Cat B office fit out in Dubai: cost, permits, timeline
A Cat B office fit out in Dubai is the tenant side package that turns a landlord Cat A shell into a space your team can work in. It covers partitions, ceilings, MEP distribution, joinery, flooring, branding and the permits that go with them.
The short answers: AED 200 to 320 per sq ft, 10 to 16 weeks including approvals, and three authority sign offs before you touch a wall.
Why work with Monde
Monde is a commercial fit out contractor in Dubai delivering offices, retail, F&B and hospitality spaces across the UAE under one licence.
- Own workforce of 50+ specialists under our own licence
- Professional project managers on every site
- Single point of responsibility from Cat A handover to Cat B handover
- Google rating of 5 from 3 reviews
- Commercial delivery experience across offices, retail, F&B and hospitality
- UAE wide coverage including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah
What a Cat B office fit out actually covers in Dubai
Cat A is the base build the landlord hands over. Cat B is everything the tenant adds on top to make the floor work.
A Cat A shell usually gives you a screed or raised floor, a ceiling grid or exposed soffit, capped MEP services brought to a distribution point, a core toilet block and base building fire systems. It is habitable on paper and unusable in practice.
Cat B takes over from there:
- Partitions and glazed screens, including demountable systems
- Ceilings, mineral fibre grid or open baffle
- MEP distribution: ductwork, fan coil units, lighting, power, data containment, sprinkler drops, smoke detection
- Flooring: carpet tile, LVT, sheet vinyl, porcelain
- Joinery: reception desk, meeting pods, tea points, storage and lockers
- Branding, signage and wayfinding
- Furniture, AV and IT when you want one contract for the lot
Cat B+ is the same scope at a higher specification. Veneer instead of laminate, acoustic baffles, feature lighting, double glazed partitions, a heavier joinery package. The gap between Cat B and Cat B+ shows up in finishes and joinery, not in MEP.
The Cat A vs Cat B split is written into your lease, and that is what decides who pays for what. Cat B is one stage inside the wider process, so read our office fit out in Dubai guide if you are still at planning stage.
When you need a Cat B fit out in Dubai
Four triggers cover most projects.
- New lease handover. You signed for a Cat A floor and the rent free period has started. Fit out duration decides how much of it you keep.
- Relocation. You are moving from a fitted space into a shell, and any overlap between two leases bills you twice.
- Expansion. You take the neighbouring unit and need it to match the existing standard with no visible seam.
- Refresh. Renewal is coming, the space looks dated, and the scope is lighter: ceiling, paint, flooring, reception joinery.
Scope also shifts across the UAE. A Business Bay or DIFC floorplate usually comes with a documented Cat A pack and strict building management. Older buildings in Sharjah or Abu Dhabi often need a site survey before anyone can price them honestly. Where the work goes past fit out into structure and services replacement, see our notes on commercial renovation Dubai.
Cat B fit out cost in Dubai for 2026
Cat B fit out cost in Dubai runs from AED 200 to AED 320 per sq ft for most office floors. Specification drives the number, not floor area.
| Specification | AED per sq ft | Typical inclusions |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 200 to 240 | Grid ceiling, painted partitions, carpet tile, standard lighting and power |
| Mid | 240 to 280 | Framed and glazed partitions, feature reception, LVT and carpet mix, upgraded lighting, tea point |
| High | 280 to 320 | Full joinery package, acoustic treatment, feature ceiling, complex MEP, branding and graphics |
Worked example, 2,500 sq ft in Business Bay at mid specification:
- Fit out at AED 260 per sq ft: AED 650,000
- Furniture at roughly 18 percent: AED 117,000
- IT, AV and access control at roughly 12 percent: AED 78,000
- Total: AED 845,000
The same floor at the low end lands near AED 500,000. At the high end it can reach AED 800,000 before furniture. As a rule, the fit out is 65 to 70 percent of the budget, furniture 15 to 20 percent, and IT and AV 10 to 15 percent. Rates in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi often sit 10 to 20 percent lower for the same specification because labour and building access cost less.
office fit out in Dubai project" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /> Design and setting out review before partitions go up on a Dubai office floor.
Approvals for a Cat B fit out and how long they take
Three approvals sit between you and the first day on site: the DET or Dubai Municipality fit out permit, Civil Defence approval for the fit out package, and the landlord or building management NOC.
- DET or Dubai Municipality reviews drawings, contractor licence, insurance and scope of works.
- Dubai Civil Defence reviews the fit out package for means of escape, fire stopping, detection and sprinkler modifications.
- The landlord or building management NOC covers access, protection of common areas, lift use and working hours.
The authority loop typically takes 4 to 8 weeks from submission to permit, longer if comments come back on fire strategy or the building sits in a free zone with its own review process. Outside Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah run their own municipal routes, so timelines shift. We cover the paperwork in more detail in our guide to the commercial fit out permit in Dubai.
Cat B office fit out timeline stage by stage
A floorplate of 2,000 to 5,000 sq ft takes 10 to 16 weeks from appointment to handover.
- Design and BOQ, 1 to 2 weeks.
- Permit submission and authority comments, 4 to 8 weeks, run in parallel with procurement.
- Site survey and shell preparation, 1 week.
- MEP first fix, 2 to 3 weeks.
- Partitions and ceilings, 2 to 3 weeks.
- Joinery, 2 to 3 weeks after shop drawings are approved.
- Finishes, flooring, painting, feature walls and branding, 2 weeks.
- Snagging, testing and commissioning, 1 to 2 weeks.
- Handover with as built drawings and O&M manuals.
Metal stud framing and drywall stage on a live commercial fit out.
The site was clean when they left. We needed them fast on a running job. They finished the renovation on time. Davranbek Tashbayev, 5 stars
How to read a Cat B BOQ and avoid three classic Dubai surprises
Read the BOQ for what is excluded, not what is included. The exclusions are where Dubai projects go over budget.
1. Base build condition
Check void depth for ductwork, floor level, sprinkler positions, chilled water capacity and the real condition of the handover. If the landlord pack says one thing and the site says another, the difference becomes a variation. Survey before you price.
2. After hours building access
Many towers allow noisy work only after 6pm and give you one goods lift with a booked slot. That adds night shift labour, protection works, lift deposits and slower material movement. Ask for the building fit out guide before you sign the BOQ.
3. DEWA capacity upgrade
Extra tea points, a server room or heavy cooling loads can push the unit past its electrical capacity. A DEWA capacity upgrade carries its own application, lead time and cost, and it is rarely in the first quote.
Also confirm that quantities are measured rather than estimated, and that provisional and PC sums name a supplier and a rate. It is the difference between a category B fit out in Dubai that closes on budget and one that grows.
The new ceiling looks clean and straight. I brought Monde to do the painting in the villa bathroom. They finished in one day and did not delay us. Muhammad Karim, 5 stars
Frequently asked questions
What is the cost difference between a Cat A and a Cat B fit out in Dubai?
Cat A is the landlord base build and normally sits outside your budget, though you pay for it through the rent. Cat B is the tenant cost and runs AED 200 to 320 per sq ft for offices in Dubai. On a 2,500 sq ft floor that is AED 500,000 to 800,000 before furniture and IT.
Do I need a permit for a Cat B office fit out in Dubai?
Yes. You need a DET or Dubai Municipality fit out permit, Civil Defence approval for the fit out package, and a landlord or building management NOC before work starts. Budget 4 to 8 weeks for the authority loop.
How long does a Cat B office fit out take in Dubai?
Most floors of 2,000 to 5,000 sq ft take 10 to 16 weeks including approvals. A small suite of around 1,000 sq ft with simple scope can finish in 6 to 8 weeks if the design is signed off early.
Can Cat A and Cat B be done in one contract?
Often yes. Where the base build is unfinished at handover, or you are building out a unit in Sharjah or Abu Dhabi in bare shell condition, one contractor covering both stages removes the interface risk. Monde runs Cat A and Cat B under one licence with a single project manager and one handover.
Who pays for a Cat B fit out in a Dubai lease?
The tenant pays, unless the lease says otherwise. Some landlords offer a fit out contribution or a longer rent free period instead of cash. Check the lease and the building fit out guide before you commit to a scope.
