Trade licence renewals
Renewal preparation and submission ahead of expiry, including activity amendments and any related approvals your licence requires.
For companies & HR teams
Corporate PRO services,run as an outsourced desk
Trade licence renewals, establishment cards, labour files, quota applications and the full document trail — managed continuously so nothing expires unnoticed.
Overview
A PRO desk without the headcount
Most Dubai companies do not need a full-time public relations officer. What they need is someone who knows which authority owns which process, keeps the renewal calendar, and can get a document typed and submitted correctly the first time. That is what this service replaces.
A company file in Dubai is a chain of dependencies. The trade licence supports the establishment card. The establishment card supports the labour file. The labour file supports the quota. The quota supports every employment visa you issue. If any link lapses, everything downstream stops — usually at the worst possible moment, when you are trying to onboard someone.
We hold the calendar, prepare renewals ahead of expiry, and handle the day-to-day typing and submissions through Amer and Tasheel on your written authorisation. You get one point of contact instead of five portals.
Scope of work
What we manage
Ongoing retainer or one-off engagement, depending on how much of the calendar you want to hand over.
Establishment card & labour file
Opening, renewing and amending the establishment card and MOHRE labour file that every mainland employment file depends on.
Quota applications
Preparing and submitting quota requests against your licensed activity and premises, so hiring is not blocked when you need to move.
Company document typing
Applications, undertakings, contracts and forms typed correctly for the receiving authority the first time.
Compliance calendar
We track licence, card, file, quota and visa expiry dates and start each renewal early rather than reacting to a lapse.
Signatory & authorisation
Authorised signatory changes, powers of attorney and the written authorisations that let us act on the company’s behalf.
What to prepare
What we need from you
For an ongoing engagement we take a copy set once and maintain it. For a one-off task we usually need less.
Company documents
- Valid trade licence
- Establishment card
- Memorandum of association or equivalent constitutional document
- Ejari tenancy contract for the licensed premises
- Existing MOHRE quota position, if already approved
- Previous renewal receipts where available
People & authority
- Authorised signatory card
- Passport and Emirates ID of the signatory
- Signed written authorisation appointing us to act
- Shareholder passport copies where the task requires them
- Current list of sponsored employees and visa expiry dates
How it works
How the engagement runs
The first month is set-up. After that it becomes routine.
- 01
Audit
We take your company file and map every document, expiry date and dependency. This is where lapsed cards and exhausted quota usually surface.
- 02
Authorise
You sign the written authorisation that allows us to type and submit on the company’s behalf. Nothing is submitted without it.
- 03
Operate
Day-to-day submissions run through us. You send the request, we tell you what is required, prepare it and track it to completion.
- 04
Maintain
We work the renewal calendar ahead of each expiry so licence, card, file and quota never fall over mid-hire.
From our case desk
Where company files come unstuck
The problems we are called in to fix are almost always sequencing problems, not paperwork problems.
The licence lapsed first
Once the trade licence expires, the establishment card and labour file cannot be renewed either. The fix is always longer and more expensive than renewing on time.
Quota exhausted mid-hire
Companies discover the quota is full only when the work permit is rejected. Quota should be checked before an offer letter goes out, not after.
Ejari does not match the licence
Mainland quota is assessed against the tenancy. A moved office, an expired Ejari or a mismatch in the address will stall the application.
Signatory no longer authorised
A departed signatory whose authority was never formally transferred blocks submissions until the change is registered.
Activity does not cover the role
You cannot sponsor a profession your licensed activity does not support. This needs to be resolved at licence level, not visa level.
No calendar at all
The most common condition we inherit is a company with no central record of what expires when, and several things already overdue.
What outsourced PRO actually costs
Two models exist, and the right one depends on transaction volume rather than headcount.
| Model | Best for | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Per-transaction | Under ~10 staff, low churn | Priced per visa, renewal or licence action |
| Monthly retainer | 15+ staff, or steady hiring | Unlimited routine transactions, dedicated officer, compliance calendar |
| Hybrid | Seasonal or project hiring | Base retainer plus per-transaction overflow |
Government fees are always passed through at cost and shown separately. Our service fee is fixed and agreed before any work starts — so you can see exactly what you are paying for handling versus what the authority charges.
The comparison worth making
The real alternative is not another provider — it is an in-house PRO on salary, plus visa, plus car, plus the cost of their absence. For most companies under about fifty staff, a retainer costs materially less and does not go on annual leave during renewal season.
The four dates that decide whether you have problems
Almost every corporate compliance emergency we are called into traces back to one of four dates being missed. They feed each other, so one lapse stalls the rest.
| Date | If missed | Cascade |
|---|---|---|
| Trade licence | ~AED 250/month | Blocked at 30 days; account frozen and struck off at 90 |
| Ejari | Blocks licence renewal | Licence cannot renew without it |
| Establishment card | Blocks all immigration | No work permits, no visas, staff drift out of status |
| Partner Emirates IDs | Blocks validation | Partner record cannot be verified; licence stalls |
WPS — the 2026 change most companies have not adjusted for
Since 1 June 2026, private-sector wages must reach employees on or before the first day of the following month. There is no buffer. Paying on the 3rd is a recorded delay.
| Delay | Penalty | Operational consequence |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – 10 days | Warning | Flag recorded on the establishment file |
| 10 – 60 days | AED 1,000 per worker | Capped AED 50,000 per cycle; work permits blocked |
| 60+ days | — | Licence suspension, permit ban, category downgrade |
| Persistent | — | Travel bans on owners or managers named on the file |
The detail that catches companies out
A WPS block applies at establishment level. Three employees paid late blocks work permits for all forty. Every hire and every renewal stops until wages and fines are settled and a compliant cycle has been filed.
MOHRE category — the hidden cost multiplier
MOHRE classifies establishments into three categories. The classification sets your work permit fee tier, and the spread is large: a Category 1 employer can pay as little as AED 300 for a work permit where a Category 3 employer pays up to AED 5,000 for the same component.
Category 3 usually follows WPS violations, unresolved labour complaints or wage delays. If your per-visa costs have risen without explanation, check your classification before you check your provider. Restoring it is a compliance exercise, and it pays for itself on every subsequent hire.
What a retainer actually covers
Included in the monthly engagement
- Employment visa issuance, renewal and cancellation across the workforce
- Work permit and labour contract management with MOHRE
- Quota applications and increases
- Trade licence and establishment card renewal, tracked ahead of expiry
- Ejari registration and renewal
- WPS compliance monitoring and SIF reconciliation before submission
- ILOE status checks across staff, so permits are not blocked
- Emirates ID applications, renewals and corrections
- Medical fitness scheduling
- A dedicated officer and a single point of contact
- A compliance calendar you can see, rather than one in somebody's head
Onboarding: what the first two weeks look like
Full compliance audit
Establishment file status, MOHRE category, WPS flags, quota, licence and card expiry dates, and every employee's visa and ILOE position. We tell you what is already wrong before you sign anything.
Clear what is outstanding
Fines, flags and lapsed documents, in dependency order rather than alphabetically.
Build the calendar
All four critical dates plus every employee visa and Emirates ID, with lead times set so nothing is handled in its final week.
Run it
Monthly reporting, WhatsApp access to your officer, and escalation before deadlines rather than after them.
Corporate PRO questions
Is a retainer cheaper than hiring an in-house PRO?
For most companies under roughly fifty staff, yes. The comparison should include the PRO's salary, visa, transport and the cost of cover during their leave — renewal deadlines do not pause for annual leave.
Why did our per-visa cost suddenly increase?
Most likely a MOHRE category downgrade, commonly triggered by WPS delays or unresolved labour complaints. Category 1 work permits can cost AED 300 where Category 3 costs up to AED 5,000 for the same component.
Our work permits are blocked but we paid the salaries. Why?
Wages and fines are cleared separately, and MOHRE also wants to see a compliant file for the current cycle. For escalated cases, formal clearance must be requested — the block does not always lift automatically.
Do you handle free zone companies as well as mainland?
Yes. Free zones operate under their own authority rules alongside GDRFA for residency, and we work across the major Dubai zones as well as mainland DED files.
What happens to our establishment card if the licence expires?
The card cannot be renewed while the licence is lapsed, which blocks every immigration transaction. Employees then drift out of status and begin accruing individual overstay exposure — which is how a AED 250 monthly fine becomes a five-figure problem.
Read before you apply
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Free Zone Visa Services
Zone-issued visas — allocation caps, higher per-visa cost, different rules.
View service →Company Closure & Liquidation
Close in the right order — staff visas first, licence last.
View service →Company Quota Approval
Permission to employ — how MOHRE assesses it and why it caps hiring.
View service →Establishment Card Renewal
Your company immigration file — expire it and every visa transaction stops.
View service →WPS Registration & Compliance
Register for WPS, fix a rejected SIF, or clear an establishment block.
View service →Trade Licence Renewal
Mainland and free zone renewal, Ejari, market fee and the establishment card.
View service →Ejari Registration
The tenancy registration that gates DEWA, family visas and your trade licence.
View service →Company Labour File Opening
Open your MOHRE establishment file and quota before your first hire.
View service →Other services we handle
PRO Services in Dubai
Every government transaction, one licensed desk.
View service →Employment Visa
Work permits, entry permits, medical, Emirates ID and stamping.
View service →Family & Residence Visa
Sponsor a spouse, children or parents — assessed before you apply.
View service →Golden & Investor Visa
Long-term residence, assessed against the right category.
View service →Emirates ID & Typing
Applications, renewals, corrections and Amer typing.
View service →Fines & Absconding
Overstay fines, absconding cases, bans — checked and cleared.
View service →Document Attestation
Degree, marriage and birth certificates, sequenced correctly.
View service →Questions
Corporate PRO questions
Do we need a full-time PRO instead?
It depends on volume. A company issuing and renewing visas constantly may justify in-house headcount. Most small and mid-sized companies find an outsourced desk covers the same ground without the salary, and with broader coverage across authorities.
Can you take over an existing company file mid-year?
Yes. We start with an audit of what you already hold so we can see what is current, what is close to expiry and what has already lapsed before we take anything on.
Do you work with free zone companies as well as mainland?
Yes, though the processes differ. Free zone entities deal with their own authority for licensing and visa allocation rather than MOHRE quota, so the calendar we maintain looks different.
How does authorisation actually work?
We act only under a signed written authorisation from the company. We are a private service provider and typing centre partner, not a government agent, so nothing can be submitted on your behalf without that document in place.
What happens if something has already expired?
We tell you honestly what the recovery path looks like, including whether fines apply and what has to be reinstated first. Lapsed files are recoverable in most cases, but the order of operations matters.
Can you handle amendments as well as renewals?
Yes — activity changes, address changes, signatory changes and shareholding changes all run through the same authorities we already deal with for your renewals.
Hand over the calendar
Send us your trade licence and we will map your company file, flag anything close to expiry, and quote the engagement that fits your headcount.
MIRDXB PRO is a private PRO services and document-typing company acting solely on the written authorisation of its clients. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an official agent of MOHRE, ICP, GDRFA Dubai, Amer, Tasheel, Dubai DET, Dubai Police, RTA or the Dubai Land Department. Government fees, eligibility rules and processing times are set by the relevant authority and can change without notice. Confirm current requirements for your case during your consultation.