Office fit out Dubai: costs, permits and timeline
An office fit out in Dubai normally costs between AED 250 and 400 per sq ft for a standard CAT B scheme, takes 8 to 16 weeks from design to handover, and needs 3 to 6 weeks of DET and Civil Defence approvals built into that programme. Below is the scope, the current rates, the permit route and the stage by stage sequence.
Why work with Monde
- Own trade licence and 50 plus in-house specialists, no brokered labour
- Commercial fit out only: office, retail, F&B and hospitality
- Named project manager on every project, from site survey to handover
- Submission history with DET, Dubai Municipality, Civil Defence and DEWA
- Itemised pricing from a measured BOQ with fixed rates per trade
- Mobilisation across all seven emirates from one operations base
Monde holds a Google rating of 5 from 3 reviews. The same teams that deliver offices also handle retail, F&B and hospitality under commercial fit out services across the UAE.
What an office fit out covers in Dubai
An office fit out turns a landlord's shell or half-finished floor into a working commercial space. In Dubai the work is usually split into CAT A, CAT B and turnkey, and that split decides who pays for what.
CAT A
CAT A is the base building layer. It covers the structural shell, core toilets, primary HVAC plant and risers, the sprinkler ring main, the main distribution board, lift lobbies and, in most towers, a basic ceiling grid and floor screed. A shell and core handover gives you slab, columns, glazing, the core and services stubbed into your floor, and nothing else.
CAT B
CAT B is everything above that which makes the floor usable: partitions and glazing, ceiling systems and lighting, HVAC ducting and diffusers, electrical containment and small power, structured cabling and the comms room, floor and wall finishes, reception, meeting rooms, pantry, signage, joinery, AV and access control.
Turnkey
Turnkey is one contract for design, landlord coordination, any CAT A gap, CAT B delivery, authority approvals and handover. It is the route most tenants take when the lease start date is fixed and the landlord will not manage base build works.
Landlord conditions change scope more than anything else. In Business Bay and JLT many towers hand over with the sprinkler ring main capped at the riser and no ceiling grid, so work that looks like CAT A ends up priced inside your CAT B budget. In DIFC and TECOM the base build is often further along, but the approval route is different again. The package is broken down trade by trade in CAT B office fit out Dubai: scope and timeline.
Office fit out cost in Dubai
Office fit out cost in Dubai runs from about AED 120 per sq ft for CAT A completion to AED 700 per sq ft and above for an HQ-grade floor. Finish level, joinery quantity and MEP complexity move the number far more than total area.
| Fit out level | Typical scope | AED per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| CAT A completion | Ceiling grid, sprinkler, basic HVAC, screed, core finishes | 120 to 180 |
| CAT B standard | Partitions, ceiling, lighting, MEP, flooring, paint, basic joinery | 250 to 400 |
| CAT B premium | Higher-spec joinery, glass partitions, feature ceilings, AV, upgraded finishes | 400 to 650 |
| HQ grade | Bespoke joinery, integrated AV, boardroom specification, statement reception | 700 plus |
Worked example. A 5,000 sq ft office floor in Business Bay at AED 320 to 480 per sq ft lands between AED 1.6m and AED 2.4m. Typical split: partitions and ceilings 20 to 25%, MEP 25 to 30%, joinery and reception 15 to 20%, floor and wall finishes 10 to 15%, permits and authority fees 3 to 5%, contingency 5 to 10%.
Rates shift across the country. Labour-heavy trades in Sharjah and the northern emirates can price 10 to 15% below Dubai, while Abu Dhabi mainland submissions carry their own fee structure and inspectorate. Both are covered in more depth in office fit out cost Dubai: AED per sq ft.
Finish quality on a Monde handover. Wet areas, vanity joinery and lighting runs are checked against the approved drawing set before snagging.
Office fit out permit Dubai: DET, Civil Defence and landlord NOC
A commercial fit out cannot start on site in Dubai without a permit, a landlord NOC and Civil Defence clearance on the fire scope. Budget 3 to 6 weeks for the approval window and run it in parallel with procurement, not after it.
- DET and Dubai Municipality fit out permit. Submitted by a licensed contractor, with drawings stamped by an approved engineer.
- Civil Defence. DCD reviews the ceiling void, sprinkler modifications, fire compartmentation, emergency lighting, fire alarm and means of escape. Occupancy sign-off follows a site inspection.
- Landlord NOC. Insurance certificates, contractor pre-qualification, permitted working hours, after-hours access, hot work permits and lift protection are landlord controlled.
- DEWA. Load application, meter setup and any upgrade to the distribution board or sub-main.
- Free zones. TECOM, DIFC, DMCC and JAFZA run their own portals, inspectorates and timelines.
The submission pack usually includes architectural layout, reflected ceiling plan, MEP drawings, sprinkler and fire alarm layouts, compartmentation plan, material and finish schedule, and a copy of the contractor licence.
Office fit out process Dubai: stage by stage
A typical office floor takes 8 to 16 weeks from appointment to handover. Approvals and procurement overlap with site work rather than sitting end to end.
- Site survey and design. 1 to 3 weeks. Landlord conditions, HVAC capacity and existing services recorded.
- BOQ and authority drawings. 1 to 2 weeks. Quantities measured per trade before pricing.
- Permit submission and approvals. 3 to 6 weeks, running alongside long-lead orders.
- Mobilisation and demolition. 3 to 5 days. Protection, hoarding, waste removal.
- MEP first fix. 1 to 2 weeks. Containment, ducting, pipework and cabling in the void.
- Partitions and ceiling. 2 to 3 weeks. Metal stud, drywall, grid and bulkheads.
- Joinery and specialist trades. 2 to 3 weeks, overlapping where the sequence allows.
- MEP second fix. About 1 week. Diffusers, light fittings, sockets, data, controls.
- Finishes. 1 to 2 weeks. Flooring, painting, glass, signage, final joinery.
- Snagging and handover. 3 to 5 days. Snag list, as-built drawings, O&M file, keys.
The site was clean when they left. We needed them fast on a running job. They finished the renovation on time. Good work from start to end. Davranbek Tashbayev, 5 stars
Monde's own workforce on site during first fix, before partitions and ceilings close up.
How to choose an office fit out contractor in Dubai
Choose on licence, workforce and submission record before you choose on price. The cheapest BOQ in Dubai is usually the one carrying the most exclusions.
- Check the trade licence and the category it covers.
- Ask whether the workforce is in-house or brokered per trade.
- Find out who the project manager is and how many live sites they run.
- Ask for approved submissions in your building, free zone or landlord's tower.
- Ask for references in the same building type, not just the same city.
- Ask for a measured BOQ with rates per item, never a single lump sum.
Many office fit out companies in Dubai subcontract MEP and joinery, which is where coordination breaks and clean handover gets lost. Monde surveys, prices, submits and builds with one team, so if you want a measured number rather than a range, request an office fit out quote in Dubai.
Client feedback on site coordination tends to focus on the same points. "their team is professional and well organized. They understand site conditions, client requirements, material coordination" is how hayat Berhe described Monde's site management, 5 stars.
Cost and programme traps to avoid
Most overruns on a Dubai office fit out come from a small set of causes: landlord conditions that were never priced, HVAC capacity that was never tested, cable management left out of the BOQ, after-hours restrictions, and variation creep.
- Un-priced landlord conditions. Core drilling, riser access, sprinkler isolation, lift protection and out-of-hours goods access often carry a fee in the landlord's fit out manual.
- HVAC capacity. Adding meeting rooms and a pantry to a floor designed for open plan usually needs a load calculation, extra FCUs or a fresh air upgrade nobody budgeted for.
- Cable management. Containment, floor boxes, basket and comms room cooling are frequently excluded from the electrical lump sum.
- After-hours working. Many towers allow noisy work only between 7pm and 6am, which adds supervision cost and stretches the programme.
- Variation creep. Every late change to joinery, glass or AV reopens procurement. Fixed rates per trade and a signed change process keep it controlled.
- Permit resubmission. Drawings returned by Civil Defence or a free zone inspectorate add 1 to 2 weeks per cycle.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an office fit out cost per sq ft in Dubai?
CAT B standard office fit out in Dubai runs AED 250 to 400 per sq ft. Premium or executive finishes sit at AED 400 to 650 per sq ft, and HQ-grade space with heavy joinery and AV is AED 700 per sq ft and above. A 5,000 sq ft floor at CAT B standard typically totals AED 1.6m to 2.4m including permits and contingency.
How long does an office fit out take in Dubai?
A single office floor takes 8 to 16 weeks from appointment to handover. Design and BOQ account for 2 to 5 weeks, approvals 3 to 6 weeks, and site work 5 to 9 weeks. Larger floors, phased occupation and imported long-lead joinery push the programme out.
How long does an office fit out permit take in Dubai?
Mainland permits through Dubai Municipality and DET normally take 3 to 6 weeks once drawings are submitted, with Civil Defence review running alongside. Free zones such as TECOM, DIFC and DMCC have their own timelines and can be faster or slower depending on the inspectorate queue. Resubmissions add 1 to 2 weeks per cycle.
What is the difference between CAT A and CAT B fit out?
CAT A is the landlord's base building layer: shell, core, primary services, sprinkler and usually a basic ceiling grid. CAT B is the tenant layer: partitions, ceilings, lighting, HVAC distribution, cabling, flooring, joinery and finishes. Most Dubai leases hand over shell and core or CAT A, and the tenant funds CAT B.
Do I need a licensed contractor for an office fit out in Dubai?
Yes. Permits are submitted by a licensed contractor and drawings must be stamped by an approved engineer, so the licence category has to cover the works. Free zones accept contractors registered with that authority, which means the right registration matters as much as the trade licence.
Is a free zone fit out different from mainland?
The scope is the same, the paperwork is not. Free zone authorities run their own permit portals, inspectorates and contractor registration rules, and some require a registered free zone entity. Landlord NOC conditions inside free zones are often stricter on working hours and site access.
