The Tourism Dirham fee is a Dubai government fee charged per room per night: AED 7 to 20 depending on the property’s classification, and AED 10, 15 or 20 at a hotel apartment. It applies to a maximum of 30 consecutive nights, so a guest who books one continuous stay of three months pays it for the first 30 nights only. In May 2026, Dubai also approved a temporary exemption from collecting it.
Below are the rates as set out in Dubai’s legislation, the rules the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) applies when the fee is charged, and what it adds to a month at the median asking prices on HotelApartments.com.
How much is the Tourism Dirham fee in Dubai?
The rates are set per occupied room per night by Executive Council Resolution No. 2 of 2014, in force since 31 March 2014:
| Classification | Fee per room per night (AED) |
|---|---|
| Five-star or higher-rated hotel or resort | 20 |
| Four-star hotel or resort | 15 |
| Three-star hotel or resort | 10 |
| Two-star hotel | 10 |
| One-star or budget hotel | 7 |
| Hotel apartment, top category (luxury in the legislation, deluxe in DET’s current classification) | 20 |
| Hotel apartment, middle category (deluxe in the legislation, superior in DET’s current classification) | 15 |
| Standard hotel apartment | 10 |
| Guest house | 7 |
| Holiday home, higher category (luxury in the legislation) | 15 |
| Standard holiday home | 10 |
Source: Schedule 1 of Executive Council Resolution No. 2 of 2014, on the Dubai Legislation Portal. The UAE government portal gives the same range of AED 7 to 20 per room per night. The rate follows the category on the property’s DET classification, so two hotel apartments on the same street can charge different amounts. Note the names: Dubai’s legislation calls the three hotel-apartment categories luxury, deluxe and standard, while DET’s current classification documents call them deluxe, superior and standard. The same word can mean different tiers, so ask the property which tier it is classified in.
Is the Tourism Dirham charged for every night of a long stay?
No. Executive Council Resolution No. 10 of 2014 capped the fee at 30 consecutive nights, and DET’s Administrative Resolution No. 2 of 2020 sets out how the nights are counted:
- 30 nights at most. The fee is charged for each room night of the main guest for a maximum of 30 consecutive nights, and not for any night after that.
- Checking out restarts the count. A check-out by the main guest interrupts the stay. If someone stays on in the room who is not a member of the main guest’s family, they are registered as a new main guest and the fee applies to their stay.
- Moving rooms does not. A move to another room in the same establishment does not interrupt the stay.
- A night starts at check-in. It runs from the main guest’s check-in until the time the property sets for the end of the night, or check-out if that comes first.
- A change of category counts night by night. If the property is upgraded or downgraded during your stay, each night is charged at that night’s classification, and the property must tell you.
Is the fee per person or per room?
Per room. The fee applies to every room designated for overnight stays, and where an apartment has more than one bedroom, it applies to each room per night (Article 3 of the 2020 resolution). It is collected from the main guest who occupies the room, whoever made the booking or pays for it, so it also applies when an employer books a corporate stay (Article 4).
Two kinds of guest are exempt: an employee of the establishment staying there for a night shift, and the owner of the establishment.
What does the Tourism Dirham add to a monthly stay?
Because of the 30-night cap, the fee for any stay of 30 nights or more is the nightly rate × 30 × the number of rooms. For a hotel apartment, next to the median monthly asking prices on HotelApartments.com:
| Apartment | Rooms charged | Standard (AED 10) | Middle category (AED 15) | Top category (AED 20) | Median monthly asking price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 1 | AED 300 | AED 450 | AED 600 | AED 7,700 (109 units) |
| One bedroom | 1 | AED 300 | AED 450 | AED 600 | AED 10,600 (173 units) |
| Two bedrooms | 2 | AED 600 | AED 900 | AED 1,200 | AED 15,000 (112 units) |
| Three bedrooms | 3 | AED 900 | AED 1,350 | AED 1,800 | AED 24,000 (54 units with three or more) |
Medians are the monthly asking prices of the 448 Dubai units on HotelApartments.com on 27 October 2026, excluding villas and our luxury collection. The table counts one room per bedroom, and a studio as one room.
The 30-night count starts at the main guest’s check-in, and a check-out restarts it.
For a one-bedroom in a middle-category hotel apartment, AED 450 is about 4% of the median month. Book three months in one go and the fee is still AED 450 in total, about AED 150 a month. Split the same three months into separate bookings with a check-out in between and you pay it three times. That is why our Dubai Shopping Festival guide suggests one continuous booking for a 45-night stay.
Is the Tourism Dirham waived in 2026?
Possibly, depending on your dates and the property. Dubai approved two support packages for hospitality businesses this year:
- From 1 April 2026, a three-month deferral. Hotels, hotel apartments and holiday homes could postpone paying the Tourism Dirham and the sales fees on rooms and food and beverage. This changed when establishments pay the government; the announcement did not say guests would pay less.
- Approved on 21 May 2026, an exemption from collection. A second package approved an exemption from collecting the Tourism Dirham, and the sales fees on hotel rooms and restaurants, for establishments registered with DET. Its measures are being implemented over three to 12 months, with each government entity announcing its own timeline.
On 27 October 2026 we could not find a published end date for the exemption, so check whether your quote includes the fee.
Check the Tourism Dirham line on your quote DET requires hotel establishments to describe the Tourism Dirham clearly and state its amount in their price lists, on websites and apps, and on invoices and receipts, and to call it a fee rather than a tax. If a quote for a monthly stay charges it for more than 30 nights, or for more rooms than the apartment has bedrooms, ask the property to correct it.
How to check the Tourism Dirham before you book
- Ask for one written total for your exact dates. Listing descriptions on our site don’t break the fee out: none of our 448 Dubai listings mentions the Tourism Dirham, while 423 say an event supplement can apply during major events and exhibitions. Send us your dates and we will ask the property for the full price.
- Check the tier and the rooms. The rate depends on the property’s DET classification tier, and a two-bedroom apartment pays for two rooms.
- Count the nights. For a stay of 30 nights or more, the fee should cover 30 nights at most.
- Keep it to one booking. Extending without checking out keeps the count running; checking out and back in restarts it.
- Check VAT separately. Hotel apartments are standard-rated at 5% VAT, a separate charge from the Tourism Dirham. Our guide to hotel apartments, serviced apartments and holiday homes explains why.
For what a month costs before fees, by area and bedroom count, see how much a hotel apartment costs per month in Dubai, or browse monthly hotel apartments in Dubai.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Tourism Dirham fee in Dubai?
AED 7 to 20 per room per night, by classification: AED 20 at a five-star hotel or a top-category hotel apartment; AED 15 at a four-star hotel, a middle-category hotel apartment or a higher-category holiday home; AED 10 at a three- or two-star hotel, a standard hotel apartment or a standard holiday home; and AED 7 at a one-star or budget hotel or a guest house. The legislation and DET use different names for the hotel-apartment tiers, so ask the property which tier it is in.
Is the Tourism Dirham charged per person?
No, per room per night. An apartment with more than one bedroom pays it for each room, so a two-bedroom apartment pays twice the nightly rate.
How many nights is the Tourism Dirham charged for?
A maximum of 30 consecutive nights. A stay of three months in one booking pays it for 30 nights. Checking out restarts the count; moving to another room in the same property does not.
Do holiday homes charge the Tourism Dirham?
Yes. Holiday homes are hotel establishments under DET’s rules: AED 15 per room per night in the higher category and AED 10 at a standard holiday home, with the same 30-night cap.
Who pays the Tourism Dirham if my company books the stay?
The fee is collected from the main guest who occupies the room, whoever made the reservation or is paying for the stay. Ask the property to show it separately on the invoice.
Is the Tourism Dirham a tax?
It is a fee, and DET requires hotels to describe it as a fee rather than a tax. VAT at 5% is a separate charge.
Is the Tourism Dirham waived in 2026?
In May 2026, Dubai approved an exemption from collecting it for establishments registered with DET, implemented over three to 12 months. We could not find a published end date on 27 October 2026, so check whether your quote includes it.
Sources
- Dubai Legislation Portal: Executive Council Resolution No. 2 of 2014 approving the Tourism Dirham fee (Schedule 1, rates by classification)
- Dubai Legislation Portal: Executive Council Resolution No. 10 of 2014 (the 30-consecutive-night cap)
- Dubai Legislation Portal: Administrative Resolution No. 2 of 2020 on calculating, collecting and paying the Tourism Dirham fee (Articles 2 to 5)
- Dubai Legislation Portal: Decree No. 17 of 2013 on licensing and classification of hotel establishments (Article 7: hotel apartments luxury, deluxe, standard)
- DET: Hotel Classification System sustainability requirements, 2025 (hotel apartments deluxe, superior, standard)
- UAE government portal: Other taxes (Tourism Dirham of AED 7 to 20 per room per night)
- Dubai Media Office: economic measures for hospitality, 2 April 2026
- Dubai Media Office: second economic incentives package, 21 May 2026
- Federal Tax Authority: Real Estate VAT Guide (VATGRE1)
- HotelApartments.com: Dubai listings (median monthly asking prices and listing terms, read on 27 October 2026)
Prices and facts checked on 27 October 2026.
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