Expo City Dubai restrictedbusiness activities: food andbeverage, shisha and alcohol

Version 01, August 2023

Expo City Dubai

Introduction

Expo City Dubai is the pioneering legacy ofExpo 2020 Dubai, and has been at the coreof our planning since the very beginning. An
innovation-driven, people-centric city of thefuture that is committed to protecting theenvironment, it forms a key part of the Dubai
2040 Urban Master Plan. As a blueprint forsustainable living, Expo City Dubai (hereinafterknown as ECD) expects all entities operating
within the city to align with its goals andtargets to create a climate friendly, smart
community that exists in harmony with nature.

This document captures the details specificto restricted business activities for foodand beverage, alcohol and shisha services.
It must be read in conjunction with ‘How toset up your business in Expo City Dubai’ forentity or branch setup, or with ‘How to obtainan Expo City Business Operation Permit’ forshort-term setup.

Expo City is packed with an array ofeducational, cultural and entertainment
offerings, as well as offices, residences,leisure facilities, dining options, event venues,wellness and exercise grounds, and more.

2In addition to the requirements set by
ECD for an ECD Licence or ECD Business
Operation Permit (BOP), clients mustcomplete the relevant approval proceduresfor each restricted business activity as
set out by the corresponding governing
authorities.

Expo City Dubai restricted business activities: food and beverage, shisha and alcohol

Restricted business activities on a permanent basis

The following section provides the requirements and processes to be followed toobtain the necessary approvals from government authorities for food and beverage, alcoholand shisha services and is applicable to clients who plan to carry out these restricted businessactivities on a permanent basis.

1.1 Food and beverage service
Clients must ensure the selection of the appropriate food and beverage businessactivities when completing their Expo City Dubai Business Setup Application form below.
Clients offering food and beverage services must obtain approval from Dubai
Municipality to proceed with food and beverage operations as part of their ECD Licence
Final Approval submission.
To obtain the Dubai Municipality food and beverage operations approval the client will
be required to submit the below information directly to Dubai Municipality via email at
foodpermits@dm.gov.ae:› scaled layout› details of equipment
Dubai Municipality will review the submission and provide approval to the client toproceed with the setup of food and beverage operations. Where required, this approval
may be subject to a physical inspection of the premises post fit-out completion. Dubai
Municipality approval must be submitted to ECD along with the legal documents for theclient to obtain ECD Final Approval.
Once the client obtains an ECD Trade Licence, the client must register in the Dubai
Municipality FoodWatch System online https://foodwatch.dm.gov.ae or by contacting
the FoodWatch team directly on +971 4 2230457.
Once fit-out is complete, the client must ensure all requirements as stipulated in theDubai Municipality Food Code have been fulfilled. The outlet must also display the Dubai
Municipality FoodWatch Certificate and relevant permits at all times.

Expo City Dubai restricted business activities: food and beverage, shisha and alcohol31.2 Alcohol Service
Outlets planning to serve alcohol on a permanent basis must raise a request with ECDfor a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for Restricted Activities as part of their InitialApproval submission. This must be accompanied by the information and documents
listed below, if available. If clients are unable to provide the required information anddocuments at the Initial Approval stage, the request for a NOC for alcohol service canbe raised at a later stage. However, clients are reminded that they will not be able tooperate with alcohol without the relevant approvals.

Documents required for ECD NOC for alcohol service:
Projected monthly alcohol sales report for the outlet (within maximum quota of AED
2 million, excluding taxes and fees)
Outlet floor layout and design clearly showing:› demarcation of licensed areas and non-licensed areas (if applicable)› placement of signage at all exit points of licensed area
› restrooms in line with seating capacity or, as a minimum, a single unisex restroom
also equipped for People of Determination› how licensed areas will be visually obscured from public view› secure storage for alcohol stock and CCTV coverage for storage entrance
Number of security guards present during operating hours
Copy of a letter addressed to Dubai Police from the authorised signatory of theoutlet stating that alcohol will be served in the ECD outlet including the below details:› outlet type› operating hours and time of last call for alcohol› outlet seating capacity› outlet’s ECD location› entertainment (if applicable)› confirmation that the outlet will operate in adherence to existing Dubai rules andregulations for alcohol service
Copy of the authorised signatory’s passportBranches must also provide:› copy of the Parent Company Trade Licence› copy of the Parent Company Alcohol Licence
Once all documents are received, ECD will review the submission and issue an invoice tothe client to complete payment for an ECD NOC for alcohol service. ECD will then issue
the NOC for alcohol service addressed to Dubai Police to allow the client to proceedwith obtaining the Alcohol Licence.

4Expo City Dubai restricted business activities: food and beverage, shisha and alcohol

Obtaining a Dubai Police Alcohol Licence
Once ECD Initial Approval or the ECD Licence as well as the NOC for alcohol service havebeen obtained, the client or authorised representative is responsible for proceeding withthe submission of the below documents in person directly to Dubai Police at the Dubai
Police General Headquarters:
ECD Initial Approval certificate or ECD Licence
ECD NOC for alcohol service
Copy of authorised signatory’s passport
For branch setups, copy of the Parent Company Trade Licence and Parent Company
Alcohol Licence
Dubai Police will provide the client with credentials to proceed with submitting therequired documents to obtain their Alcohol Licence online through the Dubai Police
Portal. As part of the submission, clients will be required to register their outlet(s) in theDubai Municipality Revenue System to complete future payments of the mandated
seven (7) per cent Dubai Municipality Alcohol Service Fee.
Once submission for the Alcohol Licence has been approved by Dubai Police, the client
must proceed with payment of AED 25,020 for the yearly Alcohol Licence fees via banktransfer to the account details, as provided by Dubai Police. Once payment has been
completed, Dubai Police will issue the client with the Alcohol Licence and provide ECDwith a copy of the same. The client can now proceed with alcohol service in line withDubai’s rules and regulations on alcohol.

Expo City Dubai restricted business activities: food and beverage, shisha and alcohol51.3 Shisha Service
Outlets planning to serve shisha on a permanent basis must raise a request with ECD
for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for Restricted Activities – Shisha Service as part of
the Initial Approval submission. This must be accompanied by the following informationand documents listed below, if available. If clients are unable to provide the required
information and documents at the Initial Approval stage, the request for a NOC for Shisha
Service can be raised at a later stage. However, clients are reminded that they will not beable to operate with shisha without the relevant approvals.

Documents required for ECD NOC for shisha service:
Outlet floor layout and design clearly showing:› placement of the smoking section (clearly showing at least 100m away fromchildren’s play areas, prayer rooms and public walkways)› area of smoking section (not exceeding 50 per cent of total outlet size)› area of designated charcoal and shisha preparation section (minimum of five sqm)
› segregation of smoking and non-smoking areas showing segregation partition of atleast 1.2m in height and clearly marked with appropriate signage› outlet restrooms and service areas located within non-smoking section only
› smoking section adheres to cooling and ventilation norms and conditions as per
Cabinet Decision No. 24/2013 for Tobacco Control› air curtains placed at entrance/exit points of the designated smoking section› presence of at least one (1) fire extinguisher and first aid kit
A copy of a letter addressed to Dubai Municipality from the authorised signatory of theoutlet stating that shisha will be served in the ECD outlet and including the following details:› outlet type› operating hours› outlet area for front of house only
› outlet’s ECD location› confirmation that the outlet will operate in adherence to existing Dubai rules andregulations for shisha service
Once all documents are received, ECD will review the submission and issue an invoice
to the client to complete payment for an ECD NOC for shisha service. ECD will thenissue the NOC for shisha service addressed to Dubai Municipality to allow the client toproceed with obtaining a Shisha Permit.

Obtaining a Dubai Municipality Shisha Permit
Once the ECD NOC for shisha service has been issued, the client should submit theShisha Permit request directly to Dubai Municipality through the Dubai Municipality
Portal. Dubai Municipality will review the submission and issue a Conditional Shisha
Approval Certificate. The Conditional Shisha Approval Certificate must be submitted toECD along with the required legal documents for ECD Final Approval, if available.
Dubai Municipality will issue the final Shisha Permit once the physical premises havebeen fitted out and physically inspected. A copy of the Shisha Permit is to be provided toECD by the client.

6

Expo City Dubai restricted business activities: food and beverage, shisha and alcohol

Restricted business activities on a temporary basis

Clients that plan to carry out food and beverage, shisha and/or alcohol operations ona temporary basis must ensure the selection of the appropriate restricted business activities
when completing their ECD Business Operation Permit (BOP) application. The client must thencomplete the relevant approval procedures for each restricted business activity as set by thecorresponding governing authority.
The following section provides the requirements and process to be followed to obtain thenecessary approvals from government authorities for food and beverage, alcohol and shisha
temporary service under an ECD BOP.

2.1 Food and beverage service
Ahead of submitting a BOP application, the client must obtain the Dubai Municipality
Smart Permit for Food Activity at Events through the Dubai Municipality FoodWatch
System. The permit must be submitted as part of the ECD BOP submission.

2.2 Shisha service
Shisha permits issued for temporary purposes are subject to Dubai Municipality’s
discretion and are only available from October to April each year. To obtain a Dubai
Municipality Temporary Shisha Permit, the client must prepare the below documents
and address them to Dubai Municipality with a copy provided to ECD as part of the ECD
BOP submission:
Outlet floor layout and design clearly showing:› placement of the smoking section (at least 100m away from children’s play areas,prayer rooms and public walkways)› area of smoking section (not exceeding 50 per cent of total outlet size)› area of designated charcoal and shisha preparation section (minimum of five sqm)
› segregation of smoking and non-smoking area showing segregation partition of atleast 1.2m in height and clearly marked with appropriate signage› smoking section adheres to cooling and ventilation norms and conditions as perCabinet Decision No. 24/2013 for Tobacco Control› presence of at least one (1) fire extinguisher and first aid kit
Letter from the authorised signatory of the outlet stating that shisha will be served in
the ECD outlet and including the below details:› type of setup› operating hours› setup area for front of house only
› outlet’s ECD location› confirmation that the outlet/pop-up will be operated in adherence to existing Dubai
rules and regulations for shisha service
Once all documents are received, ECD will review the submission and issue an invoice
to the client to complete payment for the ECD NOC for temporary shisha service. ECDwill then issue the NOC for temporary shisha service addressed to Dubai Municipality toallow the client to proceed with obtaining a Dubai Municipality Temporary Shisha Permit.

Expo City Dubai restricted business activities: food and beverage, shisha and alcohol7

Obtaining a Temporary Shisha Permit
Once the ECD NOC for temporary shisha service has been issued, the client should
proceed with submitting their Temporary Shisha Permit request directly to Dubai
Municipality through the Dubai Municipality Portal. Dubai Municipality will review thesubmission and issue a Temporary Shisha Permit. The permit must be submitted to ECD
to allow issuance of the ECD BOP.

2.3 Alcohol service
To obtain a Dubai Event Alcohol Permit, the client must prepare the below documents
addressed to Dubai Police, and provide a copy to ECD as part of the ECD BOP submission:
A letter addressed to Dubai Police from the authorised signatory of the event/activation/pop-up, stating that alcohol will be served as well as capturing the below
details:› type of event/activation/pop-up› event date and time
› number of expected guests› whether the event/activation/pop-up is public or private› ECD location of event/activation/pop-up› entertainment company (if applicable) along with the event permit issued by Dubai
Department of Economy and Tourism (DET)› statement that alcohol service will be carried out in adherence to Dubai’s rules andregulations for alcohol› for Branches only, a copy of the Parent Company Trade Licence and Parent
Company Alcohol Licence
Event/activation/pop-up floor layout and design clearly showing:› demarcation of licensed areas and non-licensed areas (if applicable)› placement of signage at all exit points of licensed area
› how licensed areas will be visually obscured from public view
Number of security guards present during the hours of operation for the event aswell as the lead security guard name and contact details› If the security provider managing the event/activation/pop-up is not an Expo City Dubai
provider, then an appointment letter from the authorised signatory of the security
organisation with the company name and licence, must be provided
If the operator providing alcohol for the event/activation/pop-up is not an Expo CityDubai provider, then a copy of the Dubai Trade Licence and Dubai Alcohol Permit,
along with a letter from the operator’s authorised signatory stating they will beundertaking the alcohol service of the event, must be provided
Once all documents are received, ECD will review the BOP submission and issue aninvoice to the client to complete payment for the ECD NOC for an Event Alcohol Permit.
ECD will then issue the NOC for an Event Alcohol Permit directly to Dubai Police.

8Expo City Dubai restricted business activities: food and beverage, shisha and alcohol

Obtaining an Event Alcohol Permit
Upon issuance of the NOC for an Event Alcohol Permit, a notification will be sent to theclient to proceed with the submission of original documents as listed in the previous
section, in person at Dubai Police General Headquarters accompanied by the relevant
individuals as detailed below:
Representative from the security provider (if an Expo City Dubai provider is not utilised)
Representative from the entertainment provider along with their DET Permit (ifapplicable)
Representative from the catering provider (if an Expo City Dubai provider is not utilised)
A payment of AED 1,020 per day for the event/activation/pop-up must also becompleted along with the submission of the documents to Dubai Police. Oncesubmission has been approved and payment has been completed, Dubai Police will
issue the client with an Event Alcohol Permit and a copy of the same to ECD. Upon
receiving the permit, ECD will issue the BOP.
Permit requirements and costs are subject to change in line with the regulations of relevant
government authorities, who reserve the right to approve or reject applications. Clients areadvised to refer to the latest governing authority requirements in addition to the latest ECD
Licence and permits requirements.

Expo City Dubai restricted business activities: food and beverage, shisha and alcohol9