Trade Licence
ObligationUAEReviewed November 2026
The licence that brings a UAE business into existence and fixes its legal form, its permitted activities, its owners and its manager. A mainland company is licensed by the emirate’s economic department, which in Dubai is the Department of Economy and Tourism, and a free zone company by its free zone authority.
The licence is only the first record a working company needs. Its premises, immigration file, ownership register and tax registration must agree with it before a bank will open an account or the company can employ and invoice.
How it connects
- Related
- Mainland Company: licensed by the emirate economic department
- Free Zone Company: licensed by its free zone authority
- Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO): whose details must match the licence from the first day
Where it comes up
- Setting up a UAE companyStep 3 of 8
Analysis that discusses it
- Business setup in Dubai is five records the bank reads togetherCorporate Structuring · 10 Nov 2026
- A UAE trade licence does not open a bank accountRisk Governance · 11 Jul 2026
- A UAE company's tax debt can reach its directors on liquidationRisk Governance · 6 Jul 2026
- The anonymous UAE company is an expired assumptionRegulatory Intelligence · 11 Jul 2026
A definition of an established legal or tax concept for general information. It is not advice on any individual situation.
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