,000 plus VAT for a full-project social media permit, with a separate company registration fee on DARI. Check DARI for the current figures.

The effect has been substantial. ADREC reported more than 41,200 regulated advertising permits issued in the period to mid-2026, and Madhmoun has been credited with removing close to 90 per cent of unverified listings from the major portals, with reported live listing counts falling from roughly 75,000 to around 20,000.

Mainland Abu Dhabi vs ADGM

Not all of Abu Dhabi sits under Madhmoun. Properties in the ADGM free zone, which includes Al Maryah Island and Al Reem Island, follow a separate advertising-permit process on the AccessRP platform, which works alongside Madhmoun. Some categories, such as certain hotel apartments and holiday homes, may be treated differently. Confirm the current position with ADREC or the portal.

If you operate in both emirates

There is no single UAE advertising permit and no reciprocity between the two systems. A brokerage active in Dubai and Abu Dhabi runs two separate compliance tracks: RERA registration and Trakheesi permits in Dubai, ADREC registration on DARI and Madhmoun permits in Abu Dhabi, plus AccessRP for ADGM stock. Different regulators, different platforms, different fee models and different owner-consent rules.

How PropSpace helps

PropSpace supports the compliance side of listing across the UAE.

When you add a listing, PropSpace gives you a single field, Transaction No., to record the permit number, a Trakheesi number in Dubai or a Madhmoun number in Abu Dhabi. The number is then carried onto the published advert so it appears on the portals.

For Trakheesi specifically, PropSpace can also optionally validate the permit before the listing is sent out to the portals, so a missing or mismatched permit is flagged early. This is a helper you choose to run, not a gate. PropSpace does not issue or enforce permits, and the destination portal runs its own check and makes the final decision on whether an advert goes live, whether or not you validated in PropSpace. Keeping a listing compliant remains the broker’s responsibility.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Trakheesi?
Trakheesi is the Dubai Land Department’s system for issuing real estate advertising permits. A valid permit is required to advertise any property in Dubai, and the permit number must appear on the advert.

What is Madhmoun?
Madhmoun is the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre’s official digital permit system for property advertising, described by ADREC as Abu Dhabi’s first MLS. Since 7 July 2025 a valid Madhmoun permit has been required to advertise property in mainland Abu Dhabi, issued through the DARI platform.

What is the difference between Madhmoun and Madmoun?
They are two different systems in two different emirates. Madhmoun, with an h, is Abu Dhabi’s advertising permit and listing verification platform, run by ADREC on DARI, and no advert can be published without one. Madmoun, without an h, is Dubai’s QR code service, run by DLD through Trakheesi, which lets anyone verify that an advert’s permit is genuine. Both names come from the same Arabic word, but the systems are unconnected.

Do you need a permit to advertise property in the UAE?
Yes. You need a valid advertising permit, and which system applies depends on the emirate, Trakheesi in Dubai and Madhmoun in Abu Dhabi (with a separate AccessRP process in the ADGM free zone).

What is Form A?
Form A, also called Contract A, is the marketing agreement between a property seller and the brokerage in Dubai. It is normally required before a resale listing can be advertised.

Can more than one broker advertise the same property?
In Dubai a seller can appoint a brokerage exclusively or up to three on a non-exclusive basis, each through its own Form A, a limit that has applied since October 2022. In Abu Dhabi, Madhmoun allows up to three approved brokers per listing, with the owner’s approval.

Does PropSpace issue Trakheesi or Madhmoun permits?
No. Permits are issued by the Dubai Land Department (Trakheesi) and the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (Madhmoun). PropSpace generates the relevant RERA forms, lets you record the permit number on the listing, and can optionally validate a Trakheesi permit before a listing is sent to the portals, but it does not issue or enforce permits. The portal makes the final decision.

What happens if you advertise without a permit, or with the wrong one?
In Dubai, advertising without a valid permit, or with incorrect permit details, is a RERA violation. DLD has published fines starting from AED 50,000, and a brokerage can also face listing removal or licence suspension. Abu Dhabi applies its own legal and administrative measures through ADREC, alongside automatic removal of non-permitted listings. Always confirm the current position with the relevant authority.

This guide is general information and reflects the position as at August 2026. Rules and fees change and differ by emirate, so always confirm current requirements with the Dubai Land Department (DLD) or RERA in Dubai, and the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC) in Abu Dhabi, before advertising.