Dubai Municipality (DM-FSD-GU64, Issue 2, 31 August 2023) requires Basic Food Safety training for food handlers and PIC or Advanced PIC certification for supervisors, using DM-approved trainers and materials. Abu Dhabi's handlers need ADAFSA's EFST, and "Levels 1 to 4" are UK qualifications on Ofqual's register, not UAE categories.
This guide is for food safety, QA and training managers in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
Who needs PIC or Advanced PIC in Dubai?
The Dubai Food Code 2013 requires every food establishment to employ at least one full-time, on-site person in charge (PIC) certified in food safety (§3.1.1(a)). Food service premises preparing high-risk, ready-to-eat or raw food need a certified PIC on every shift (§3.1.1(b)). The PIC passes a written examination acceptable to DM's Food Control Department, and the certificate lasts five years.
GU64 names two certifications, PIC and Advanced PIC. Its Tables 3 and 4, condensed below, set the PIC level and the handler course by business type.
| Business type (Dubai Municipality categories) | Handler course (DM, GU64 Table 4. Food Service 5 h, Basic 3 h minimum) | PIC required (DM, GU64 Table 3) |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant, cafeteria, café, catering, central kitchen, hotel, hospital kitchen, nursing home, bakery Cat. I | Basic Food Safety (Food Service) | Advanced PIC, one per shift (per kitchen for hotels, central kitchens and catering Cat. I) |
| School, day care, pre-school | Basic Food Safety (Food Service) | Advanced PIC plus the Nutrition Module |
| Supermarket Cat. I (open high-risk food) | Basic Food Safety (Food Service) | Advanced PIC at each counter handling open high-risk food |
| Supermarket Cat. II (pre-packed only) | Basic Food Safety | Advanced PIC, one per shift |
| Butcher, fishmonger, bakery Cat. II | Basic Food Safety (Food Service) | PIC Certification, one per establishment |
| Pre-packed grocery, raw fruit and vegetable stall, food trading | Basic Food Safety | PIC Certification, one per establishment |
| Manufacturing plant | Depends on the process | PIC Certification, one per shift in the production area |
How long are Dubai's courses, and how are they assessed?
GU64 sets minimum learning hours, excluding breaks. They are 3 for Basic Food Safety, 5 for Basic Food Safety (Food Service), 3 for drivers and delivery staff and 2 for a handler refresher. Higher handler qualifications use the Intermediate Food Safety option, taught with the PIC materials.
Each course ends in a formal assessment on Department-approved digital tools, never on paper. The pass mark is at least 70%, with one re-sit before full retraining.
PIC assessment follows ISO/IEC 17024:2012. It is run by certification bodies that DM's Food Safety Department approves and the Emirates International Accreditation Centre (EIAC) accredits. Certificates carry the candidate's Emirates ID and a Foodwatch traceability number. Basic Food Safety certificates carry no validity date.
An exam-preparation site reports a DM PIC Certification Scheme, Version 2.0 of 6 January 2020, with 10 learning hours for PIC, 18 for Advanced PIC and a refresher before the end of year three. We found no DM copy of that scheme, so treat those figures as reported.
DM's documents also differ on refreshers. The Food Code 2013 says handlers take one after a year (§6.3(b)). GU64, issued in 2023, says every three years or when competence deteriorates. Confirm which applies with DM's Food Safety Department.
Who may deliver and certify the training in Dubai?
External training centres need a trade licence for food safety training. Internal centres need a Food Safety Department permit and may train only their own staff. Both keep a documented quality management system, which our guide to quality systems for training centres covers.
Trainers need DM's prior approval and must be full-time employees of an approved establishment. New trainers need a relevant degree and at least 5 years' food safety experience, 3 of them managing food safety in a food establishment. Experience only at training, consulting or certification firms does not count.
GU64 says trainers use only materials the Food Safety Department has approved. Certificates issued without completed training or through unapproved trainers are treated as fraudulent.
What do Abu Dhabi and Sharjah require?
ADAFSA's Essential Food Safety Training (EFST) has been mandatory since August 2008 for all food handlers in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, including operators, managers and supervisors. We read its requirements, ADAFSA-EFST-CS-01 Issue 02 of 2 March 2023, from an archived copy and could not confirm their currency after April 2025.
Delivery needs three ADAFSA approvals: provider registration, trainer approval and training material approval. Minimum hours are 4 for retail and 6 for catering, manufacturing and animal production. The exam is taken at an ADAFSA-approved test centre with a 70% pass mark, and the certificate lasts 5 years.
ADAFSA documents checked for this guide contain no separate person-in-charge certification. Providers can read our guide to becoming an ADAFSA EFST training provider.
Sharjah Municipality said in January 2019 that its Sharjah Food Safety Program (SFSP) offers courses for managers, food workers, approved home businesses and food students. Mleiha City Municipality's SFSP service page, updated 22 May 2023, allows only SFSP-approved trainers, halls, curriculum and materials, with at most 15 trainees per course. One course runs at least 6 hours (one day) and the HACCP course at least 18 hours. Neither page says which staff must hold which course, so confirm with Sharjah Municipality.
What do "Levels 1 to 4" mean in the UAE?
They are levels of regulated qualifications on Ofqual's register in England. Guided learning hours run from 4 for Highfield's Level 1 award to 9 for the City & Guilds Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering. Level 3 awards take 18 to 25, and Highfield's Level 4 Award in Managing Food Safety in Catering takes 40.
The level belongs to the awarding organisation's qualification, so a course that follows a Level 2 syllabus is not that qualification. DM's own categories are Basic, Intermediate and Advanced food safety, and PIC or Advanced PIC.
UK levels appear in UAE regulator texts only as thresholds. ADAFSA trainers need at least Level 4 or a 5-day advanced course, and Level 5 holders may be exempted from EFST. No DM document checked for this guide says a UK Level 2 or Level 3 award replaces PIC certification.
Can a bought training package meet these rules?
No, not on its own. Dubai centres may teach only with DM-approved materials, and Abu Dhabi and Sharjah require approved materials and trainers too. A package's paper exam and certificate template are not DM's digital assessment or its Foodwatch-traceable certificate.
Packages fit the training the business owns itself. The Food Code makes the PIC responsible for training staff before they start and keeping them competent (§3.1.2(d), §6.1). It asks for a documented training plan based on risk, records of who was trained, and in-house, on-the-job and refresher training (§6.2, §6.3). Induction material adds to the formal course for new starters but does not replace it.
Dubai's three-yearly handler refresher is also a DM programme, with a course plan prepared with the Food Safety Department, so in-house material adds to it.
In Dubai, expect to show the PIC's certificate and displayed name, and a certified PIC on each shift where Table 3 requires one. Inspectors can also ask for the training plan, training records, refresher evidence and food handlers' occupational health cards. In Abu Dhabi, each food handler needs a valid EFST certificate for the activity. For the kitchen system that training supports, see our guide to HACCP for catering operations.
How AGS can help
These 11 packages are for in-house induction and on-the-job training that add to the mandated courses. They are not a route to any DM, ADAFSA, Sharjah or Ofqual certificate. Each holds slides, a workbook or handout, an exam or assessment and a certificate template, in editable Word and PowerPoint with speaker notes. The Level 4 slides are a PDF without speaker notes.
Handler
- Food Handler Level 1 Training Package: 5 documents
Levels 1 to 4
- Food Safety Level 1 Training Package: 4 documents
- Food Safety Level 2 Training Package: 4 documents
- Supervising Food Safety Level 3 Training Package: 4 documents
- Advanced Food Safety Level 4 Training Package: 4 documents
Person in charge
Specialist
- HACCP Awareness Training Package: 4 documents
- HACCP Implementation Workshop Training Package: 4 documents
- Processing Unit GMP & GHP Training Package: 5 documents
- Meat Handling & Butchery Safety Training Package: 4 documents
- Food Storage & Warehouse Practice Training Package: 5 documents
Frequently asked questions
What happens when our PIC leaves?
The Food Code gives you up to 30 days to designate a new PIC, who should enrol for training and be certified within 45 days (§3.1.1(e)).
Is an Abu Dhabi EFST certificate valid in Dubai?
The sources checked for this guide do not confirm recognition between emirates either way. Ask DM's Food Safety Department before relying on one.
Can we run food safety training online in Dubai?
Yes, but only through a DM-approved training centre. GU64 allows fully online, blended or trainer-led training through a learning management system the Food Safety Department approves. Virtual training sessions need a prior permit.
Is Foodwatch still DM's platform?
GU64 and the Food Code name Foodwatch. Reports that DM's DMChecked app replaced it are not confirmed in DM's training documents.
AGS provides independent documentation toolkits. This guide and the referenced training packages are not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by Dubai Municipality, ADAFSA, Sharjah Municipality, EIAC or Ofqual. It is general information, not legal advice. Which training your staff need depends on your emirate, business type and activity.
Reviewed October 2026. Facts checked against the sources current at publication.
