Renewing your Dubai trade licence: process, timing and fines

Renew your Dubai trade licence before it expires: mainland companies renew with the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) through the Invest in Dubai platform, and free zone companies through their free zone's portal. The payment takes minutes. What takes time is fixing whatever blocks the renewal, usually an expiring lease, a lapsed approval or a missing filing.

Late renewal brings fines, and an expired licence has knock-on effects on visas, work permits and your bank. Here is how to plan it.

When to start

Start about two months before expiry. That is not a legal deadline. It is the time you need to renew a lease, an insurance policy or a third-party approval without rushing.

Free zones publish their own windows. JAFZA lets you renew up to three months before expiry. DMCC requires renewal on or before the expiry date, and its renewal packages are offered only once the licence has 90 days or less to run.

Put the expiry date of everything that feeds the licence on one calendar: the licence itself, the lease, the establishment card, insurance and any activity approvals. They rarely expire on the same day, and the one you forget is the one that blocks the renewal.

Also check who receives the reminders. DET's online renewal works with the email address and mobile number registered on the licence, and the renewed licence is sent to that email. If those details still belong to a former employee or an old PRO firm, update them before renewal season.

Renewing a mainland licence with DET

1. Renew the lease first. A Dubai mainland licence rests on registered premises, so renew the tenancy contract and its Ejari registration if they expire before or with the licence. Our guide to office requirements and Ejari explains the registration.
2. Check external approvals. If your activity needed approval from another authority when you set up, make sure it is still valid.
3. Check your ownership records. Under Cabinet Decision No. 109 of 2023, the registrar can ask for your core company data at renewal, and ownership changes should already have been filed within 15 days. See our guide to UBO declarations.
4. Clear anything outstanding. Settle unpaid fines or violations on the licence before you apply.
5. Apply and pay through Invest in Dubai. The fee depends on your licence type and activities, and the renewed licence is issued electronically.

A mainland renewal normally runs for one year. If you are changing activities, partners or premises at the same time, file those amendments first so the renewed licence reflects them.

Renewing in a free zone

Each free zone runs its own process, but the checks are similar. DMCC's published renewal requirements are a good example of what to expect before you apply:

• workmen's compensation insurance for active employees, and third-party liability insurance for physical units
• a no objection certificate from the relevant regulator, for regulated activities
• an operational fitness certificate for certain premises
• a certificate of good standing for the parent company, if you are a branch, subsidiary or joint venture
• a lease that stays valid, renewed in the same application if it has less than 90 days to run

Separately, DMCC companies must upload audited financial statements within six months of each financial year end, and DMCC will not accept a renewal request while there are active sanctions on the company's account. Check whether your zone has similar rules, and clear any open compliance items before the renewal window opens.

JAFZA renewals go through the Dubai Trade portal. Its guide asks for an operational fitness certificate unless the company only has an office or workstation, and some activities need a no objection certificate, for example from the RTA for vehicle rental. Our DMCC guide covers that zone in more detail.

What drives the renewal cost

Renewal is not a single fixed fee. What you pay depends on:

• the licence type and the number and kind of activities
• the premises, since desk or office fees often fall due with the licence
• the establishment card and any visas that expire in the same period
• insurance and any third-party approvals
• late fines, if you missed the date

JAFZA's published guide shows how much the activity matters. As of October 2026, it lists a trading licence covering one activity group at AED 5,000 a year, general trading at AED 15,000 and a holding licence at AED 30,000, plus an AED 1,000 fine for renewing an expired licence.

Multi-year renewals can help where they are allowed. DMCC offers one, two, three or five-year terms for most service and trading licences. JAFZA allows three-year renewals only for companies holding plot leases.

What happens if the licence expires

Nothing dramatic happens on the first day, which is exactly why licences lapse. The costs build quietly.

• Fines. Late renewal fines apply on the mainland and in free zones. DMCC says a missed renewal puts a sanction on the company's account, adds penalties and can lead to the authority terminating the licence.
• Visas and work permits. Your establishment card and MOHRE file are linked to the licence. With an expired licence, expect new visas, visa renewals and work permits to stall until you renew.
• Trading. DMCC's rules say a company must not operate without a valid licence, and the same principle applies on the mainland. Contracts, invoices and customs clearances all assume one.
• Banking. Banks keep your trade licence on file and may restrict the account when it expires. Send the renewed licence as soon as you have it; our corporate bank account guide explains why banks track these documents.
• Reinstatement. Getting a terminated licence back costs more than renewing on time. JAFZA, for example, lists an AED 5,000 fee to reinstate a terminated company, as of October 2026.

Three things to update after renewal

1. Send the renewed licence, and any new lease or establishment card, to your bank relationship manager.
2. Update your EmaraTax record if anything the Federal Tax Authority holds has changed, such as activities, shareholders or address. The FTA's guidance says changes to registration details must be notified within 20 business days.
3. Update your ownership registers if the renewal came with a change of shareholders or directors.

Renew, restructure or close?

Renewal is a good moment to ask whether the licence still fits the business. If you are doing work your activities don't cover, amend the licence now rather than at the next bank review. If the company has stopped trading, closing it properly is usually cheaper than paying renewals and fines on a dormant licence; our guide on how to close a company in Dubai explains the steps.

Our PRO services team handles mainland and free zone renewals together with establishment cards and visas, and our business setup team can help if the renewal turns into a restructure. If you are unsure which way to go, book a free consultation.

Sources

• DMCC: Licence renewal guidelines
• JAFZA: Renew licence
• JAFZA: Registration and licence reinstatement
• UAE Government portal: Recruiting on the mainland
• Federal Tax Authority: Corporate tax registration of resident juridical persons (CTGRJP1)
• Ministry of Economy and Tourism: Cabinet Decision No. 109 of 2023