New Drupal builds
Government portals, free-zone corporate platforms and enterprise publishing sites on the current Drupal release — structured content models, role-based workflows and clean editorial dashboards.
Drupal Development · UAE
Drupal for the UAE — built by a team that's called this market home since 2004
Government entities, free-zone trading groups and large mainland enterprises across the Emirates don't choose Drupal because it's trendy — they choose it because it survives security review, scales past what a page-builder CMS can carry, and carries no licence fee eating into next year's budget. We build it, migrate you off unsupported versions before they become an incident, and handle UAE PDPL and in-country hosting from day one.
Why Drupal is the UAE's institutional CMS
The UAE runs one of the most demanding digital markets in the region, and its institutional web is no exception. Free-zone entities like DMCC and DIFC-regulated firms sit alongside mainland LLCs and government-linked organisations, each with different contracting, compliance and content requirements — and all of them publish to a bilingual Arabic-English audience that expects both languages treated as equals, not one bolted onto the other after launch.
A meaningful share of the region's Drupal footprint is still running on borrowed time. Drupal 7 reached end-of-life in January 2025 and Drupal 9 is no longer supported, which means newly discovered vulnerabilities are published publicly and never patched on either. For a UAE government, financial-services or large enterprise site, that's not a technical footnote sitting quietly in a changelog — it's an open door, and one that sits directly against what UAE PDPL and sector regulators expect an organisation to demonstrate about its own security posture.
VOX GCC has delivered technology in the UAE since 2004 — this is our home market, not a satellite territory we fly in for. That means twenty years of contracting across free zones and mainland entities, Arabic right-to-left publishing built in as a first-class layout rather than a translation plugin, and migrations handled with a content-model audit before a single line of migration code gets written.
Looking for our full Drupal capability across the GCC? SeeDrupal Development, or browse theDrupal knowledge hubfor history, enterprise adoption, case studies and FAQs.
drupal-uae.jpgWhat we deliver in the UAE
Drupal 7 and 9 migrations
Structured migrations to the current release: content-model audit first, rehearsal migrations, reconciled content counts. Nothing published disappears in the move.
Free zone and mainland contracting handled
Agreements, invoicing and data-handling terms structured to your entity — DMCC, DIFC, another free zone, or a mainland LLC — the same way we've contracted across the Emirates for two decades.
Arabic-first multilingual publishing
Mirrored RTL layouts, correct Arabic typography, language-aware URLs and search, and independent editorial workflows per language — Arabic managed as an equal, not an afterthought.
UAE PDPL alignment and in-country hosting
Deployment to UAE cloud regions with data residency addressed in architecture, plus documented data flows your legal and compliance teams can approve without back-and-forth.
Integration with your systems
Drupal's API layer connected to single sign-on, CRM and ERP platforms, and government service systems — so the portal is part of your operation, not an island beside it.
Why VOX GCC in the UAE
1
Twenty years in this specific market
The UAE is our home market since 2004 — we know which operational and compliance details actually matter here, not a checklist copied from a different region.
2
Free zone and mainland fluency
We've contracted with DMCC, DIFC and other free-zone entities as well as mainland LLCs for two decades, and structure agreements and invoicing to fit each setup.
3
Enterprise CMS depth
We deliver CMS platforms for environments with real governance requirements — dozens of editors, legal sign-off before publication, integration mandates — not brochure sites.
4
Migrations without content loss
Content models are audited before migration code is written, migrations are rehearsed, and counts are reconciled — the discipline a decade of institutional content deserves.
Who this is for
- Government & Semi-Government Entities
- Free Zone Trading & Distribution Groups
- DIFC-Regulated Financial Entities
- Large Mainland Enterprises
- Higher Education & Universities
- Healthcare Networks
- Media & Publishing
Where we serve in the UAE
Remote-first delivery across the Emirates, with on-site sessions for workshops, training and go-lives where the work requires it.
Frequently asked questions
Which organisations in the UAE typically use Drupal?
Government and semi-government entities, free-zone and mainland enterprises, universities, healthcare networks and media organisations — organisations that need genuine Arabic-English publishing, multi-editor approval workflows and freedom from CMS licence fees. That institutional footprint is why Drupal skills matter specifically in the UAE market.
We are still on Drupal 7. How urgent is a migration for a UAE entity?
Urgent. Drupal 7 reached end-of-life in January 2025, so new vulnerabilities are published but never patched. For a public-facing UAE government or enterprise site, that exposure sits directly against UAE PDPL and sector-regulator expectations — and a responsible migration takes months, so the risk grows the longer scoping is delayed.
Can the site and its data be hosted inside the UAE?
Yes, and for government and regulated organisations it usually must be. Major cloud providers operate UAE regions, and we architect deployments so regulated data stays in-country, with the data-flow documentation your compliance team needs to approve it.
Do you build Arabic-English bilingual Drupal sites?
Yes — it is the core of our Drupal work here. Both languages are managed as equals: mirrored right-to-left layouts, correct Arabic typography, language-aware URLs and search, and separate editorial workflows per language. Editor training is delivered in Arabic and English.
Can you contract with our DMCC, DIFC or other free-zone entity?
Yes. We've contracted with free-zone and mainland entities across the Emirates for two decades and structure agreements, invoicing and data-handling terms to fit your specific licence and jurisdiction.
How long does a Drupal build or migration in the UAE take?
A typical migration or new build runs three to six months depending on content volume, custom functionality and integrations. We start with a paid discovery phase that produces a fixed price and timeline before you commit to the full build.
Running Drupal 7 in the UAE, or starting from scratch?
Get a clear, costed point of view within one business day — including a straight answer on how exposed you are right now.
Speak to a specialist
Tell us what you're trying to achieve
Share your goal — more leads, a new platform, a market entry — and a senior consultant will come back within one business day with a clear point of view on how to get there. No obligation, no sales script.
Prefer email?hello@voxgcc.com