Dubai event permit portal
One place to apply for a Dubai event permit, upload documents and track the application.
What it is
It started as a test. At the permit code step we added a line: "Don't have a permit? Get it here." A lot of organisers clicked it. We reached out to them to ask whether they had actually got their permit, and found many were struggling with complications and hard-to-find information.
So we built a portal where organisers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi apply for an event permit and follow the application: an online form, document upload, review, an invoice, secure payment and a permit code. I co-built it with a co-founder at Ticmint using Lovable. Ticmint registered as an authorized permit provider, and the portal became one of its first managed services. Ticmint also offers a simplified permit support service at AED 100 for organisers who use Ticmint for ticketing, alongside Dubai DET's 2026 initiative that waives event permit fees from April to December.
Because the portal sits inside the Ticmint ecosystem, it also lifts conversion into Ticmint ticketing. After launch I worked on its organic growth: it now ranks for almost all the primary keywords organisers search for around DTCM and Dubai DET permits.
The problem
In the UAE checkout there was a drop at one step: the mandatory permit code that every organiser needs to host an event in Dubai. Many organisers did not have a permit yet. Getting one meant unclear information, bills to settle first and a lot of back and forth with the authority (DTCM, now Dubai DET).
How it works
- Submit the applicationFill in the event details and upload the documents: organiser passport or UAE ID, trade licence for companies, performer and stall organiser IDs where they apply, and the venue letter naming Ticmint as the ticketing partner.
- ReviewThe Ticmint team reviews the application within 5 to 7 business days.
- PayThe organiser receives an invoice and pays securely through the portal.
- Get approvedThe permit code arrives within 1 to 2 days of payment confirmation, and a status page shows progress throughout.
Architecture
Impact
From a drop in the funnel to a managed service
How the product started.
- 1A dropOrganisers fell off at the mandatory permit code step
- 2A test"Don't have a permit?" link added. A lot of clicks
- 3OutreachWe asked those organisers. Many were struggling
- 4The portalBuilt, and registered as an authorized provider
- 5GrowthStrong cash flow, higher conversion into Ticmint, found through search
What the organiser sees
Turnaround as stated on the portal.
- 1ApplyForm, documents and venue letter
- 2Review
5 to 7 business days - 3PayInvoice and secure payment
- 4Permit code
1 to 2 days after payment
It grew through search alone: no paid acquisition, a page 1 ranking for almost all of its primary keywords, and the highest margin of any Ticmint product. It also sends organisers into Ticmint ticketing, because the venue letter names Ticmint as the ticketing partner.
Built with
Decisions that mattered
- Test before building: a single link at the permit code step showed how many organisers were stuck, before any product existed.
- Call the people who clicked, to learn what was really going wrong.
- Register as an authorized permit provider, so the service is official rather than a workaround.
- Search-led growth with its own Search Console property, and no paid ads.
- Built on Lovable with a co-founder, so a working product reached users quickly.
What is next
- Add the real numbers below once they are shareable.
Sources: permit.ticmint.com, read 6 Nov 2026; Ticmint context file: permit portal built on Lovable with a founder