UAE telemarketing rules
for AI phone calls.

AI agents can now hold a convincing phone conversation, and it is tempting to point one at a list of leads. In the UAE, outbound marketing calls are governed by detailed national rules, enforced through the telecom operators, with fines that escalate quickly. The rules do allow automated calling systems, but only within the same limits as human callers, plus a few of their own.

This article summarises Cabinet Resolution No. 56 of 2024 on the Telemarketing Regulations and Cabinet Resolution No. 57 of 2024 on the related violations and penalties, from the official English texts published by the Ministry of Economy. It is general information, not legal advice. Your sector regulator may have additional rules.

Who the rules cover

Resolution 56 applies to all companies licensed in the UAE, including those in free zones. It defines telemarketing broadly: calls to consumers on landline or mobile numbers, including marketing text messages and marketing messages through social media applications. Calls made at the consumer's own request are not treated as unwanted marketing calls.

It also bars individuals from marketing using fixed or mobile numbers licensed in their own name. Marketing from a salesperson's personal mobile is not allowed.

Supervision is split by sector: the Ministry of Economy oversees the rules generally, the Central Bank covers banking, finance and insurance, the Securities and Commodities Authority covers its sector, and local authorities cover the rest.

What a company must do

Among the obligations in Article 4 of Resolution 56, a company must:

• Obtain prior approval from the competent authority before telemarketing.
• Train its staff, including on the Do Not Call Registry.
• Use local numbers issued by UAE-licensed operators and registered under the company's commercial licence, and never numbers it does not own or have registered.
• Not call numbers on the Do Not Call Registry (DNCR).
• Keep a record of all marketing calls, and record the calls, telling the consumer about the recording when the call begins.
• Identify the company and the purpose of the call at the start.
• Disclose the source of the consumer's number if asked.

How calls must be made

Article 5 sets the conduct rules:

• Marketing calls only between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm.
• If the consumer rejects the offer on the first call, do not call again.
• If the consumer does not answer or ends the call, call no more than once a day and twice a week.
• No unjustified pressure and no misleading information.
• Automated communication systems may be used in line with the resolution.
• Ask the consumer whether they wish to continue before starting to market.

What this means for an AI agent

An AI agent placing marketing calls is an automated communication system, so every rule above applies to it, and some fit naturally into its script:

Two practical warnings. First, rules about timing, frequency and screening belong in your calling system, where they can be enforced and audited, not only in the AI's instructions. Second, many international platforms cannot place outbound calls from UAE numbers at all; Twilio's UAE terms, for example, limit UAE geographic numbers to inbound calls. Outbound AI calling in the UAE generally means working with a local operator.

Penalties

Resolution 57 sets escalating penalties for companies: a warning, then fines, then suspension of activity for 7 to 90 days, and ultimately cancellation of the licence. Selected fines for a first, second and third offence:

Individuals marketing from personal numbers face separate fines, from AED 5,000 for a first offence up to AED 50,000 and a 12-month ban from telecom services for repeat offences.

Enforcement is real

The National reported in August 2026, citing TDRA, that more than Dh19 million in fines had been issued and 9,433 numbers disconnected since the 2024 rules took effect. Operators add their own enforcement: e& describes a points system under TDRA's voice spam policy, effective 1 September 2026, in which calling DNCR numbers earns black points against the calling number. At five points, outgoing calls from the number are barred; at 25, the trade licence cannot buy or activate new numbers. e& says the DNCR ban applies regardless of prior consent.

Inbound is different

None of this stops an AI receptionist from answering the calls customers make to you, or from returning a call a customer has asked for. Calls made at the consumer's request fall outside the definition of unwanted marketing calls. The other rules on privacy and recording still apply; see recording calls in the UAE and UK.