Table of Contents
Topic Summary
Choose Meydan Free Zone for Full Ownership
Setting up through Meydan Free Zone grants 100% foreign ownership with zero corporate tax on qualifying income. You also benefit from full profit repatriation and a fully digital licensing process.
Understand What Activity Code 5813 Covers
Activity code 5813 licenses you to operate a publishing business for newspapers, journals, and periodicals under UAE regulatory oversight. It covers core publishing operations, client engagement, and regional distribution across Dubai and the wider UAE.
Know Which Audience This Business Suits
This licence is designed for trade and academic publishers, digital-first periodical operators, and international publishing groups entering the MENA market. Each profile benefits from Dubai's media-hub status and strong regional distribution reach.
Secure Third-Party Approval Before Licensing
This activity requires regulatory review and clearance from the relevant authority before your trade licence is issued. Your operational model, facility details, and documentation must all be submitted and approved as part of the process.
Leverage UAE Strategic Support for Publishing
Publishing and content creation are explicitly supported under We the UAE 2031 and the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, positioning the sector as a strategic pillar. UAE Media Council oversight and a clear regulatory framework add further operational confidence.
Note the AML Exemption for This Activity
Publishing of newspapers, journals, and periodicals is exempt from Anti-Money Laundering compliance requirements under this activity code. This reduces administrative burden compared to other regulated business activities in the UAE.
Recognise the Boundaries of This Licence
Related but distinct publishing or media services fall under separate activity codes and are not covered by this licence. If your planned operations extend beyond core periodical and newspaper publishing, you may need to register additional activity codes.
How to Start a Publishing of Newspapers, Journals and Periodicals Business in Dubai with Meydan Free Zone
A licensed publishing of newspapers, journals and periodicals business serves Dubai's media, publishing, and knowledge economy.¹
Regional demand, government investment in the sector, and strong enterprise and consumer need drive sustained demand for licensed publishing of newspapers, journals and periodicals businesses.²
For operators, this activity benefits from UAE Media Council oversight, a clear regulatory framework, and strong regional distribution reach.³
That combination of media-hub status, regional distribution reach, and rising digital readership is exactly where the opportunity lies.
The UAE has positioned media and knowledge as strategic pillars under We the UAE 2031 and the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, with explicit support for publishing and content.
Who is this for?
| Audience Segment | Profile |
|---|---|
| Publishers and imprints | Founders launching trade, academic, children's, or specialist imprints acquiring rights and producing titles in print and digital. |
| Periodical and digital-first operators | Teams publishing consumer, B2B, specialist, or online-first periodicals, newsletters, and digital titles. |
| International publishers entering MENA | Global publishing groups setting up a Dubai entity to manage regional rights, localisation, and distribution. |
Setting up through Meydan Free Zone means 100% foreign ownership, zero corporate tax on qualifying income, full profit repatriation, and a fully digital licensing process, giving you a fast and cost-effective route into the Dubai publishing market.
5813 - Publishing of Newspapers, Journals and Periodicals
Under this activity, you are in the business of operating a licensed publishing of newspapers, journals and periodicals business.
Services are delivered under the relevant regulatory oversight with appropriate facilities, systems, and qualified personnel.¹
| Category | Scope |
|---|---|
| Core Operations | Primary delivery. Publishing Of Newspapers, Journals And Periodicals core services provided to clients under the activity code. |
| Regulated Delivery | Compliance-led. Services delivered under the relevant regulatory framework, standards, and reporting obligations. |
| Client Engagement | Commercial scope. Onboarding, contracting, and ongoing service delivery to retail, corporate, or institutional clients as applicable. |
| Support and Operations | Operational back-office. Systems, staffing, documentation, and operational support needed to run the licensed activity. |
| Regional Reach | Market coverage. Delivery to clients across Dubai, the wider UAE, and regional markets within the scope of this activity. |
There are some things this activity does not cover. Related but distinct services fall under separate activity codes.
Activities that are separately regulated or that belong to a different industry class are classified under their own codes.
In short: if you are operating a licensed publishing of newspapers, journals and periodicals business, you are in. If you are delivering a related but distinct service that falls under another activity, you are not.
Third-Party Approval
This business activity requires third-party approval before the trade licence is issued. In practice, your operational model, facility, and regulatory documentation must be reviewed and cleared by the relevant authority before licensing.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance
This business activity is exempt from AML compliance requirements.
