Guide · Advertising rules · 6 min
RERA broker card vs Trakheesi permit: what is the difference?
Published
They are two different things. The RERA broker card is your professional licence to work as a real-estate broker in Dubai. The Trakheesi permit clears one specific property advertisement. The card says you are allowed to operate; the permit says this particular ad is authorized. You need a valid card before you can get permits at all, and each public advertisement still needs its own permit.
Two different things brokers mix up
A lot of confusion comes from treating the RERA broker card and the Trakheesi permit as the same approval. They are not. One is about you as a licensed professional. The other is about a single advertisement for a single property. Holding the first does not give you the second.
The simplest way to keep them straight: the RERA broker card answers the question are you allowed to work as a broker. The Trakheesi permit answers the question is this specific advertisement authorized. Both questions have to have a yes before you publicly advertise a property.
The RERA broker card
The RERA broker card, sometimes called the professional practice card, is the credential that lets you operate as a real-estate broker in Dubai. Getting it generally involves the required training and an exam, and the card is issued for a fixed period and then renewed. It is the licence to practise, tied to you as an individual broker.
What the card does not do is authorize any specific advertisement. A valid card means you are a registered broker in good standing. It does not, on its own, let you legally publish a listing for a property on a portal or on social media. That is a separate step.
The Trakheesi permit
The Trakheesi permit is the Dubai Land Department's per-advertisement clearance. It ties one advertisement to one property, one broker, and one owner authorization, and it produces a permit number that has to appear on the public advertisement. Unlike the broker card, a permit is generated for each listing you advertise, and only after the owner's authorization is in place.
So the permit sits downstream of the card. You use your standing as a registered broker to apply, but the permit itself is about the individual advertisement, not about you. A current card with no permit means you cannot legally advertise that property yet.
How they fit together
The two work in sequence. The broker card is the precondition; the permit is the per-listing clearance that follows. The table sets them side by side.
| RERA broker card | Trakheesi permit | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Your licence to operate as a broker | Clearance for one property advertisement |
| Tied to | You, the individual broker | One advertisement, property, and owner authorization |
| How often | Issued and renewed periodically | Generated per advertisement |
| Lets you advertise? | No, on its own | Yes, for the specific advertisement it covers |
A valid card without a permit cannot advertise a given property. A permit cannot exist without a registered broker behind it. Brokers who keep both current, and who treat the permit as a per-listing step, stay on the right side of the rules.
Where the permit-number confusion comes from
Some brokers and clients refer to a property advertisement's permit number as a RERA permit number. The reason is that RERA, the Real Estate Regulatory Agency, supervises the advertising rules, while the Dubai Land Department issues the permit through the Trakheesi system. The number you see on a compliant Dubai listing is the Trakheesi permit number, issued under the regime RERA oversees.
The label matters less than the substance. Whatever it is called in conversation, the number on the advertisement is the per-advertisement Trakheesi permit reference, not your broker card number. Those are two different identifiers for two different things.
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Frequently asked
Is the RERA broker card the same as a Trakheesi permit?+
No. The RERA broker card is your licence to operate as a broker. The Trakheesi permit clears one specific property advertisement. The card is about you as a professional; the permit is about a single advertisement, and you need both before advertising a property publicly.
Do I need both the broker card and a Trakheesi permit?+
Yes. A valid broker card is the precondition that lets you apply for permits, and each property you advertise publicly still needs its own Trakheesi permit, issued after the owner's authorization is in place. Neither one replaces the other.
What is a 'RERA permit number'?+
People sometimes call the Trakheesi permit number a RERA permit number because RERA supervises the advertising rules, while the Dubai Land Department issues the permit through the Trakheesi system. The number on a compliant listing is the Trakheesi permit reference for that advertisement, not your broker card number.
Does having a valid broker card let me advertise a property?+
Not on its own. The card means you are a registered broker in good standing, but each public advertisement still needs its own Trakheesi permit, generated after the owner authorizes the marketing. A current card with no permit means you cannot legally advertise that property yet.
Which comes first, the card or the permit?+
The card comes first. It is the precondition for being able to generate permits at all. Once you hold a valid broker card, you apply for a Trakheesi permit for each property you advertise, after the owner's authorization is in place.
Related guides
More guides for the same workflow
- Trakheesi permit in Dubai: what it is and when brokers need itWhat the Trakheesi advertising permit is, when a Dubai broker needs one, and how to get it: Form A authorization, the DLD application, and 2026 enforcement.Read →
- RERA Form A and the Three Broker Rule in Dubai, explainedWhat RERA Form A is, how an owner approves it in the Dubai REST app, and the Three Broker Rule that limits a property to three brokers at once.Read →
- Dubai real estate advertising rules: the permits a broker needsA plain explainer of the permits a Dubai broker needs to advertise a property: the DLD Trakheesi permit and the UAE advertiser permit for social media.Read →
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