Dubai Regulatory Update
Administrative Resolution No. 48 of 2026 establishes advance notice, transition planning and stakeholder-protection requirements for closing an early childhood centre in Dubai.
Key takeaway. An early childhood centre may not simply cease operations. Prior KHDA approval is required for a permanent or temporary closure, supported by advance notice, a reasoned application, operational and stakeholder data, settlement of claims and, for relevant age groups, an approved child-transition plan.
A regulated exit, not a unilateral business decision
Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority has issued Administrative Resolution No. 48 of 2026 governing the conditions and procedure for permanently or temporarily ceasing activity at an early childhood centre. The Resolution was issued under Dubai Law No. 2 of 2021 concerning KHDA and Executive Council Resolution No. 35 of 2020 regulating early childhood centres, as amended.
The new framework treats closure as a managed regulatory process rather than a unilateral commercial decision. Its central objective is continuity and protection: children must be supported through any transition, parents and staff must receive timely information, outstanding claims must be resolved, and KHDA must have a complete record before authorising operations to stop.
Prior KHDA approval is mandatory
A centre seeking to stop operating, whether permanently or temporarily, must apply to KHDA and obtain its approval. For a centre providing care and education to children aged three to six, the application must be submitted at least four months before the end of the academic term. In all other cases, the application must be submitted at least two months before the proposed cessation date.
These are minimum regulatory lead times, not merely recommended planning periods. Operators contemplating closure, restructuring, relocation or a temporary suspension should therefore begin legal, operational and financial preparation well before the intended date. Commercial commitments made without accommodating the approval timetable may conflict with the centre’s continuing regulatory duties.
The application must explain and evidence the proposed closure
The applicant must provide reasons and justification for ceasing activity. It must also submit a detailed report addressing the condition of the centre’s premises, the number and age groups of enrolled children, the number, names and nationalities of educational staff, the educational services provided, and any additional information required by KHDA.
For centres serving children aged three to six, the operator must submit a detailed plan explaining how children will transfer to another centre. It must also undertake to continue operating until the KHDA-approved transition plan has been fully implemented. This obligation prevents a centre from treating the filing of an application as permission to wind down services immediately.
Claims, liabilities, fees and fines must be resolved
The Resolution expressly requires proof that complaints and claims made by educational staff, parents and others have been settled, together with the financial obligations arising from them. All fees and financial penalties owed to KHDA must also be paid, if applicable.
This requirement makes stakeholder and financial reconciliation part of regulatory eligibility for closure. Operators should identify employment dues, parent refunds, deposits, prepaid tuition or care fees, supplier liabilities, complaints and regulatory amounts at an early stage. A closure application unsupported by a credible settlement record may be incomplete or unsuccessful.
KHDA’s review and the ten-working-day period
The application must be filed through KHDA’s approved channels using the designated form and accompanied by the required documents. KHDA will examine whether all conditions and materials have been satisfied and may request further documents, information or data considered necessary for its review.
KHDA must decide the application within ten working days from the date on which the applicant is notified that all required data and documents are complete. Importantly, the period does not necessarily begin when the initial application is filed — it begins only after KHDA confirms completion. If no decision is issued within that period, the application is deemed rejected. Where KHDA refuses the application, it must notify the applicant of the reasons.
A deemed refusal is not deemed approval. A centre must therefore continue complying with its licence and operational duties unless and until affirmative approval is issued. If approval is granted, KHDA will require the applicant to complete the cessation and closure procedures in accordance with the approved plan.
Post-approval duties protect children, parents and employees
Approval does not end the centre’s obligations. Parents and employees must be notified of the closure decision within three working days from the date of approval. The centre must maintain operations and ensure continuity of the educational process throughout the period specified by KHDA for cessation.
The centre must also provide KHDA with an electronic copy of all records and data concerning enrolled children from the centre’s establishment until the date operations cease. Parents must receive all documents relating to their enrolled children so that they can transfer them to another centre. These requirements should be reflected in the operator’s data-management, retention, privacy and handover plan.
Practical compliance priorities for operators
Operators should treat a proposed closure as a coordinated regulatory project involving management, legal, finance, human resources, education, safeguarding, records and communications. The timetable should work backwards from the intended cessation date and reserve adequate time for document collation, claim settlement, transition planning, KHDA questions and any remedial work required before the application is treated as complete.
Communications must also be sequenced carefully. The Resolution fixes a three-working-day notification duty after approval, while the centre must continue operating until the approved transition is complete. Premature public announcements, staff terminations, lease surrender or service interruption may undermine the application or create additional claims. Contractual exit arrangements should therefore remain conditional on regulatory approval and the approved closure programme.
Implications for parents and staff
For parents, the Resolution provides protection against abrupt closure through regulatory oversight, continuity, transition planning, prompt notification and delivery of child records. Parents should preserve contracts, receipts and correspondence and promptly raise refund, transfer or documentation issues. For employees, the requirement to prove settlement of claims means that salary, leave, end-of-service benefits, notice, visa matters and outstanding complaints should be documented and resolved under applicable employment law and contractual arrangements.
Effective date and conclusion
Administrative Resolution No. 48 of 2026 was issued on 20 August 2026 and took effect upon publication in the Dubai Official Gazette on 26 August 2026. It introduces a clear regulatory message: the closure of an early childhood centre must be planned around the interests of children and stakeholders, not solely around the operator’s commercial timetable.
The most important compliance step is early preparation. An operator that assembles a complete evidential file, resolves liabilities, protects continuity and engages with KHDA before fixed commercial deadlines arise will be better placed to secure approval and conclude operations in an orderly, lawful manner.
Key questions
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This article is intended for general information and discussion only and does not constitute legal advice. Administrative Resolution No. 48 of 2026 should be consulted in its official text, and specific circumstances should be discussed with a qualified lawyer.