Bustling with millions of expats and tourists, Dubai can be anything but humdrum. Dressed up with tons of business opportunities, investment-friendly government policies, a tax-free regime, world-class infrastructure, easy business set-up procedures, the dashing Dubai can bring any entrepreneur round around the world who is looking to start a new company abroad. Statistics from the National Economic Registry of the Ministry of Economy say, about 652,885 business licences were issued around the country in June 2020 which was 4,201 more than the ones issued in May 2020. According to data released by the business registration and licensing sector at the Department of Economy and Tourism, Dubai issued over 72,000 new business licences in 2021, a rise of 42,729 licences compared to 2020. The emirate records strong growth in new business registration. Soon your business also will be registered. We can feel the excitement that’s running high in you. You are as happy as a sandboy but a little nervous too as you have no idea what documents you are going to receive once the company registration is done. You are not sure if the bunch of papers you are going to accept from the registrar has everything you must have. You don’t know how to double-check if the corporate set of documents given by the Registrar is complete and is in line with UAE law. Fret not, we have you covered. After giving this article a thorough read, you won’t be living under the rock anymore.
Documents to be received after company registration
Registering a company overseas is not a piece of cake. You have to make sure you have all the documents with you to keep any problem at bay. Your business has to be registered under any one of the three UAE jurisdictions – Mainland, Free Zone and Offshore. The list of documents varies depending on the location of the business and jurisdiction it comes under. Every authority in the UAE has its own list of corporation documents. Most company information in the UAE is very confidential. Don’t be surprised if you receive only the digitally signed soft copies of these documents instead of a fat thick folder containing several papers duly stamped and signed in blue. Good for you as well as the planet. The documents are as good as the real ones. Providing official documents in electronic form is UAE’s one of many initiatives to implement a digital paperless economy. You don’t have to be suspicious about the authenticity of the digital documents. The issuing authorities mention a special link with the document number at the very bottom of each document with which you can be sure about the genuinity of the electronic documents. The paperless approach is being practiced by many free zones and authorities in the UAE including Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) and ones situated in Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT). Nevertheless, many authorities still provide hard copies of documents. Here are the documents that you will be getting post business registration in the UAE.
Once the trade licence is approved, the Registrar of Companies will issue a fresh Certificate of Incorporation. The Registrar of Companies is established under DIFC Law No. 3 of 2006 (Companies Law) as a statutorily created Centre Body. The United Arab Emirates Certificate of Incorporation issued by the United Arab Emirates companies registry includes the company name, company number, date of incorporation and states that a company is registered. You should note that if any modifications are done to the address of the company, the Certificate of Incorporation will not be altered.
First and foremost, you will get your trade licence which is also known as Certificate of Registration, Certificate of Formation and Incorporation Certificate. A trade license is the most important document a business needs to conduct the desired activity legally in the UAE. In order to obtain a business licence in Dubai, UAE an applicant has to receive approvals from the government and the economic department. The business licence can be in two parts. While the first page of the licence includes the company name, owner and manager details, description of business activities and official address along with other details, the second page serves as a reference for the number of shares in the company. Most free zones prefer to keep the information about shares including the names, shares and ownership percentage in a separate document called Share Certificate.
The documents you receive upon completion of company registration in the UAE depend on the type of company and emirate your company is located in. In case of:
- Mainland Company Formation: You will be provided with a Certificate of Incorporation, Memorandum of Association (MoA) and Articles of Association (AoA), Share Certificate, Company Labour Card and Establishment Card.
- Freezone Company Formation: You get a bunch of Trade Licence, Memorandum of Association (MoA) and Articles (AoA), Share Certificate, Establishment Card (usually in soft copy) and Lease Agreement (even if you have Flexi desk). A Flexi desk is nothing but a dedicated desk and a chair that is usually located in the business centre of your free zone. Depending on your package and other details, the Flexi desk can have the possibility to share office facilities which might include a phone, fax, internet or P.O. Box.
- Offshore Company Formation: You usually receive a Corporate Certificate of Registration and Memorandum of Association (MoA) & Articles of Association (AoA).
In addition to the above-mentioned documents, there are some documents (such as Certificate of Good Standing and Certificate of Incumbency) that are not proactively provided by the authorities within the set of corporate documents upon registration completion but you may request these additional documents later from the Registrar if the need arises by paying separately for them.
How Adam Global Dubai can help you?
First of all, congratulations! You are almost there. Soon your company will be registered in Dubai and you will be embarking on a never-ending journey of your entrepreneurship. I am sure now you know what all documents you will be getting upon your company registration. Feel free to reach us, your Dubai business setup consultant, if you are seeking more information on business registration documentation.
Without a doubt, you are a smart entrepreneur but there are times when you come across the need for professional help while running your company in Dubai or thinking of scaling up your business or wondering to expand your reach. During the course, you might feel the need for guidance while filing your VAT refund/return to ensure full compliance, the need for an accounting & bookkeeping specialistwho can make sure your company financials are hale and hearty, the need for a finance professional or external auditor who has years of experience in the field, the need for a business advisorwho can guide you at every step of the way. After all, it takes a village to start, run and relocate a business efficiently. Contact us no matter what sort of need knocks at the door of your company. We have a dedicated team of specialists under one roof who are worth their salt in their field and at their toe to help you in any aspect of the business. In a nutshell, Adam Global Dubai is your one-stop-shop, whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur planning to open a beauty salon in Dubai or a seasoned business person owning a real estate business in the UAE.
