Filming permits in the UAE, handled by a CMA-registered production company
Productions filming in the United Arab Emirates need more than a camera team. They need the right filming and content approvals, filed in the right order, with enough lead time for locations and talent to be used legally. Blazing Sand Studios is an Abu Dhabi-registered, Dubai-based production company, founded in 2019 and registered with the Creative Media Authority in Abu Dhabi as GID Global Media Production. This page is about that permit work. It sits beside our film fixing hub rather than replacing it. Fixing covers locations, crew, logistics and on-the-ground production management. Here the focus is the paperwork and approvals that let a shoot proceed, and the way those approvals connect to the UAE rebate of up to 35% of eligible UAE spend. Paris Norriss, CEO and Executive Producer, treats permit discipline as part of producing, not as an errand bolted on the week before cameras arrive.
Why permits need their own conversation
Visiting producers often arrive with a shot list and a date. The risk is that approvals are treated as a single stamp, when they are usually a sequence: content clearance, location permissions, and any additional consents the specific scenes require. A desert sequence, a marina, a hotel interior and a public street each raise different questions. Starting that conversation early is cheaper than rewriting a schedule because one location was never cleared.
Because we are ourselves a CMA-registered production company — not a go-between with no slate of our own — we already work inside the same regulatory environment that visiting productions must enter. Our Abu Dhabi headquarters is at twofour54 Yas Creative Hub, Yas Island. Our main office is Upside Living 2507, Business Bay, Dubai. That dual base matters for productions that split days between the two emirates, or that need a local company able to file and follow up while the visiting team is still assembling cast and kit.
We do not invent ministry partnerships, exclusive venue relationships or a promise that every application will be approved on a fixed date. What we offer is practical permit support from a company that already produces adventure television, documentaries and branded work in this market, with shows distributed in 123 countries.
What this permit service covers
- Advice on which filming and content approvals a brief is likely to need, based on locations, talent and the nature of the scenes
- Preparation and filing support for the approvals a project requires to shoot legally in the UAE
- Coordination between the visiting producer’s schedule and the documents local authorities expect to see
- A clear list of materials the producer must supply — treatments, shot lists, insurance, talent details — so applications are not delayed by missing pages
- Help understanding how permit and spend records connect to the UAE rebate of up to 35% when a production is eligible
- An honest flag when a planned location or sequence is likely to need more time, a rewrite, or a different approach
For productions that also need location scouting, local crew, equipment and on-the-ground management, use the fixing page as the wider brief and treat permits as one workstream inside it. For producers whose work is concentrated in the capital, see film fixer Abu Dhabi.
How permits connect to the UAE rebate
Eligible productions filming in the UAE may qualify for a rebate of up to 35% of total UAE spend. We help productions understand the process and the practical steps on the ground. Eligibility depends on the project. We will not guarantee a rebate outcome, a percentage or a payment date in advance of a proper review.
What we will do is make the relationship between approvals and spend visible. Rebate conversations stall when filming was not properly approved, when records of UAE spend are incomplete, or when the production cannot show what was shot and where. Building that file while the shoot is being planned — rather than reconstructing it afterwards — is part of taking the incentive seriously.
Who typically needs UAE filming permit support
- International producers bringing a feature, series, documentary or commercial into the Emirates
- Brands and agencies shooting campaign content that must use real UAE locations
- Destination and tourism commissioners whose sequences include public, cultural or hospitality sites
- Regional teams that need bilingual coordination between Arabic and English production paperwork
- Incoming productions that already have a director and key crew but need a CMA-registered local company to handle approvals
Our own slate — including Guy in Dubai, Guy in the Sky and the feature documentary 39 Days to Paradise — means we talk about access as producers, not only as administrators. That does not turn every visiting shoot into one of our series. It does mean the permit conversation is informed by work that has already been through real locations, real approvals and real delivery.
How a permit engagement typically runs
- Outline. Locations, dates, scene types, talent, drone or specialist kit, and whether the project may seek the rebate.
- Document check. Treatment, schedule, insurance, company details and any existing correspondence.
- Application plan. Which approvals to file first, what lead time to allow, and which sequences are most likely to need extra attention.
- Filing and follow-up. Applications submitted and tracked, with the visiting producer kept informed.
- Shoot support. Permit copies and conditions shared with the production team so the days on the ground match what was approved.
- Records. Files organised so post-shoot questions — including rebate paperwork where relevant — are not a scavenger hunt.
What we will not do
We will not claim that registration with the Creative Media Authority as GID Global Media Production is the same thing as a pre-approved shoot. Each project is reviewed on its own facts. We will not name government partners we do not have, or imply that an office on the twofour54 campus is an exclusive studio deal. twofour54 Yas Creative Hub is where our Abu Dhabi headquarters sits; Upside Living 2507, Business Bay, is our main Dubai office. Those are our working addresses, not a catalogue of invented facility partnerships.
We will also not collapse this page into a general sales brochure. If you need the full fixer package, say so and start on the fixing hub. If you need us to produce the film as well as permit it, start with production or our TV production company UAE page. If you need finishing after the shoot, our post production team handles edit, sound, colour and deliverables.
Preparing a useful permit brief
A permit brief is more useful when it is specific. List the locations you want, the dates you hope to shoot, and what happens in each scene — dialogue, stunts, driving, drones, night work, or the involvement of members of the public. Note whether interiors are private property and whether the owner has already agreed in principle. Distinguish confirmed locations from a wish list.
Provide a short treatment and a schedule even if both are still in draft. Authorities and property managers respond more clearly to a documented plan than to a vague request to “film in the city.” Include insurance status, the producing entity’s legal name, and a single point of contact who can answer follow-up questions quickly. If the project may apply for the rebate of up to 35%, say so at the start so spend records can be designed around that possibility.
Finally, build contingency into the creative plan. A production that has only one viable location for a key scene is more exposed than a production that has already identified an alternative. Permit support cannot remove every uncertainty. It can make that uncertainty visible early enough to plan around it.
[Start a project →] when you have even a draft schedule. Early contact is more valuable than a polished lookbook sent a week before the first shoot day.
FAQ
How is this different from your film fixing page?
Film fixing is the wider service: locations, crew, logistics and on-the-ground management, including permits. This page focuses specifically on filming and content approvals and how they connect to eligible rebate paperwork.
Who are you registered with in Abu Dhabi?
We are registered with the Creative Media Authority in Abu Dhabi as GID Global Media Production. Our Abu Dhabi headquarters is at twofour54 Yas Creative Hub, Yas Island.
Where is your Dubai office?
Our main office is Upside Living 2507, Business Bay, Dubai.
Can you guarantee the UAE rebate of up to 35%?
No. Eligible productions may access a rebate of up to 35% of UAE spend. We help productions understand the process. Eligibility and outcome depend on the project.
Do you only handle permits for your own productions?
No. We support visiting and independent productions as well as work from our own slate.
What should we send to start a permit conversation?
A short treatment, draft schedule, intended locations, scene notes (including drones or stunts), insurance status and the producing entity’s legal name.