Dubai Municipality and the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai (IACAD) have launched a joint initiative to streamline mosque construction procedures, introducing a fast-track process that enables construction permits to be issued within a maximum of five days. The initiative also simplifies construction requirements to accommodate the essential and operational needs of mosques and their associated facilities, supporting more efficient use of buildings and spaces.

The initiative strengthens integration between government entities to develop services and simplify the customer journey. It reflects Dubai Municipality’s efforts to improve construction permitting procedures, enhance the efficiency of the construction sector and deliver more accessible, high-quality services in line with government best practices and Dubai’s future urban growth requirements.

The collaboration covers several stages of mosque construction and development, including modifications, extensions and maintenance. Under the initiative, maintenance works that do not involve specialised structural modifications will be exempt from construction permit requirements through the self-maintenance service, subject to applicable regulations. This will reduce procedural requirements and facilitate the maintenance of existing mosques.

To accelerate project delivery, Dubai Municipality will also coordinate with IACAD to review mosque designs and assess technical requirements at an early stage, reducing the time required to complete permitting and approval procedures.

The initiative further includes assessing land availability in areas experiencing high numbers of worshippers, enabling IACAD to respond to community needs and expand mosque capacity. Dubai Municipality will also provide landscaping support within mosque premises, ensuring that these improvements complement the surrounding roads and public spaces and contribute to a unified identity for service facilities across the emirate.

Eng. Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, Director-General of Dubai Municipality, said, “Our collaboration with the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department reflects Dubai’s approach to government integration, bringing together the capabilities and expertise of different entities to simplify procedures and deliver more efficient services. Through this initiative, we are establishing a clearer and more streamlined process for mosque construction permits, reducing the time and effort required to complete approvals while ensuring that technical requirements respond to the essential and operational needs of mosques.”

He added, “This cooperation also supports our wider efforts to improve the efficiency of Dubai’s construction sector and enhance the customer journey. By simplifying regulatory procedures and expanding digital services through the unified Dubai Building Platform, we aim to accelerate project delivery and enhance service quality. These efforts will help provide integrated infrastructure for religious facilities that keeps pace with the emirate’s future urban growth, meets the needs of Dubai’s residents and communities, and enhances quality of life.”

Ahmed Darwish Al Muhairi, Director-General of the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai, said, “Government integration is essential to translating the vision and directives of our leadership into services that respond effectively to community needs. At the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department, we place service accessibility and customer satisfaction at the centre of our development efforts, working closely with other government entities to align priorities, coordinate procedures and integrate efforts to improve operational efficiency and meet and exceed community expectations.”

He added, “Our collaboration with Dubai Municipality reflects this approach by linking the planning, construction and maintenance of mosques to the emirate’s urban growth and the needs of residential communities, while simplifying and accelerating procedures across planning, permitting, construction, development and maintenance. Through this integration, we seek to accelerate project delivery, improve the quality of services provided by mosques and their associated facilities, and enhance their readiness to serve worshippers, advancing our vision of being closer to the community.”