Restaurant Compliance Audit

Our audit covers Dubai Municipality Food Code adherence (Federal Law No. 10 of 2015), HACCP plan and temperature-log verification, Person-in-Charge (PIC) certification validity, occupational health cards, Dubai Civil Defence kitchen suppression and fire-exit compliance, and grease-trap ecology records -- every layer that triggers official penalties or forced closures in the UAE.

Dubai Municipality recommends monthly internal checks aligned to your risk-classification cycle; high-risk establishments (dine-in with full kitchen) are inspected more frequently by DM. Most operators schedule a third-party pre-audit 4 to 6 weeks before their expected municipality inspection window to allow time for corrective actions and evidence gathering.

Under Federal Law No. 10 of 2015 and Cabinet Decision No. 26 of 2017, penalties range from AED 5,000 for operating without a valid permit to AED 100,000 for repeated technical regulation breaches. Serious violations -- including falsified records or contaminated food supply -- can result in immediate closure and criminal referral under UAE law.

Yes. Make My Restaurant operates across all seven emirates. Outside Dubai, audits are benchmarked against the relevant local authority: Sharjah Municipality for Sharjah and northern emirates, and ADAFSA (Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority) for Abu Dhabi. Federal Law No. 10 of 2015 applies nationwide as the baseline standard throughout.

A PIC is the designated food safety supervisor whose certification must match your DM risk classification. High-risk establishments (full-service restaurants with hot kitchens) require a Level 3 or equivalent qualification. The PIC must be present and identifiable during every DM inspection; a missing or lapsed PIC certificate is one of the most common critical findings that triggers immediate corrective notice.

FoodWatch is Dubai Municipality's digital food safety platform where establishment records, inspection histories, and permit statuses are stored. DM inspectors review your FoodWatch standing before and during every visit. An incomplete supplier record, overdue HACCP update, or unresolved previous finding visible on FoodWatch will be cited as a compliance gap even if the physical premises pass on the day.

Our audit is a private pre-inspection that mirrors the DM checklist and scoring criteria without any official consequences. Our findings stay confidential and are used solely to drive corrective action. An official DM inspection results in a formal grading, potential fines, and public record. Using our audit first means deficiencies are resolved before the authority visit, not after.

Dubai Municipality classifies food establishments on a risk scale from Category A (highest) to Category D (lowest). Full-service restaurants with on-site cooking, raw protein handling, and public dining are typically Category A or B, meaning more frequent official inspections and stricter HACCP documentation requirements. Our audit benchmarks your records against the specific obligations for your risk category.

Yes. Occupational health cards are reviewed for every food handler on shift during the audit. Cards are issued by approved DM clinics or equivalent municipal health centres in each emirate and must be renewed annually. A single expired card is a citable violation. We provide a staff-level expiry tracker as part of the gap report so renewals are managed proactively.

ADAFSA (Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority) has its own food establishment registration, inspection checklists, and HACCP compliance framework distinct from Dubai Municipality. While both bodies enforce Federal Law No. 10 of 2015 as the baseline, ADAFSA applies additional local technical regulations and uses a separate food-control portal. Our auditors are trained to both ADAFSA and DM standards for cross-emirate operators.

Restaurants must keep current copies of the Dubai Civil Defence completion certificate, valid kitchen hood suppression system service records, fire extinguisher inspection tags, emergency evacuation plan, and occupancy load approval. DCD certificates have fixed validity periods -- typically one to three years -- and lapsed documents trigger violations even if the physical systems are functional. Our audit checks every document currency date.

DM typically allows 30 days for non-critical corrective actions and may schedule a re-inspection within 7 to 14 days for critical findings. Our gap report prioritises items by severity and typical resolution time so you know which fixes -- such as HACCP log corrections and PIC certificate renewals -- can be completed in days versus those requiring contractor works that need lead time.