KHDA Advertising Approval Guide for Dubai Schools

Every piece of marketing a Dubai private school publishes needs KHDA approval first. That covers the admissions banner, the Instagram reel, the open-day email and the page on your own website. This guide explains what needs approval, how to apply, what gets sent back, and how to plan a campaign so approval never becomes the bottleneck.

Written by the Gatsin team. We run enrolment marketing for British and CBSE curriculum schools in Dubai. This guide summarises KHDA’s published guidelines and service page as of September 2026. It is not legal advice, and KHDA’s own documents always take precedence.

The short version

Who: every KHDA-licensed private school in Dubai.
What: any advertising or marketing material, in print, online, on broadcast, outdoors, in PR, and on your own website.
When: before it is published. Under Article 27 of KHDA Resolution No. 1, schools must “seek KHDA’s approval for all advertisements and marketing material before they are published”.
How: through the KHDA portal, attaching the material, with a valid Educational Services Permit and commercial licence.
Cost: AED 100 per request (KHDA service page).
Time: 2–3 working days from a complete submission, if no amendments are needed.
Validity: three months. After that, resubmit.

What counts as “advertising” under KHDA rules

Schools regularly assume approval is only for billboards and newspaper ads. KHDA’s guidelines are much broader. They list:

Newspaper and magazine ads, brochures, leaflets, circulars and mailings
Emails, text messages and other electronic campaigns
The school’s own website, and content about the school on other websites
Posters and outdoor media, including moving images
Cinema, video and broadcast commercials
Online ads, including banner and pop-up ads
Sales and advertising promotions
Press releases and PR material

In practice, treat your paid social ads, Google Ads copy, landing pages and admissions emails as in scope. If a parent could see it and it promotes enrolment, assume it needs approval.

How to apply, step by step

Check your permits are current. You need a valid KHDA Educational Services Permit and a valid commercial licence. An expired permit stops the application before review.
Prepare the material in its final form. For print and digital, attach the actual artwork as a file. For video, audio or broadcast, KHDA asks for a transcript alongside the file.
Submit through the KHDA portal under the private school advertisement approval service, and attach the materials. (KHDA’s older guideline document describes emailing material to its RCC team. The current service page says to apply through the portal, so use the portal.)
Respond to amendment requests quickly. KHDA can ask for changes or insert disclaimers. The clock effectively restarts when you resubmit.
Pay the AED 100 fee once the approval conditions are met.
Record the approval date. Approvals last three months. Put the expiry in your campaign calendar.

What your material must include

The school’s name and/or logo.
For emails and text messages: the school’s full name and a valid address where recipients can send opt-out requests.
For a school still under construction: a likely opening date, and what happens to enrolled students if opening is delayed.
Correct contact details. KHDA is explicit that responsibility for the accuracy of addresses, phone numbers and emails lies with the school.

The most common reasons material gets sent back

1. Claims you cannot prove

Any claim, “direct or implied”, needs evidence. That includes awards, rankings, acknowledgements and partnerships, and KHDA asks for dates and timelines. “Top school in Dubai” with no source will not pass. “Rated Outstanding by DSIB, 2023–24” with the report to hand will.

2. Using inspection ratings too early

KHDA says schools may use their final DSIB overall performance rating in enrolment advertising “only after all school inspection reports have been published on the KHDA website”. Don’t put a new rating into ads the day your own report arrives.

3. Testimonials without permission

Parent or student testimonials need proof of permission. KHDA also says testimonials cannot be presented as absolute truth and should be backed by independent evidence. Keep the signed consent on file before you submit.

4. Prize draws and enrolment giveaways

KHDA does not permit raffles, draws or competitions offering gifts or lifestyle benefits to encourage registration. Scholarships are handled separately. “Enrol by March and win an iPad” will be rejected.

5. Knocking other schools

Comparative claims are allowed if they are substantiated and not misleading. Disparaging or unfairly attacking another institution is not.

6. Unapproved programmes or trust marks

Advertise only KHDA-approved curricula and programmes. Don’t display accreditation logos or claim endorsements unless you have permission to use them.

7. Tone and cultural fit

Material must not be offensive, must respect Islamic principles, UAE national identity and local culture, and must not target any community or nationality. KHDA may also challenge text that is “excessively long, obscure or complex”.

What happens if you skip approval

Under Article 27 of KHDA Resolution No. 1, KHDA can:

withdraw the advertisement
make you withdraw and replace it with a public notice that the earlier ad was misleading
ban you from advertising for a period it decides
take any other measures it considers necessary

If KHDA publishes a correction on your behalf, the school pays the cost. For an admissions team mid-season, an advertising ban costs far more than the AED 100 fee.

Planning campaigns around approval

Approval rarely goes wrong because a rule is unclear. It goes wrong because it wasn’t planned for. What works for the schools we support:

Batch submissions. Approve a campaign’s full creative set (static ads, carousel frames, video transcript, landing page copy) in one go, not piece by piece.
Build in a week, not two days. The official time is 2–3 working days, but one amendment round doubles it. For open days and admissions deadlines, submit at least five working days early.
Approve evergreen copy separately. Core messages (curriculum, fees policy, facilities) can be approved once and reused for three months. Only time-bound offers then need fresh approval.
Track expiry dates. An ad that was approved in January and is still running in May is running unapproved.
Keep an evidence folder. Every claim in your ads should link to a file: the inspection report, the award letter, the signed testimonial consent.

Pre-submission checklist

☐ Educational Services Permit and commercial licence both valid
☐ School name and/or logo on every item
☐ Every claim, ranking or award has evidence and a date
☐ DSIB rating used only after all reports are published on KHDA’s site
☐ Signed permission for every testimonial
☐ No prize draws, raffles or gift-for-enrolment offers
☐ No disparaging comparisons with other schools
☐ Only KHDA-approved curricula and programmes advertised
☐ Emails and SMS include the school’s full name and an opt-out address
☐ Video and audio submitted with a transcript
☐ Contact details checked
☐ Approval expiry date added to the campaign calendar

Frequently asked questions

Do social media posts need KHDA approval?

KHDA’s guidelines don’t name social media platforms, but they cover online advertisements, electronic material and websites. Paid social ads promoting enrolment are online advertising. For organic posts that promote admissions, the safe approach is to treat them as in scope too.

Does our own school website need approval?

Yes. KHDA’s guidelines list “websites of the educational institution” in scope. Plan approval for new admissions pages and major content changes.

How long does KHDA advertising approval take?

KHDA’s guidelines say approvals should take no longer than two working days if no amendments are needed. The current service page states three working days from receipt of all documents. Plan for a week to allow for amendments.

How much does KHDA advertising approval cost?

The KHDA service page lists a fee of AED 100, paid after the approval conditions are met.

How long is an approval valid?

Three months. Material still running after that needs a fresh approval.

Can we use our DSIB inspection rating in ads?

Yes, but only once all school inspection reports for that cycle have been published on the KHDA website.

Can we run an enrolment competition or giveaway?

No. KHDA does not permit raffles, draws or gift-based competitions to encourage registration. Scholarships are the exception.

Need help getting campaigns approved and filled?

Gatsin plans school campaigns with KHDA approval built into the timeline, from the creative brief to the evidence folder. We work with British and CBSE curriculum schools across Dubai. Book a 30-minute enrolment funnel review.

Sources

Work with Gatsin

Gatsin runs school admissions campaigns that follow KHDA approval rules. See our PPC agency in Dubai service for admissions ads. Learn why clients choose us as the best digital marketing agency in Dubai, get a free marketing audit, or WhatsApp us on +971 55 356 1511.