UAE and the Netherlands.
| Topic | UAE | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| Main rule | Cabinet Resolution No. 56 of 2024 on telemarketing (penalties in Resolution No. 57 of 2024), as reported | Telecommunicatiewet, art. 11.7; supervised by the ACM |
| Consent | Consent required for marketing calls, per law-firm summaries; respect the Do Not Call Register | Prior consent required for calls to consumers since 1 July 2021 |
| Existing customers | Check with your adviser; repeated calls to people who declined are restricted | From 1 July 2026, a customer relationship alone no longer allows sales calls |
| Hours and records | Calls reported to be limited to 9:00–18:00; calls recorded and kept | No anonymous numbers; consent must be provable |
| Complaints | Consumers can complain to the TDRA | Consumers can complain to the ACM |
Orientation only, based on the sources below; several UAE details come from law-firm summaries. Ask a lawyer before any outbound calling campaign.
Legitimate uses of voice AI.
Voice agents are useful where the person expects or asked for the call.
Extra duties when the caller is a machine.
In the EU, a voice agent must make clear it is an AI system (Article 50 of the AI Act, from 2 August 2026). We apply the same disclosure in the UAE. The agent also needs a clean way to stop: a person who says no is added to your suppression list immediately.
Email follows different rules. In the Netherlands the existing-customer exception still exists for email to your own customers about similar products, with an opt-out in every message; it was removed only for telemarketing calls.
Where this comes from.
- Clyde & Co: UAE tightens telemarketing regulations (July 2024)
- Middle East Briefing: UAE unveils new telemarketing rules
- Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA)
- Ondernemersplein: telemarketing, no more unsolicited calls to your customers
- Rijksoverheid: unsolicited calling restricted from July 2026 (15 May 2025)
- ACM: rules on telemarketing
Not legal advice.
This guide is general information, checked against the sources listed, and not legal advice. Rules change; check the current text or ask a lawyer before you rely on it. Checked November 2026.
Common questions.
Can we use AI to call old leads who once gave us their number?
In the Netherlands, only if they gave consent to be called that you can prove. In the UAE, check consent, the Do Not Call Register and the call-hour rules with your adviser first. In most cases a WhatsApp or email follow-up on the channel they used is the safer route.
Does this apply to B2B calls?
The Dutch rules focus on consumers and, from 2026, small businesses are also covered in some respects; the UAE rules are written broadly. Check your situation with a lawyer.
Do you build outbound voice campaigns?
No cold calling. We build inbound voice agents, callbacks and reminder calls to people who agreed to them.
What about WhatsApp marketing?
Marketing templates only go to people who opted in, under Meta's policy and local consent rules.
Want this in your business?
Tell us how you work today. We'll tell you honestly what AI can take off your team's plate, what it costs, and whether we are the right fit.