The architecture industry in UAE has evolved tremendously during a short period of time. From a barren land, to holding the World record for the tallest building in the world, Dubai’s architecture has developed rapidly and keeps on growing. According to Dubai Design and Fashion Council, the UAE’s design market will grow by 13% from $32bn in 2017 to reach a record-high of $36bn by 2019.
The UAE is a wide platform for talented architects and engineers around the world. This has given rise to number of architectural and engineering consultancies and designing offices.
Steps to Open an Architectural Design Consultancy
Any engineers or Architects planning to start their own Architectural/Engineering Consultancy firm in Dubai must abide by the following rules, laid down by the Dubai Municipality to get the business license.
- Must appoint a UAE National as Local sponsor. The UAE national must be:
- Having min 3 years of experience in the specified field
- Must be a holder of Bsc degree in Engineering/Architecture from a recognized University.
- Must be a member of Society of Engineers Association
- Expatriates
- Must be member of Society of Engineers Association
- Must have min 5 years of experience in the specified field
- Must be a holder of B.Sc degree in Engineering/Architecture from a recognized university.
The local engineering firm will be owned by the UAE national and the expatriates will have a share in the license with a max 49% ownership. The classification of the engineering/Architectural firm
- G+4 – Local 3 years’ experience and expatriates 5 years (Third Category)
- G+12 – Local 5 years’ experience and expatriate 7 years (Second Category)
- Unlimited – Local 10 years’ experience and expatriates 15 years(First Category)
Apart from the above mandatory requirements there are other documents and requirements by the Dubai Municipality.
For more details on setting up Engineering/Architectural firms, feel free to leave a message.