As a parent in Dubai, one minute you’re on the Jumeirah school run, the next you’re stuck in a DIFC meeting that refuses to end, and suddenly the “quick” Marina brunch turns into a three-hour social marathon. Add long commutes, rotating shifts, and school timetables that rarely align with office hours, and you get a very Dubai problem: parents needing reliable cover, fast. In a city built on momentum, families often run on a patchwork of routines: nannies on leave, friends out of town, last-minute work travel, or visiting relatives during peak holiday periods.
The demand for baby-sitting services in the UAE is at its peak. Female labour force participation in the UAE stood at 55.1% in 2024, according to the World Bank, which translates into more households budgeting for paid childcare and more demand for structured, repeat babysitting bookings. 88.5% of Dubai’s population are expats, and many expat households don’t have grandparents or siblings around the corner, so short-notice help becomes normal during events, flights, and those predictable pressure points like Eid and the winter tourism rush.
Whether you’re coordinating carer schedules across Dubai, collecting fees smoothly, or safeguarding sensitive client records, staying compliant starts with securing the right business license in Dubai.
Baby-Sitting Services – 8890.96
This business activity covers the operation of a non-medical babysitting service focused on everyday childcare supervision, including for handicapped children. Think attentive, practical care such as keeping children safe, following household routines like mealtimes, play, bath and bedtime, and providing calm oversight, without stepping into nursing, therapy, or any form of clinical support.
Under this business activity, you’re typically permitted to organise and provide babysitting sessions through a managed service model: taking bookings, allocating sitters, maintaining client and child profiles like addresses, preferred routines, allergies, and emergency contacts, and keeping secure records that demonstrate you’re running a compliant, well-administered operation.
In practice, you might be operating a city-wide babysitting agency that assigns vetted carers to families on a short-notice or recurring basis. Some founders focus on structured weekly bookings for working parents who need reliable coverage during late meetings or shift work. Others build premium, on-demand services for expat households, hotels, or events, where trained sitters are booked for evenings, weekends, or travel-heavy periods.
But there are limits. You can’t engage in the funding or administration of compulsory social security programmes or provide childcare or similar services in the 8890 class that provide accommodation.
Third-Party Approval:
No third-party approval is required for this business activity.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance:
Business activity 8890.96 is exempt from this requirement.
