Trade license in Dubai and the UAE in 1 to 5 working days in a free zone
A trade license in Dubai comes from DET or from a free zone and costs from AED 12,000 a year in fees. We file the application and renew the license every year.
What will your company do?
What a trade license in Dubai is and who issues it
DETWho issues a trade license
A trade license is the document that names what a company sells and proves its right to do business. On the Dubai mainland it comes from DET, the Department of Economy and Tourism, which older papers call DED. In a free zone it comes from the zone's own authority.
1 yearA license runs, under either of its two names
Business license and trade license are two names for the same document, and a commercial license is its type for trade. It states the legal form, the owners, the manager, the address and the activities, and it runs for 1 year.
3 waysTo check that a Dubai license is valid
Each licensed business in Dubai also carries a Dubai Unified License number with a QR code. A customer checks whether the license is valid in 3 ways: by scanning the code, on the Invest in Dubai portal or in the National Economic Register.
DET issues a license within minutes of a complete file. Getting the file complete takes 1 to 2 weeks on the mainland and 1 to 5 working days in a free zone.
Types of trade license in Dubai
| License | What it allows | Who takes it |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial | Buying and selling goods and services, import and export | Shops, wholesalers, logistics and software traders |
| General trading | Unrelated product lines on one license | Traders with a broad catalogue |
| Professional | Income from a skill or a service | Consultants, agencies, trainers, IT firms |
| Industrial | Manufacturing, production and packaging | Factories and workshops |
| Tourism | Travel and hospitality | Travel agencies and tour operators |
| eTrader | Selling from home through social media and websites, as a sole establishment | Residents of Dubai with a home business: see e-commerce license in Dubai |
| Freelance permit | One person working under their own name in a free zone | Media, technology and creative freelancers: see freelance permit or an LLC |
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What a trade license costs in Dubai
The two companies with their licenses and our fee for a renewal are our prices, before VAT. Every other line is what DET, a free zone or the Dubai Chamber charges.
Free-zone company and its license, with us
from $7,000Get a quote- Mainland company and its license, with us
- from $8,000
- DET trade name
- AED 620
- DET initial approval
- AED 120
- DET license, set by the activity, a year
- AED 12,000–15,000
- License at Meydan or IFZA in Dubai, a year
- from AED 12,500
- License at Shams in Sharjah, a year
- AED 5,760
- eTrader license with the Dubai Chamber fee
- AED 1,370
- Renewal or amendment, our fee
- in your quote
How to get a trade license in Dubai
- day 11
Pick the activities
We match what you sell to the activity list of DET or of the zone and put related activities on one license.
- 10 minutes at DET2
Trade name
We reserve the name for AED 620. A name reads as a proper name, shows the activity and copies no existing brand.
- 10 minutes at DET3
Initial approval
DET confirms the legal form, the activities and the partners for AED 120. With it the company signs a lease and applies to any regulator its activity involves.
- 2 to 5 days4
Memorandum and address
You sign the memorandum of association. A mainland company registers its lease in Ejari, Dubai's tenancy register. A free-zone company takes a flexi-desk.
- 1–5 days or 1–2 weeks5
License
We submit the approval, the memorandum and the lease and pay the fee. The authority issues the license, and it arrives in your account.
- after the license6
Tax number
We register the new company for corporate tax within 3 months of its incorporation: corporate tax registration in the UAE.
Trade license renewal in Dubai: when, what is filed, what it costs
AED 12,000DET's lowest yearly fee at each renewal
A Dubai trade license is renewed every year, before the date printed on it. On the mainland the file is the request and a current lease registered in Ejari, and DET's fee follows the activity: AED 12,000 to 15,000 a year. A free-zone license is renewed with the zone, from AED 5,750 a year in the Sharjah zones and AED 12,500 at Meydan.
6969The SMS number for a renewal request
DET sends a reminder by SMS when the date is near. The request goes in on the Invest in Dubai portal, by SMS to 6969 or at a service centre, and with the file in order DET completes the renewal at once. A zone renews the desk or office lease together with the license.
3 monthsTo renew the lease later, in sectors DET names
In 2026 Dubai eases two rules for the sectors DET names. Their license is renewed without a current tenancy contract when the lease follows within 3 months, and their monthly fines for a late renewal are waived. The steps for the lease are in Ejari registration and renewal.
AED 420The bank watches the date too
Emirates NBD gives a business customer two months after the license expires, then charges AED 420 a month until the renewed license is on its file. We keep the date in your account and file ahead of it.
What we do for your trade license
We choose the activities and the authority, reserve the trade name and file for the approvals and the license.
Health, transport and telecoms activities go to their regulator before DET licenses them. We prepare that application and file it.
We file the amendment for a new activity, another trade name, a new manager or partner, a move or a change of capital. DET completes it within 10 minutes at a service centre.
License, lease and visas carry different dates. We track them together, and the other yearly filings are on corporate and PRO services.
What the license asks for and what it gives
A mainland address
At least 100 square feet under a lease in Ejari. DET's Instant License, issued in five minutes for activities with no outside approvals, starts on a virtual address for one year.
A free-zone address
A flexi-desk, a shared desk rented from the zone and written into the license package. The zones are compared on free zones in the UAE.
Residence visas
A licensed company sponsors visas for its owner and staff: by floor space on the mainland, by package in a zone. The steps are on residence visas in the UAE.
Mainland sales on a free-zone license
A Dubai free-zone company adds DET's operating permit: AED 5,000 for six months, for consultancy, technology, design, professional services and trading.
Documents for a trade license
Documents
For a new license
- Passport copy of each owner and of the manager
- UAE entry permit or residence visa for a mainland license
- Photo on a white background
- Three trade names, in order of preference
- No-objection letter from your UAE sponsor, when you hold a work visa
For a renewal
- The license that is expiring
- The current lease, registered in Ejari for a mainland company
You send them in your account. We check each document the day it arrives and tell you what is missing.
See the platformQuestions about a trade license in Dubai and the UAE
How much does a trade license cost in Dubai?
On the mainland DET charges AED 620 for the trade name, AED 120 for the initial approval and a license fee of AED 12,000 to 15,000 a year. In a Dubai free zone a license starts at AED 12,500 a year: see the license fees of each Dubai free zone.
How do I get a trading license in Dubai?
Choose the activities, reserve the trade name, obtain DET's initial approval, sign the memorandum, register a lease in Ejari and pay the license fee. We run the steps for you as part of company formation in the UAE, and a free-zone license takes 1 to 5 working days.
Is there a 50% discount on trade licenses in Dubai?
Not on a standard DET license. From 1 April to 30 June 2026 Dubai deferred some license fees, and it waives late-renewal fines for the sectors DET names. Emirati and GCC founders pay AED 1,000 a year for their first three years. DMCC takes 50% off the second year's renewal of its Crypto, Gaming and AI centre packages.
Is a business license the same as a trade license?
Yes. Both names mean the license from DET or a free zone that lists a company's activities. A commercial license is one type of it, for trade.
How do I check that a trade license is valid?
Scan the QR code of its Dubai Unified License, or look the license number up in the National Economic Register or on the Invest in Dubai portal.
Can a foreigner get a trade license in Dubai?
Yes. A foreigner owns 100% of a company in every free zone and, on the mainland, in more than 1,000 commercial and industrial activities.
How long does it take to get a trade license in Dubai?
1 to 5 working days in a free zone and 1 to 2 weeks on the mainland. For an activity with no outside approvals DET's Instant License takes five minutes.
Get a quote for your UAE company
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- After the call we email you the checklist of documents for your country.
We reply by the end of the next working day with the cost and the dates for your case. The first call is free and confidential.
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Updated 19 October 2026. Reviewed by Vladyslav Drapii, Founder.
