A licensed guide, not the driver.
Tour operators and group leaders often ask who may guide a group in Dubai, and whether the coach driver can do it. Dubai has a bylaw on the tour guide profession, and it is short. This guide sets out what the bylaw says in plain words, what it leaves unsaid, what to ask whoever supplies your guide, and how a vehicle and driver fit around a guided day.
What the bylaw is
The Dubai legislation portal publishes the Bylaw of 2000 Regulating the Tour Guide Profession in the Emirate of Dubai, issued by the head of the emirate’s tourism department, then called the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. The portal lists it as in force. It publishes an English text and says that the Arabic text prevails, so the English is a translation.
The bylaw is short, and it defines a tour guide as a person who guides and accompanies tourists to tourist and archaeological sites in Dubai and gives them information about the sites. A “tourist establishment” is a person or firm licensed to organise tourist tours. We are not lawyers, and this is a plain reading of the English text, not legal advice.
Planning this trip? Tell us the date and group size for a fixed price.
Get a quoteWhat it says, point by point
| Subject | What the bylaw says |
|---|---|
| Badge | A guide must hold a valid licence badge, issued after the Tour Guide Award Programme |
| Validity and renewal | The badge is valid for one year and is renewed each year after a refresher course. Failing to renew for two years in a row brings the penalties |
| On duty | The badge is worn on the chest. A guide must explain the sites accurately, must not ask for tips and must not drink alcohol on duty |
| Entry fees | A guide with the badge is exempt from entry fees to tourist and archaeological sites when accompanying the tourists assigned to him |
| Hiring | A tourist establishment may hire a guide only if he holds a valid badge |
| Penalties | Fines from AED 100 to AED 5,000, suspension of the badge for up to three months or its removal, and suspension of the establishment’s licence for up to three months |
| Appeals | A grievance is due within one week of the notice of the penalty |
The two rules that matter most to a group organiser are the badge and the hiring rule. The first says who is a licensed guide. The second says a licensed tourist business may use only a badge holder.
What the bylaw does not say
The bylaw does not mention a tour leader who travels with their own group from abroad. We could not open the tourism department’s own page on the subject, so we have not checked current practice, and we do not say that a foreign leader may or may not guide. If your leader plans to lead a talk at a site, ask the site or the department.
The bylaw does not give a course length, a badge fee or the steps to get a badge. We found no official source for them, so we leave them out. The bylaw also says nothing about drivers. It defines the guide as the person who gives the information.
What a coach driver is not
We supply a vehicle and a driver. Our driver is not a licensed guide, and we do not offer our driver as one. We do not claim that our drivers give commentary on the sites. A licensed guide can be arranged for a fee: ask when you request a quote, and we tell you what we can arrange before you accept.
Venues also run their own guides. The Jameel Arts Centre, for example, says it runs guided tours for groups of 10 or more. If a venue offers its own tour, it is the venue’s to book, and a hired vehicle waits outside. Our coach microphone guide explains which of our vehicles carry a microphone for a guide, and the tour leader briefing sheet lists what to settle with the group before the day.
Questions to ask whoever supplies your guide
- Does the guide hold a valid Dubai licence badge, and can you see it on the day?
- Is the business that hired the guide a licensed tourist establishment?
- Who pays the guide, and is the fee in your quote or separate?
- Do the sites on your plan run their own tours, and are they booked?
- Where does the guide meet the group, and where does the vehicle wait?
Keep the replies with your group papers. They also help us plan the vehicle, because a guided day needs agreed stops and an agreed return time.
Planning the day
Here is an example, not a timetable. A group of 30 wants a guided half day in old Dubai. You book the guide through your operator or ask us what can be arranged. The vehicle takes the group from the hotel at 09:00, stops three times for walks led by the guide, and brings everyone back by 13:00. The guide handles the sites and the driver handles the road. Your own sites, group size and walking pace will change the sum.
Two live pages show how such days look. Our old Dubai half day and the city tour by private minibus set out the stops and the vehicle choices. For a mosque visit, read the Jumeirah Mosque group visit guide first, because the centre that runs it sets the sessions. A longer programme is in our incentive group day timing plan.
Choosing the vehicle
Count passengers first and the guide second, because the guide needs a seat. Our guide figures:
- Mercedes V-Class: up to 7 passengers and 6 bags.
- 13-seater HiAce: up to 13 passengers and about 10 suitcases.
- Mercedes Sprinter: up to 16 passengers and up to 12 suitcases.
- 30-seater mini coach and 50-seater coach for school-age groups and tour parties.
How a booked vehicle fits
- Send the plan. Date, hotel area, party size, the stops and whether you want a guide arranged.
- Ask for a fixed written quote. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
- Read the pick-up and drop-off arrangement. The quote states it, and we update it when a venue publishes its own.
- Agree the return time. We plan the margin and tell you what is not yet published.
- Tell us if plans change. We adjust where we can, and cannot promise to beat traffic.
Keep reading
- Coach PA system and guide microphone: Does the coach have a PA for the guide? What the 50-seater and the mini coach have on board, what to ask us about the rest, and how to brief the driver for a group of 45.
- City tour by private minibus: A one-day Dubai city tour route for a group, how a private minibus compares with a hop-on hop-off bus, and what each option costs per head.
- Stopover tour: A private Dubai stopover or layover tour from DXB: met at arrivals, shown the city at your pace, back at the terminal in good time for your next flight.
- Group transfers for tour operators: A planning guide for tour operators and destination management companies: arrival waves, manifests, hotel driveways, luggage, coach sizes and what to send for a quote.
- Event & conference transport: Delegate shuttles, VIP cars and tour buses with drivers for conferences, exhibitions, galas and sport, run from one plan.
- Tour leader briefing sheet: A one-page template a tour leader can print for guests on a coach day in the UAE: meeting point, times, stops, what to carry and what to do if you are late.
Frequently asked.
Quick answers for this trip.
Does a group need a licensed guide in Dubai?
The bylaw says a person who guides tourists to tourist and archaeological sites and gives them information must hold a valid licence badge. It does not say whether every group must use one. Ask the sites on your plan and your operator.
Can a foreign tour leader guide their own group?
The bylaw does not mention tour leaders who travel with their own group, and we could not open the tourism department’s own page. We do not say yes or no. Ask the department or the site.
Is your driver a licensed guide?
No. We supply a vehicle and a driver, and we do not offer our driver as a guide. A licensed guide can be arranged for a fee: ask when you request a quote.
How long is a guide badge valid?
The bylaw says one year, renewed each year after a refresher course.
What are the penalties?
The English text lists fines from AED 100 to AED 5,000, badge suspension for up to three months or removal, and suspension of the establishment’s licence for up to three months.
Can a tour company hire an unlicensed guide?
The bylaw says a tourist establishment may hire a guide only if he holds a valid badge.
Do venues run their own guided tours?
Some do. The Jameel Arts Centre says it runs guided tours for groups of 10 or more. Book them with the venue.
Is the English text the law?
The legislation portal says the Arabic text prevails and the English is a translation. We read the English and are not giving legal advice.
How do I get a price?
Ask for a fixed written quote through the booking form with the date, hotel area, party size and stops. Say if you want a guide arranged. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
Guide on board, driver on the road.
Two questions now, a fixed price in your inbox shortly after.