Short answer
UAE SMS marketing rules come from TDRA and are applied by the operators etisalat and du. Promotional SMS needs a registered sender ID with the AD- prefix, verifiable opt-in, and an opt-out keyword such as STOP or ايقاف in every message. TDRA's spam policy bars marketing texts between 21:00 and 07:00 UAE time; OTPs and alerts can be sent anytime.
The main requirements
| Requirement | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Registered sender ID | Alphanumeric, Latin or Arabic, up to 11 characters; one sender ID per legal entity per use case |
| AD- prefix | Every promotional sender starts with AD-, for example AD-ACME; transactional senders do not |
| Verifiable opt-in | Log the source, timestamp and channel of consent, and keep it for the life of the relationship |
| Opt-out in every promotion | Include STOP or ايقاف; opt-outs are honoured across the network |
| Quiet hours | No marketing texts between 21:00 and 07:00 UAE time |
| Transactional traffic | OTPs and alerts run 24/7 from a separate sender without AD- |
How to launch a compliant UAE campaign
Example: "AD-ACME: 20% off this weekend at acme.ae/sale. Reply STOP to opt out / أرسل ايقاف لإلغاء الاشتراك", sent at 10:00 Dubai time.
- Register two sender IDs with your provider: AD-BRAND for promotions and BRAND for service messages.
- Confirm the sender is live on both etisalat and du before the send.
- Filter your list to contacts with recorded opt-in and remove anyone who opted out.
- Write the message with the brand name and an opt-out line in English or Arabic.
- Schedule it to finish well before 21:00 UAE time, allowing for sending duration.
Common mistakes
- Sending promotions from the transactional sender to avoid the AD- prefix; operators can block the sender.
- Sending OTPs from an AD- sender, where quiet-hour rules and ad filtering can delay them.
- Scheduling in the sender's time zone, so a campaign from another country lands inside UAE quiet hours.
- Assuming registration on one operator covers the other.
Where to confirm the rules
TDRA publishes the spam policy and also regulates telemarketing calls, including the national Do Not Call Registry. Rules change, so confirm the current text with TDRA before a large campaign. OmniChannels.ai registers UAE sender IDs through BroadNet, with registration fees passed through at cost.