Independently researched from DEWA’s live service pages and official performance releases. Checked on August 3, 2026.
DEWA approved 6,861 Informational Service applications through Marafeq during the first half of 2026. Those applications supported 25,643 infrastructure no-objection certificate approvals.
Marafeq replaces offline infrastructure files with a secure live GIS link and shortens a specialist NOC information workflow.
Dubai infrastructure consultants, contractors, developers, project managers, utility coordinators, and technical administrators should understand the service.
Use the live link as a controlled project reference and connect its validity, conditions, and NOC status to the project document register.
The six-month validity, enrollment requirements, project route, approval conditions, and professional interpretation still need active management.
DEWA will continue processing Marafeq and integrated infrastructure NOC requests as Dubai project volume expands.
Confirm your DEWA enrollment category, assign the right portal users, and add the GIS link and expiry date to the project control log.
DEWA-enrolled consultants and contractors receive the clearest direct benefit through faster steps and access to current infrastructure information.
The feature is for enrolled contractors and consultants using DEWA builder services, not ordinary residential customers checking bills or move-in status.
Track enrollment approval, administrator access, project reference, live-link expiry, NOC conditions, resubmissions, and the correct authority portal.
The large difference between the two numbers is the first clue that Marafeq is not a normal consumer utility feature. It is a specialist workflow for registered consultants and contractors working across infrastructure projects and approvals, where one information request can support several NOC decisions or related utility workflows.
DEWA does not publish the exact counting relationship in the release, so Robius is not treating every application as four identical approvals. The useful guide is who qualifies, what the live GIS link replaces, how long the data remains valid, and what project teams still need to control outside the portal.
What DEWA Reported
DEWA says it approved 6,861 Informational Service applications through the Marafeq smart feature in the first half of 2026. The authority says those applications enabled faster approvals for 25,643 infrastructure-project NOCs.
The figures are company and government service metrics, not a promise that every new application receives the same number of NOCs or the same turnaround. DEWA’s public release does not explain the exact denominator, project mix, or whether several utility approvals are counted against one information application.
That gap should be kept visible. The numbers show meaningful use at scale, but a contractor should plan around the rules of its own project rather than divide 25,643 by 6,861 and treat the result as a guaranteed workflow.
What Marafeq Actually Changes
DEWA describes Marafeq as a smart feature for infrastructure and information-service NOCs. The authority says it reduced the workflow from seven steps to three and the required time from 60 minutes to 20 minutes.
The more important product change is the data format. Marafeq gives enrolled contractors and consultants a secure smart link to live DEWA infrastructure data, valid for six months, instead of relying on conventional offline DGN or CAD files.
This is not merely a web form replacing a paper form. The source of truth becomes a controlled live link rather than a copied drawing file that can be emailed, renamed, separated from its expiry, or used after the network information changes.
Who Can Use It
DEWA’s enrollment service is aimed at contractors and consultants, with categories that include infrastructure consultants and infrastructure contractors. The published requirements for those categories include a trade license and VAT registration letter.
Builder enrollment is free and completed through DEWA’s online service. Once approved, the organization receives administrator access to digital services, including NOC applications, status tracking, resubmissions, user assignments, and related builder workflows.
This is separate from the DEWA consumer app review. A resident paying a bill or activating a home account does not need Marafeq. The audience is the professional team responsible for project information and infrastructure approvals.
The Portal Route Depends on the Project
DEWA’s current Infrastructure Projects NOC service page shows that the correct application route changes by scenario. Projects inside a road right of way are submitted through the RTA electronic NOC portal, while Design and Build NOCs go through Dubai Municipality’s Dubai Building Permit System.
For projects within or adjacent to DEWA reservations and premises, the request goes through DEWA channels. Integrated portals may send the request to DEWA automatically, so the contractor should not create a duplicate application simply because DEWA is one of the reviewing authorities.
The practical control is to document the lead portal before submission. Project teams often lose time not because the drawing is wrong, but because the request started in the wrong system or was duplicated across systems that already exchange data.
The Live Link Needs Project Governance
A secure link that remains valid for six months is useful only when the team records its owner, project, issue date, expiry, access rights, and the approval conditions connected to it. Forwarding the link into a general chat without that context recreates the same document-control problem the feature is intended to reduce.
The UAE SME technology guide emphasizes software that removes operational friction. Marafeq belongs in that category, but the value comes from changing the workflow around the data, not simply adding another portal login.
Old Workflow Versus Marafeq
DEWA’s published comparison provides a useful baseline, but project teams should treat the timings as service-design figures rather than a guarantee of final project approval. Technical comments, missing documents, conflicting utilities, site conditions, and resubmissions can still extend the wider NOC journey.
| Workflow element | Conventional route described by DEWA | Marafeq route |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure information | Offline DGN or CAD files passed between teams. | Secure GIS-based smart link to DEWA network information. |
| Published workflow steps | Seven steps. | Three steps. |
| Published handling time | About 60 minutes. | About 20 minutes. |
| Data life | Static file can remain in circulation without obvious expiry context. | Live information link is stated as valid for six months. |
| User group | Professional project teams managing infrastructure information. | DEWA-enrolled contractors and consultants using builder services. |
Set Up the Company Account Before the Project Is Urgent
DEWA’s builder enrollment creates an administrator who can assign contact persons, delegate roles, block users, and add an additional administrator for workload or contingency. This is an operational control, not a clerical detail.
Do not wait until an NOC deadline to discover that the company administrator left, the listed engineer changed, or nobody can receive the authentication and status messages. Keep at least one approved backup administrator and review access when staff or projects change.
The project-management software guide for UAE teams is useful here only if the team stores official references rather than replacing them. The project tool should track the DEWA or integrated-portal reference, responsible person, comments, conditions, link expiry, and next submission date.
What Marafeq Does Not Replace
The feature does not replace qualified engineering judgment, utility coordination, authority conditions, site verification, or the professional responsibility attached to a consultant or contractor. Live data can improve the starting information without deciding whether the proposed work is safe or approvable.
It also does not replace accounting, payroll, customer management, or general company operations. Platforms such as du Launchpad solve a different SME problem. Marafeq is a specialist authority workflow tied to Dubai infrastructure.
The same separation applies to Dubai’s SME in a Box. Broad business-support packages can help a company operate, but they do not grant technical eligibility or authority approval for a project.
A Practical Project Checklist
Confirm the project owner, lead authority portal, DEWA enrollment category, company administrator, assigned contact person, and exact NOC or Informational Service required. Record which documents must be attached and which authority integration sends the request onward.
When the smart link is issued, register it as a controlled project reference. Add the issue date, six-month expiry, responsible engineer, linked NOC applications, approval conditions, and any restriction on sharing or use.
Before construction or resubmission, confirm that the data remains valid and that later authority comments or network changes have not superseded it. A live-link workflow reduces stale files only when the team respects the validity window.
The Bottom Line
Marafeq is a genuinely useful digital infrastructure workflow, not another app for residential DEWA customers. Its value is the move from offline drawing files to a secure GIS link and a shorter information-service process for enrolled professionals.
The H1 2026 numbers show scale, but DEWA does not publish enough detail to treat 6,861 applications and 25,643 NOC approvals as a fixed ratio for every project. Use the figures as evidence of adoption, not a service guarantee.
Enroll before the deadline, choose the correct portal, control administrator access, register the smart link and expiry, and keep professional review around every approval and site decision.
Sources
- DEWA: Official July 2026 reporting that 6,861 Informational Service applications through Marafeq supported 25,643 infrastructure NOC approvals in H1 2026. https://www.dewa.gov.ae/en/partner
- DEWA: Official Marafeq description covering the reduction from seven to three steps, 60 to 20 minutes, six-month live data, GIS smart links, and replacement of offline DGN or CAD files. https://www.dewa.gov.ae/en/about-us/media-publications/latest-news/2025/09/dewas-marafeq-smart-feature-powers
- DEWA: Official contractor and consultant enrollment service, target user groups, required documents, free online channel, and published processing information. https://dewa.gov.ae/en/about-us/service-guide/general-information/enrollment-of-consultants-contractors
- DEWA: Official Infrastructure Projects NOC service page explaining the RTA, Dubai Building Permit System, and DEWA application routes by project scenario. https://dewa.gov.ae/en/about-us/service-guide/builder-services/infrastructure-no-objection-certificate
Robius.news — Dubai, UAE — 2026 | Built to be first. Built to be trusted.
