Just recently, the National Media Council (NMC) has introduced the UAE influencer license for those residents and citizens who commercialize their creativity online.
This means that all people in the UAE who make money from their posts will need to obtain an influencer license in order to continue blogging or vlogging. It covers those influencers who are sharing content on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Only those making money out of their posts need to obtain the professional license; if you’re an influencer who only receives gifts, products, and services from brands in exchange for coverage, you don’t need the license.
Failure to obtain the license for those monetizing from their posts attracts a heft fine.
How to get the license
Just like getting a trade license, the influencers need to get a license from Dubai Creative Clusters Authority or twofour54 in Abu Dhabi. The influencer license can only be obtained once the trade license is available.
The license is valid for one year and only costs AED15,000.
Meanwhile, those influencers who are under the umbrella of advertising agencies do not need to apply for the license as the agencies will bear the costs for all the influencers registered under them.
Visit the NMC website to know more about the license. Click this link.
