How to renew a trade license in Dubai: steps, documents and timing
When to start your trade license renewal, what to prepare, what it costs and what happens if you renew late, with a simple step-by-step process.
To renew a trade license in Dubai, you submit a renewal request before the license expires, with a valid flexi-desk or lease agreement, a valid establishment card and up-to-date shareholder and UBO details, then pay the renewal fee. Renewing on time matters, because late renewal can bring penalties and may block visa renewals.
This guide explains how renewal works at DHCC Free Zone: when to start, what to prepare, what it usually costs, and how to handle changes such as new activities or shareholders.
Key takeaways
- Start your renewal before the license expires, because late renewal can bring penalties and block visa renewals.
- You usually need a valid flexi-desk or lease, a valid establishment card and current UBO and shareholder details.
- Some companies also need audited financial statements to renew.
- A 2 or 3 year license saves 15% on the license fee.
- Changes to activities, shareholders, name, capital or managers are separate amendment requests.
When to start your trade license renewal
Your trade license is valid for a fixed term: one year, or two or three years on a multi-year license. Start the renewal well before the expiry date, not in the final week.
Starting early gives you time to:
- renew your flexi-desk or lease if it ends at the same time
- check that your establishment card is still valid
- update shareholder and UBO details if anything has changed
- arrange audited financial statements, if your company needs them
- plan any amendments you want to make around the renewal
Keep the expiry dates of your license, establishment card, residence visas and lease in one calendar, with reminders well ahead of each. These dates often differ, and one lapsed item can hold up another.
Documents you need to renew
Renewal usually needs the following. Check each item before you submit:
| Item | What to check |
|---|---|
| Flexi-desk or lease agreement | It is valid for the new license period |
| Establishment (immigration) card | It is valid, if your company holds any visa |
| UBO register | It shows your current ultimate beneficial owners and has been filed |
| Shareholder details | Names, shareholdings and documents are up to date |
| Audited financial statements | Prepared, if your company needs them |
Your adviser will confirm whether anything else applies to your company. For example, if your activity is approved by a regulator such as the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) or the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), you may also need to keep that approval current.
Step-by-step renewal process
A typical renewal follows six steps:
- Check your dates. Confirm when your license, establishment card, visas and lease expire.
- Review your company details. Check your activities, shareholders, managers and UBO information, and decide whether you need any amendments.
- Gather your documents. Use the checklist above.
- Submit your renewal. At DHCC Free Zone, you can renew, amend or add activities online through renew and manage, with every fee shown before you confirm.
- Pay the renewal fee.
- Receive your renewed license and share a copy with anyone who relies on it, such as your bank.
Tip: If you run your company from outside the UAE, our remote license lets you handle renewals and amendments online. Visa steps such as the medical test and Emirates ID biometrics still happen in person in the UAE.
How much a trade license renewal costs
At renewal, the main yearly costs are usually the license itself, plus the establishment card and visa allocations if you sponsor visas. As a guide, these are our indicative license figures at the time of writing. Your exact renewal fees are confirmed by DHCC Free Zone and shown before you confirm.
| Item | Indicative cost |
|---|---|
| Trade license with flexi-desk and up to 3 activity groups | From AED 12,500 a year |
| 2-year license with flexi-desk | AED 21,363, with 15% off the license fee |
| 3-year license with flexi-desk | AED 32,044, with 15% off the license fee |
| Establishment (immigration) card | AED 2,000 a year, once you hold any visa |
| Visa allocation | AED 1,850 a year per visa |
If your license includes activities from more than 3 groups, the fee is higher. Our cost calculator shows the figure for your selection. Residence visas are renewed on their own cycle, and any late renewal penalties are extra, so ask your adviser for current figures.
If you expect to stay for several years, ask whether a 2 or 3 year term suits you at renewal. It saves 15% on the license fee and means fewer renewals to manage.
What happens if you renew late
An expired license affects more than your paperwork. Late renewal can:
- bring penalties, which add to your renewal cost
- block visa renewals for you and your team while the license is expired
- cause problems with your bank, which may ask for a valid license during its reviews
- make it harder to sign contracts, since clients and suppliers often ask for a current license
If your license has already expired, contact us as soon as you can. At DHCC Free Zone, our advisers can tell you what is needed to bring your company back up to date. The sooner you act, the fewer knock-on effects you are likely to face.
Making changes at renewal time
Renewal keeps your existing license running. Changes are separate amendment requests, and the most common are:
- adding or removing business activities
- adding, removing or changing shareholders
- changing the company name
- changing share capital
- appointing or replacing managers
Some changes have knock-on steps. A new shareholder means updating your UBO register and shareholder records, and your bank will usually want to know. A new activity may need a regulator's approval, so check the approving authority with the Ask DHCC search on our business activities page. A new name must follow the company name rules in Dubai.
Planning amendments around your renewal helps keep your license, company records and bank details consistent.
What to do after your license is renewed
Once your renewed license is issued, a few quick tasks keep everything else in line:
- Send the renewed license to your bank. Banks review their customers over time and may ask for a valid license.
- Update clients, suppliers and platforms that hold a copy of your license, such as payment providers or online marketplaces you sell through.
- Check upcoming visa renewals for you and your team, and start any that are due.
- Confirm your establishment card and lease dates for the year ahead.
- Note your next renewal date in your calendar, with a reminder well ahead of it.
If you made amendments, such as a new shareholder or a new activity, make sure your UBO register, bank records and contracts all reflect the change.
Keeping tax and compliance in step
Your renewal date is a useful prompt to check your wider compliance:
- Corporate tax: every company must be registered with the Federal Tax Authority through EmaraTax and file an annual return. Late registration carries a penalty.
- Qualifying Free Zone Person status: to pay 0% on qualifying income, a company must keep adequate substance in the free zone, meet the de minimis rule, prepare audited financial statements, follow the transfer pricing rules and not elect for the standard regime.
- VAT: registration is mandatory once taxable supplies and imports exceed AED 375,000 over 12 months, or are expected to within the next 30 days.
- UBO register: keep it up to date and filed with the registrar.
Tax rules change, so ask a registered tax agent or adviser to review your company's position. Our banking and tax support can help with registrations and bookkeeping.
Renewing on time keeps your company, visas and bank account running without interruption. Check your expiry date now, and when you are ready, start your renewal through renew and manage or talk to one of our advisers.
Frequently asked questions
Usually yes, but late renewal can bring penalties and may block visa renewals in the meantime. Contact us as soon as possible if your license has expired.
Some companies do, and your adviser will confirm whether that includes yours. A free zone company that wants 0% corporate tax on qualifying income as a Qualifying Free Zone Person must prepare audited financial statements.
Yes, as a separate amendment request that you can plan alongside your renewal. Activities from more than 3 groups cost extra, and some activities need a regulator approval.
At DHCC Free Zone, renewals and amendments are available online, so you can manage them from outside the UAE. Visa steps such as the medical test still happen in person in the UAE.
About DHCC Free Zone
We license companies in Dubai across 2,000+ business activities, from trading, e-commerce and consultancy to technology, media, education and healthcare, and support them from setup to every renewal.
This guide is general information about doing business in Dubai at the time of writing, not legal or tax advice. Fees are indicative until confirmed by DHCC Free Zone.
