The DEWA CPO Licence Explained: Who Needs One, the Two Licence Types, and How to Check the List
Since 2024, anyone operating EV charging in Dubai that serves people other than themselves needs a licence from DEWA, or must work through a company that holds one. This article explains what the Charge Point Operator licence is, who it catches, the difference between the free and paid versions, what it costs, and how a property owner can verify that an operator is genuinely licensed.
What is a DEWA CPO licence?
DEWA's EV Charging Infrastructure Regulation for the Emirate of Dubai was first published in October 2024 and is now at Version 1.3, dated November 2025. It builds on Dubai Supreme Council of Energy Circular No. 1 of 2017, which already required DEWA approval before anyone installed or operated an EV charging station. The Regulation created a formal licence for Independent Charge Point Operators, usually shortened to CPOs.
Article 7.1 states that operating public charging infrastructure without a CPO licence issued by DEWA is not permitted. The initial version gave existing operators six months to comply. Article 9 confirms that this transitional period expired on 31 March 2025 and that the Regulation now applies with immediate effect.
Who needs a licence?
The test is whether the charger is Public Charging Equipment. The Regulation defines private charging narrowly. For an organisation, private equipment does not include chargers that supply electricity to employees' or other stakeholders' private vehicles, which fall under the public definition.
So a hotel charging guests' cars, an office charging staff cars, a mall serving shoppers and a residential tower serving residents are all operating public charging. It makes no difference whether they charge for it or give it away. Article 7.2 adds that household chargers and other private equipment may not be used to provide electricity to the public or to any third party.
A property owner has two ways to comply. It can obtain its own licence, or it can host a licensed CPO. DEWA's own list of licensed operators says that a CPO licence must be obtained either directly by your organisation or through one of the licensed CPOs listed.
What are the two licence types?
DEWA issues two forms of licence, both at Version 1.2 (June 2025, published July 2025). One covers Free Provision of EV Charging Services and the other covers Paid Provision. The free form suits hosts offering charging at no cost to guests, staff or residents.
| Point of difference | Free Provision licence | Paid Provision licence |
|---|---|---|
| Charging fee to users | None permitted, directly or through third parties | Regulated tariff of AED 0.70 per kWh AC and AED 1.20 per kWh DC, plus VAT |
| Subscription or access fees | Prohibited | Prohibited |
| Bundling into room rates or parking | Prohibited (condition 7.2.a) | Prohibited; EV users may not pay more for parking than others |
| Annual DEWA licence charges | Payable in full; free provision earns no discount (condition 7.2.c) | Payable in full |
| Bilingual information to users | Instructions and safety warnings in Arabic and English | All charges and terms in Arabic and English, at sign-up, on site and in any app (condition 7.4.b) |
| Complaint records | Reasonable efforts standard | Records kept for one year, produced to DEWA within five working days |
What does a licence cost and how long does it last?
Article 6.4 of the Regulation sets the CPO licence charges. For AC, the fee is AED 500 per charging port per year, which DEWA describes as AED 1,000 per year for a typical two-port charger. For DC, the fee is AED 100 per kW of output capacity per year, with a maximum of AED 7,500 per port, or AED 15,000 per year for a typical 150 kW two-port charger.
The licence is valid for one year and is renewed annually on application before expiry, with the renewed licence taking the form current at that time. It is not transferable without DEWA's written consent. DEWA publishes no application fee, processing time or document checklist. Applications are currently made by email while the CPO Licensing Portal remains, in DEWA's words, upcoming.
Which chargers get the streamlined route?
DEWA's framework page distinguishes three cases. AC chargers are to be licensed through the portal. DC chargers up to 50 kW at locations with restricted access, which DEWA lists as gated communities, hotels and employee parking, are also to be streamlined through the portal.
Any other DC charger, meaning anything above 50 kW or any DC charger open to the general public, is subject to DEWA's specific approval and begins with an application by email. Property owners planning a fast-charging site should expect this case rather than the streamlined one.
What does a licensed operator have to do?
Every charge point must carry a visible UID tag, and the charging equipment must use Type 2 connectors for AC and CCS2 for DC only, with OCPP 1.6J as the minimum protocol. Each site must sit on a dedicated DEWA electricity account billed at the EV tariff. The operator acts as DEWA's collection agent for the electricity portion of every fee, because the sale of electricity is from DEWA to the customer.
Invoices must break out DEWA's tariff and fuel surcharge, the operator's charging fee, any overstay charge and VAT. The operator must provide a visible hotline or email, keep complaint records, report availability and utilisation data in DEWA's templates, maintain insurance and submit to inspections. All of it becomes the host's problem if the host holds the licence itself.
How do I check whether an operator is on the DEWA list?
DEWA publishes a PDF titled Licensed Charge Point Operators (CPOs) in Dubai on its Regulatory Framework for EV Charging Infrastructure page. The current edition is dated 17 June 2026 and lists 31 operators by legal entity name. It carries a disclaimer that DEWA is not responsible for the quality or performance of the listed companies' services, so the list verifies legality, not quality.
Three practical checks follow. Ask the operator for its CPO licence number and its three-character CPO Registration Code, both of which appear on the licence itself. Match the legal entity name on the licence to the trade licence and to the name on the proposal. Once chargers are live, the UID tag on each charge point should carry that operator's code.
How Hikari handles this
Hikari Charge L.L.C is a DEWA-licensed Independent Charge Point Operator holding both the paid and free provision forms, alongside a Dubai commercial licence for EV charging station management and operation. Every site Hikari builds runs under that licence, so the property never needs one of its own. We provide our licence number and registration code with every proposal.
Under Model A, Hikari funds, installs, owns and operates the chargers and carries every obligation above, from annual port fees to DEWA reporting. Under Model B, owners who want to hold the hardware have Hikari design, build and operate it under our licence for a management fee.
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Sources: DEWA EV Charging Infrastructure Regulation for the Emirate of Dubai, Version 1.3 (November 2025); DEWA EV Charging Technical Regulations, Version 1.0 (May 2025); DEWA Independent CPO Form of Licence for Paid Provision and for Free Provision of EV Charging Services, Version 1.2 (June 2025); DEWA Licensed Charge Point Operators (CPOs) in Dubai list (17 June 2026); DEWA Regulatory Framework for EV Charging Infrastructure webpage (last updated 16 June 2026); Cabinet Resolution No. 81 of 2024; Dubai Supreme Council of Energy Circular No. 1 of 2017.