Trade Licence Amendment Dubai 2026: Partners, Activities, Manager, Capital, Address and Legal Form Changes, Fees and Knock-On Updates

A trade licence amendment in Dubai is the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) process for changing any detail on a mainland licence after it has been issued, such as the partners and their shares, the manager, the activities, the capital, the trade name, the legal form, the premises or the local service agent; it needs DET’s prior approval, any outside approvals the change triggers, attested signatures for share and memorandum changes, payment of the licence amendment voucher and, afterwards, matching updates at the immigration and labour authorities, Dubai Chambers, the beneficial owner register, the Federal Tax Authority and the bank. The DET part is usually quick. The follow-through is where companies slip.

This guide walks through every type of licence amendment a Dubai mainland business makes: DET’s requirements, the instruments to attest, the published fees, timings, the deadlines that start on the day of the change, and the records that must follow. It is written for founders, investors and SME owners. It is not legal advice; for share sale terms, investor rights or disputes, instruct a UAE-qualified lawyer.

It is part of our mainland series. The full set-up route is in our guide to mainland company formation, and if you would rather hand over the whole file, our company formation support team runs set-ups and later changes for you.

Trade licence amendment Dubai at a glance

Each row is a trade licence amendment type covered in detail below. The fees shown are the published government lines; the voucher DET issues is always final.

Trade licence amendment Dubai: how MIRDXB PRO helps

Most licence amendment problems start before DET: a share transfer signed abroad without the right attestation, a manager change nobody told the bank about, an activity added without its outside approval. We map the whole change before anything is filed. We are an Amer and Tasheel partner in Al Barsha 1, Dubai.

What we do

• Diagnose the change. We read the current licence, MoA and establishment cards and tell you which licence amendment types you actually need, and whether combining them saves a round of fees and signatures.
• Prepare the licence amendment application on Invest in Dubai or at a service centre, with the partners’ decision, MoA addendum or restated MoA and supporting documents.
• Arrange signatures and attestation through DET’s own signing, a Dubai Courts notary or a private notary, including powers of attorney for partners abroad and legal translation.
• Run the knock-on updates: GDRFA or ICP establishment card, MOHRE establishment file, Dubai Chambers, beneficial owner filing, and the documents your accountant needs for the FTA and your bank needs for KYC.

How it works

1. Message us on WhatsApp with a copy of the licence and a sentence on what is changing (for example, “partner B is selling 30% to a new partner in London”).
2. We send a written plan: the amendment types, documents per person, the attestation route, the government fees we can publish, the deadlines, and our fee.
3. We prepare and check the documents and send them for your review, and your lawyer’s if you use one, before anyone signs.
4. We file, attend and pay the DET voucher with you, collect the amended licence and MoA addendum, then work through the knock-on list until every record matches.

What it costs

Government fees are passed on at cost, on the official receipts: DET’s licence amendment voucher, any notary or signature attestation, any trade name or announcement fee, the establishment card, MOHRE and Chamber lines. Legal translation and a private notary’s professional fee are market prices, shown to you before you commit. Our fee is always quoted in writing before we start; see our fees page. Every DET line for a new company, with worked totals, is in our mainland business setup cost guide.

Why business owners use us

• We publish our sources. Every fee and deadline in this guide links to the law, resolution or service card it came from, and where the official record is silent or dated, we say so.
• We cover every authority involved: DET, GDRFA and ICP, MOHRE, Dubai Chambers and the notaries, so the records end up matching.
• We tell you when you need a lawyer, not us. Share purchase terms, investor rights and partner disputes go to a UAE-qualified lawyer; we coordinate and run the government side.
• We are easy to reach. Al Barsha 1, Dubai; Monday to Thursday and Saturday 09:00 to 18:00, Friday 09:00 to 12:00. We act for owners abroad under a valid power of attorney where the step allows.

For ongoing company administration after the change, see our corporate PRO services; for the immigration card itself, our establishment card service.

The legal framework for a trade licence amendment

Dubai law governs the licence; federal law governs the company behind it. A sole establishment answers mainly to the first, an LLC to both.

Dubai: Law No. 13 of 2011

Law No. 13 of 2011 Regulating the Conduct of Economic Activities in the Emirate of Dubai is the licensing law DET applies (it still calls DET by its old name, the DED). Four provisions shape every amendment:

• Article 10(a), approval first. “A Business owner may not change the legal form of a Business, modify the Licence details, or dispose of the Licence in any legal manner without first obtaining the approval of the DED and Competent Entities.” Competent Entities are the other authorities that regulate an activity.
• Article 10(b), publication. DET publishes, at the owner’s expense, changes of legal form, the withdrawal of a general partner from a partnership or civil company, a trade name change, licence revocation and “any other cases determined by the DED”. Third-party objections go to court (Art. 10(c)).
• Article 19(3), notify within ten working days. A business must “notify the DED of any change in the information and documents based on which the Licence has been granted, within ten (10) working days from the date of such change”.
• Article 19(4), trade under the licensed name. The business must use the trade name on the licence “in all dealings with third parties”, which is why a rebrand is also a licence amendment.

Federal: the Commercial Companies Law

For companies, Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2021 on Commercial Companies, as amended, adds its own layer:

• Article 15. The MoA “and any amendment thereto” must be entered in the commercial register, and unregistered details are not enforceable against third parties. Clause 3 requires companies to notify the licensing authority and the Registrar “in writing within 15 (fifteen) Working Days upon any amendment or change to the registered particulars of the Company, including its name, address, share capital, number of shareholders or legal form”. Clause 4 makes the managers jointly liable for damage caused by failing to register.
• Articles 74 to 101 set the rules for the partners’ register, a share transfer, managers and capital, covered change by change below.
• Articles 275 to 284. Conversion from one legal form to another, the creditor notices and objection periods, and the rule that a converted company keeps its legal personality.

Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2025 amended the Companies Law in late 2025, adding share classes, drag-along and tag-along rights, clauses on a deceased partner’s stake and wider conversion and re-domiciliation rules (law firm briefings, labelled secondary). Where this guide quotes the Companies Law, check the article against the current consolidated text on UAE Legislation before relying on it.

What DET’s amendment service covers

DET’s service is called “Request to Amend Trade License” (on Invest in Dubai, “Request to amend a trade licence”). Its service card describes it as “a service requested by the customer to amend the trade license information, where an addendum can be generated to the license related to the memorandum of association”. The types listed are:

• Amendment of partners (parties)
• Change location
• Change manager
• Modify business activities
• Capital change
• Amend trade name
• “Etc.”, which in practice includes legal form, local service agent and other details

The outputs are a “Memorandum of Association addendum” and the “Trade license after modification”, with an expected completion time of ten minutes at a service centre once the file is complete. That is the counter transaction, not the whole licence amendment: signatures, outside approvals and announcements take longer.

The documents the card lists are few, because most data already sits in DET’s system:

• For the sale of a shop, the amended sale contract certified by a notary public.
• For civil works companies, partnerships and joint stock companies, an appendix to the incorporation contract.
• For a capital reduction, the auditor’s report.
• For joint stock companies, the board or general assembly resolution and an original, authenticated appendix to the contract.

We read the card on DET’s former website (ded.ae, updated 12 November 2023, archived 6 December 2023), because DET’s current Invest in Dubai page loads by script and did not show us its fees. Invest in Dubai’s version (archived June 2024) lists the same six types and documents and “within 10 minutes”.

Trade licence amendment Dubai: the step-by-step process

Every trade licence amendment follows the same skeleton. The change type decides which of the optional steps you meet.

1. Decide internally and record it. For an LLC, a partners’ resolution or general assembly decision passed by the majority the MoA and Article 101 require. For a share sale, the sale terms and the pre-emption notice. For a sole establishment, the owner’s instruction.
2. Check the consequences before filing: trade name suffix, licence category, visa quota, beneficial owners, audit and tax registration.
3. Apply to DET through Invest in Dubai or a licensing service centre. Select each licence amendment type; several can go in one application.
4. Obtain outside approvals where the new activity, new partner or new premises triggers them. ICP’s establishment card amendment service, for example, asks for the “preliminary approval in case of adding a partner or changing the activity”.
5. Sign and attest. The MoA addendum, share sale or assignment and any new agent agreement are signed through DET’s signing service or before a notary public, with powers of attorney for anyone who cannot attend.
6. Newspaper announcement where Article 10(b) requires it (trade name, legal form, withdrawal of a general partner and other cases DET decides).
7. Pay the voucher and receive the amended licence and MoA addendum. Check every detail on the amended licence before you leave.
8. Update the other records in the order the authorities require: immigration establishment card, then MOHRE, then Chamber, beneficial owners, FTA and bank.

Trade licence amendment fees: what DET publishes

DET’s fees are set by Executive Council Resolution No. 13 of 2011, Schedule 1, and its service cards add the Knowledge and Innovation Dirham and the signature attestation lines. The table brings together every published line that can appear on an amendment voucher.

Three caveats. The signature lines come from DET’s card as archived in December 2023, and the voucher governs. Dubai’s 2026 incentive packages waived or deferred some DET fees for set periods (Dubai Media Office, 30 March and 21 May 2026), so check the day you file. And Resolution 13/2011 also lists a “permit for additional activities” at AED 1,000 per activity (item 82) among its marketing and premises permits; we have seen no official statement that it applies when an activity is added by licence amendment, so look for it on the voucher rather than budgeting it as certain.

Notary fees if you sign outside DET

If the MoA addendum or share transfer is attested by a notary public rather than through DET, the notary fees in Executive Council Resolution No. 4 of 2014 apply: AED 300 per party for an instrument worth up to AED 100,000, 0.5% of the value capped at AED 15,000 above that, or AED 200 per party where the value is unspecified, plus AED 100 per signature for data entry. They mirror DET’s own lines. How the value is measured, and worked examples, are in our memorandum of association guide.

How long a licence amendment takes

No authority publishes an end-to-end time for an amendment, because the slowest step decides it. A simple change with every partner in Dubai and no outside approval can clear DET in a day, and the published times above then add a few working days for the other records. A share transfer to an outsider carries a 30-day pre-emption window unless the partners waive it, and a partner abroad adds the time needed to sign a power of attorney and have it attested. Plan from the slowest step backwards.

Adding or removing an activity

Changing activities is the most common licence amendment. DET calls it “Modify business activities”, and Resolution 13/2011 fines a business AED 2,000 for “variation of the authorised activity or adding an activity without obtaining the approval of the DED or the competent Government entity” (Schedule 2, item 7). Approval first, trading second.

Checks before the licence amendment

• The exact activity. The name and code on the amended licence must match DET’s activity list on Invest in Dubai.
• Fit with the licence. Commercial, professional, industrial and tourism activities sit under different licence categories and sometimes different legal forms, so some combinations are not possible as a licence amendment. See our guide to Dubai mainland licence types.
• Outside approval. Many activities need a Competent Entity’s approval before DET adds them; the activity search shows the approving body.
• Ownership limits. A few activities remain restricted for foreign ownership; see our guide to 100% foreign ownership in Dubai.
• Premises. They must be “suitable for the activities to be licensed” (Law 13/2011, Art. 17). A food or retail activity will not pass from a business centre desk.

The steps

1. Select “Modify business activities” in the DET licence amendment and choose the activities to add or remove.
2. Obtain any outside approval the system requests.
3. Sign the MoA addendum where the MoA lists the company’s objects (usual for LLCs).
4. Pay AED 500 per variation plus AED 10 and AED 10, the addendum signatures (AED 200 per partner’s signature for amendments other than share sales and capital changes, on the 2023 card) and any activity-specific fee.
5. Trade only within the activities the amended licence shows.

Some activities carry their own licence fees: general trading and investment AED 15,000 on issue and AED 3,000 on renewal, contracting AED 10,000 and AED 3,000 (Res. 13/2011, items 21 to 26). The resolution does not say how these apply when the activity is added mid-year; the voucher shows it. See our general trading licence guide.

Removing an activity uses the same licence amendment. Do it when you stop an activity that carries its own approval or inspection regime, and check first that no work permit job title or trade name depends on it.

What follows: the immigration establishment card if its data changes (ICP asks for the preliminary approval “in case of adding a partner or changing the activity”), Dubai Chambers where the MoA was modified, and the FTA, which lists “trade licence activities” among the details to update within 20 business days.

Partners and share transfers

DET’s “Amendment of partners (parties)” covers every change in who owns the business: a new partner, a partner leaving, a share transfer between partners or to a company, a change in percentages, an inheritance. For an LLC it is also an MoA change, so the Companies Law applies alongside DET’s rules.

The legal rules for an LLC share transfer

• Attested instrument. A partner may assign his interest “to another partner or to a third party” in accordance with the MoA “under an official authenticated document” (Art. 79(1)).
• Effective on registration. The share transfer is “not enforceable towards the Company or third parties except from the date of its entry in the commercial register”. The company may refuse to record it only if it breaches the MoA or the law (Art. 79).
• Pre-emption. Before a share transfer to an outsider, the seller notifies the other partners through the manager; each may claim the stake within 30 days, with experts nominated by the licensing authority setting a disputed price; if nobody claims it, the seller may sell freely (Art. 80).
• Partner numbers. An LLC has up to 50 partners or one owner (Art. 71). If a share transfer takes it above the maximum, the manager notifies the licensing authority within 30 days and the company has three months, extendable once, to regularise (Art. 75).

Drafting points, the three-quarters majority and pre-emption wording are in our memorandum of association guide; this section covers the licence amendment.

The DET process for a share transfer

1. Agree the deal and run the pre-emption notice, or collect written waivers from the other partners.
2. Collect documents: identity documents for individuals; for a corporate buyer, its constitutional documents and board resolution, attested and translated if foreign.
3. File the amendment of partners with DET, together with any consequential changes (capital, manager, trade name).
4. Clear any outside approval that a new partner triggers for your activity.
5. Sign the share transfer and MoA addendum through DET or a notary. DET’s 2023 card charges AED 300 per party where the capital increase plus sale value is under AED 100,000, or 0.5% of that value, capped at AED 15,000, above it.
6. Pay the voucher (AED 500 per variation plus AED 10 and AED 10, plus attestation) and collect the amended licence.
7. Update the partners’ register and file beneficial owner changes within 15 days.

What follows a share transfer

• Beneficial owners within 15 days (Cabinet Decision 109/2023); see our UBO register guide.
• Establishment cards. ICP’s amendment covers “transfer of ownership, or adding/removing a partner”; GDRFA’s data change does the same in Dubai. MOHRE follows with the partners’ addendum.
• Partner visas. An outgoing partner’s company-sponsored residence must be cancelled or transferred; an incoming partner may apply for a partner or investor permit (GDRFA’s Green partner route needs a share of at least AED 1 million; see our investor visa service). The MOHRE and immigration differences between partners and employees are in our partner and investor visa guide.
• Bank and FTA: the bank will want the amended licence, MoA addendum and new owners’ KYC; the FTA record is updated within 20 business days. Ownership changes can affect group relief and tax losses, a question for your tax adviser.

Special cases

• Emirati partner leaving. Dubai Economy said in June 2021 that existing licences with an Emirati partner stay as they are under the MoA, that the Emirati share can be reduced or withdrawn “through legal procedures”, that the MoA can be amended on Invest in Dubai, and that there are “no additional fees, guarantees or capital required for full foreign ownership”. Normal licence amendment and attestation fees still apply.
• Death of a partner. The heirs need the court’s inheritance documents; several heirs must nominate one representative, “failing which a representative will be appointed pursuant to a court order” (Law 13/2011, Art. 11). Take legal advice before filing.
• Sole establishment. There are no shares to transfer. A sale of the business usually means a transfer of the licence to the buyer or a new licence; DET’s card mentions a notarised “contract of sale of a shop”. Confirm the route with DET.

Changing the manager

DET’s “Change manager” licence amendment replaces or adds the manager named on the licence. For an LLC the manager is also a company-law officer:

• Appointment. In the MoA, by separate contract, or by the general assembly (Art. 83(1)). Without limits in the contract or MoA, the manager has “full powers to manage the Company” (Art. 83(2)).
• Dismissal and resignation. Unless the MoA says otherwise, the general assembly dismisses; a resignation goes to the assembly with a copy to the licensing authority and takes effect after 40 days if not decided (Art. 85).
• Notice. The company notifies the licensing authority of the end of a manager’s term within 30 days and appoints a replacement in that period (Art. 85(3)).
• MoA or resolution. If the MoA names the manager, the change is an MoA amendment needing the Article 101 majority; otherwise a partners’ resolution is the usual instrument.

The DET steps are short: resolution, the new manager’s passport and Emirates ID, the “Change manager” filing with addendum signatures (AED 200 each on the 2023 card), and AED 500 plus AED 10 and AED 10. What follows takes longer: the signatory on the GDRFA or ICP card (ICP asks for a “letter of signature authorization”), then MOHRE; the Chamber, whose amendment service takes the “Partner/Manager Emirates ID”; the bank mandate; cancellation of the outgoing manager’s powers of attorney; and every portal log-in the old manager controlled. A new manager employed by the company also needs a work permit and residence; see our employment visa service.

Increasing or reducing the capital

A capital change is both a licence amendment and, for an LLC, an MoA amendment. Article 101 requires partners representing at least three quarters of the interests represented at the general assembly, changes pro rata to holdings, and unanimity to increase partners’ financial obligations; Article 101(2) lets a partner seek a court order for an increase needed to save the company from liquidation.

• Increase. Pass the resolution, pay in the new capital (cash contributions are deposited in a UAE bank; in-kind contributions are valued), file the capital change and sign the addendum. Attestation on DET’s 2023 card is AED 300 per party if the increase plus any sale value is under AED 100,000, or 0.5% of it up to AED 15,000.
• Reduction. The same majority, plus the auditor’s report DET’s card lists. A reduction affects creditors, contracts and approvals that rely on a minimum capital, so take advice first.
• Knock-on. A non-pro-rata change can create or remove a beneficial owner (file within 15 days), can affect investor visas tied to a share value, and must be documented for the auditor, the FTA and the bank.

Changing the address or premises

“Change location” is a licence amendment on DET’s list because the premises are part of the licence: Law 13/2011, Article 17, requires the premises to be specified, “suitable for the activities to be licensed”, and not used for other purposes. Trading from an address the licence does not show is fined at AED 1,000 (“conducting an Economic Activity at an unauthorised location”, Schedule 2, item 3), and using premises for other than the permitted activities at AED 2,000 (item 10).

The steps

1. Choose premises that suit every activity on the licence before signing the lease. A move from a shop to an office, or from an office to a business centre desk, can make some activities impossible. Our guide to office space for a trade licence covers the options.
2. Register the new lease in Ejari with the Dubai Land Department (or the relevant free zone or developer system where the landlord uses one). See our Ejari registration service.
3. File “Change location” with DET and complete any inspection or outside approval the activity needs at the new site.
4. Pay the voucher: AED 500 plus AED 10 and AED 10, and any name-board permit (AED 350, item 60) for the new facade. The rent-based market fee continues on the new lease at renewal.
5. Collect the amended licence and move operations only once the amended licence shows the new address.

Space, quota and the move

Office size is linked to the number of visas a company can hold, so moving to smaller premises can reduce the visa quota. Check the effect on your quota before you give notice on the old office; our company visa quota guide explains the link. Adding space in the same building is a separate permit (AED 1,500, item 81), and a store or warehouse has its own permit (AED 300, item 89).

What follows: the establishment cards and MOHRE file (MOHRE asks for a “lease contract with updated information”), the FTA (“any address from which the business is conducted”, within 20 business days), the bank, Chamber, DEWA and every invoice, letterhead and contract that states the address.

Moving to another emirate is not an address change. A Dubai licence covers premises in Dubai; operating from another emirate needs a licence or branch there, and moving the whole business usually means a new licence in that emirate and closing or converting the Dubai one.

Trade name change: summary

A new trade name is a trade licence amendment that starts with a new trade name booking. The name must pass DET’s naming rules (legal-form suffix, no prohibited words, special-name fees for foreign, numeric, acronym, “Dubai”, “Emirates” or “Gulf” names). On the government side, expect the booking (AED 600 plus AED 10 and AED 10, plus any special-name fee), the licence amendment (AED 500 plus AED 10 and AED 10), the Article 10(b) newspaper announcement (AED 500), the MoA addendum where the company has one, and a new name-board permit (AED 350). Then every record follows: Chamber, both establishment cards, Ejari, bank, FTA, contracts, invoices and signage, because the business must “use the trade name specified in the Licence … in all dealings with third parties” (Law 13/2011, Art. 19(4)).

The naming rules, the fee bands and the name-change checklist are in our trade name registration guide. A trade name is not a trademark: if the new name is also your brand, file it with the Ministry of Economy and Tourism as well.

Local service agent change: summary

A professional sole establishment or civil company with non-UAE owners needs a local service agent under Law 13/2011, Article 15(b), bound by a notarised agreement on DET’s template (Art. 16). Replacing the agent is a trade licence amendment: DET approval under Article 10(a), a new notarised agreement with the incoming agent, notice within ten working days under Article 19(3), and the AED 500 per variation fee (the AED 700 appointment line, item 9, may also appear on the voucher). If the outgoing agent will not cooperate, the agreement’s exit clause and, if necessary, the courts decide. Removing the agent altogether means changing the structure, usually to a one-person LLC.

The full procedure, the agreement terms to insist on and the risks are in our local service agent guide.

Changing the legal form

A legal form change is the most far-reaching licence amendment: it changes liability, the name suffix, the founding documents, audit and tax, and sometimes the legal person itself. It needs DET’s prior approval (Art. 10(a)) and a newspaper announcement (Art. 10(b)).

Company to company: conversion under the Companies Law

Article 275 of the Companies Law says “Any Company may be converted from one form into another, while keeping its legal personality”. In the 2021 text, Article 276(2) allowed a company other than a public joint stock company to convert into a general partnership, limited partnership, LLC or private joint stock company if:

• the decision is taken under the conditions for amending the MoA;
• at least two audited financial years have passed since registration;
• all partners agree, where the new form is a general (joint liability) partnership; and
• the incorporation and registration procedures of the new form are completed.

The procedure protects partners and creditors. The decision is published “in two daily local newspapers … one of them to be issued in Arabic, within (5) five Working Days”, with registered letters to partners and creditors (Art. 279). An objecting partner may withdraw within 15 days of publication at the higher of market or book value, and partners and creditors may object within 30 days; unresolved objections go to court and stay the conversion (Art. 280). The company keeps its legal personality, rights and obligations, general partners stay liable for prior debts unless creditors agree in writing (Art. 283), and the conversion takes effect “from the date of issuing the commercial licence” under the new form (Art. 284).

Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2025 widened conversion, allowing a company to “convert into any legal form while retaining the company’s legal personality” (Baker McKenzie, December 2025, secondary). Implementing rules may change the conditions above, so confirm with DET and a lawyer first.

Sole establishment or civil company to LLC

A sole establishment is not a company; it has no separate legal personality from its owner. Moving the business into an LLC or one-person LLC therefore creates a new legal person. DET may process it as a licence amendment that re-issues the licence under the new form or as a new licence with the business transferred to it; confirm which for your file, because it decides whether the licence number, establishment cards and visas carry over. Dubai Economy stated in June 2021 that converting an LLC into a sole proprietorship under a foreign name is not permitted, but that “the license may be transferred to a one-person limited liability company instead”.

What changes with the legal form

Our guide to types of companies in Dubai compares the forms, and our corporate tax registration guide explains registration for a new company.

Combining several changes in one licence amendment

DET charges AED 500 per variation, so combining changes does not remove the per-change fee, but it saves repeated signing sessions, announcements, establishment card updates, Chamber amendments and bank KYC rounds. A share transfer, the buyer becoming manager and a signatory update fit naturally in one application; so do a trade name change and the new activity the name describes. Lodge a licence amendment before or alongside a renewal rather than renewing an out-of-date licence; our guide on how to renew a trade licence in Dubai covers the renewal side.

Do not combine an urgent change with one that needs a long outside approval.

After the licence amendment: the records that must follow

An amended licence updates nothing else by itself. MOHRE’s card makes the order explicit: “the Economic Department must register the required amendments”, and the immigration establishment card must be amended, before MOHRE updates its file. Work through the list in order; outside approvals, customs registration, insurers, landlord and DEWA follow as they apply.

Notes on each record

• Immigration establishment card. In Dubai, GDRFA’s “Modify the establishment card data” service changes the card online through UAE PASS or at an Amer centre. With ICP (other emirates), fines must be paid and workers cleared first, and a partner or activity change needs the preliminary approval; ICP’s issuance and renewal cards list an AED 1,000 fine for changing establishment information without notifying ICP. See our establishment card guide.
• MOHRE. The card requires a licensee or service agent aged 21 or over and asks for the amended licence, the establishment card, a “lease contract with updated information”, Emirates ID and the “Partners’ Addendum for incorporated establishments”. See our MOHRE labour card guide and labour file service.
• Dubai Chambers. Membership is mandatory for DET licensees under Dubai Law No. 1 of 2022, Article 16 (micro and small enterprises exempt). The membership amendment service takes the modified MoA or the partner’s or manager’s Emirates ID or passport. More in our Dubai Chamber membership guide.
• Beneficial owners. A share transfer, a capital change that moves percentages, or a change in who controls a corporate partner must be filed with DET within 15 days (Cabinet Decision 109/2023). Cabinet Resolution 132/2023 escalates from a written warning with 15 days to correct, to AED 15,000, then AED 30,000 and possible suspension of the licence.
• FTA. The FTA lists “the name and address of the business, email address, trade licence activities, legal entity type … articles of association or its equivalent, nature of business, and any address from which the business is conducted”. EmaraTax’s Tax Records Amendment asks for the amended licence, incorporation documents, commercial registration and, where the licence number changed, a “Continuity Certificate with old/new license numbers”. Late notice costs AED 1,000, or AED 5,000 for a repeat within 24 months (Cabinet Decision 75/2023 for corporate tax; VAT aligned by Cabinet Decision 129/2025 from 14 April 2026, as reported by Khaleej Times).
• Bank. Expect a request for the amended licence, the MoA addendum, new owners’ or manager’s identity documents and an updated ownership declaration, plus a new signatory mandate. An unannounced change can lead to restrictions on the account. See our corporate bank account guide.

Deadlines and penalties for a late licence amendment

The day of the change, not the day you get round to it, starts most of these clocks. For a share transfer, that is the date of the attested assignment; for a manager, the date of the resolution; for a move, the date you start operating from the new premises.

DET’s own fines for trading without the licence amendment come from Resolution 13/2011, Schedule 2: AED 2,000 for changing or adding an activity without approval (item 7), AED 1,000 for trading at an unauthorised location (item 3), AED 2,000 for using premises for other than the permitted activities (item 10), AED 2,000 for failing to comply with DET’s instructions or conditions (item 13), and AED 20,000 for giving DET false information (item 14). A repeat within a year doubles the fine, up to AED 100,000, and DET may close the business for up to six months or revoke the licence (Resolution 13/2011, Art. 3). Law 13/2011 allows amicable settlement if requested within two months and at least 50% of the fine is paid (Art. 31), and a grievance to the Director General within 30 days (Art. 33).

If the licence has also expired while the change was pending, renewal fines run on top; see our expired trade licence guide.

Trade licence amendment mistakes that cost time and money

1. Acting before the amended licence shows the change. The new partner signs contracts, the new activity starts or the team moves office while the licence still shows the old picture. Each is a separate breach.
2. Skipping pre-emption. A share transfer to an outsider without the Article 80 notice or written waivers can be refused registration and invites a claim.
3. Signing abroad without the right attestation. A scan of a foreign notarised document is not enough; use an attested power of attorney and a legal translation. Our document attestation and legal translation services handle both.
4. Stopping at DET. The trade licence amendment is done, but the establishment card, MOHRE file, UBO register and bank still show the old details, and a visa file or payment is returned months later.
5. Leaving the old partner or manager with access to UAE PASS portals, bank tokens and a general power of attorney.
6. Adding an activity the premises cannot support, so the outside approval or DET refuses it.
7. Treating a legal form change as a simple licence amendment without asking what carries over.
8. Letting the change collide with renewal, so the licence renews with out-of-date details. Lodge the amendment first or alongside.

Trade licence amendment in Dubai in practice: five cases

These cases are built from the situations we see most often. Names and identifying details are left out, and the figures are the published ones. Government lines only; legal translation, private notary professional fees, Ejari and our own fee are extra.

1. Adding an activity to a two-partner LLC

A two-partner IT services LLC adds a related activity with no outside approval; its MoA lists its objects, so both partners sign an addendum at DET.

The FTA record is updated within 20 business days.

2. A share transfer of 40% to an outsider

An LLC has AED 300,000 capital and two partners at 60% and 40%. The 40% partner agrees to sell to a new investor for AED 120,000. The 60% partner waives pre-emption in writing, which ends the 30-day Article 80 window at once. The seller, buyer and remaining partner sign the assignment and MoA addendum at DET.

Within 15 days the company files the new beneficial owner data with DET; within 20 business days it updates the FTA; the bank receives the amended MoA and the buyer’s KYC documents. The seller’s partner visa is cancelled through our visa cancellation service because he is leaving the UAE.

3. A new manager while a partner is in London

A three-partner LLC replaces a manager named in its MoA, so the change needs three quarters of the interests represented. One partner in London signs a power of attorney, attested through the UAE embassy and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and legally translated.

• DET: AED 520 for the variation plus AED 200 per partner’s signature (AED 600 for three), so AED 1,120.
• GDRFA card data change (new signatory): AED 175. Dubai Chambers (new manager’s Emirates ID): AED 100.
• Published total: AED 1,395, plus MOHRE if charged, plus the POA attestation abroad and translation.

The bank mandate and portal access change the same week as the amended licence.

4. Moving to a larger office

A trading company moves to a larger office in another building: new Ejari, “Change location”, a new facade board and an establishment card update with the new lease, then a quota review.

• DET: AED 520 for the variation; AED 350 for the name-board permit.
• GDRFA card data change: AED 175. MOHRE update with the new lease: as charged.
• Published total: AED 1,045 plus Ejari and any inspection fees.

5. A professional sole establishment moving to a one-person LLC

A foreign consultant with a professional sole establishment and a local service agent wants limited liability. We ask DET first whether it will process a legal-form licence amendment or a new one-person LLC licence, because that decides whether the licence number, establishment cards and her residence carry over. The LLC needs an MoA, the one-person suffix, an auditor (Art. 102) and its own corporate tax registration, and the agent agreement ends under its exit clause once the new structure is licensed.

Trade licence amendment Dubai: where the official sources are silent or disagree

Licence amendment: what circulates online that is not true

How to verify every figure in this guide

If an official page has changed since we checked it, the official page wins.

What we will and will not do

We will diagnose which amendment types your change needs, prepare and file the DET application, arrange signatures and attestation (including powers of attorney and translation for partners abroad), handle outside approvals, pay vouchers at cost, and update the establishment cards, MOHRE file, Chamber membership and beneficial owner filing, with the documents your accountant and bank need.

We will not negotiate or draft share purchase terms or give legal or tax advice on the deal, act as a nominee partner, manager or local service agent, sign for anyone without a valid attested power of attorney, file a change that has not actually happened, or promise that DET, an outside authority or a bank will approve something another body decides.

Related guides

• Mainland company formation: the complete route
• Memorandum of association in Dubai
• Trade name registration in Dubai
• Local service agent in Dubai
• Types of companies in Dubai
• Mainland business setup cost in Dubai
• Initial approval in Dubai
• UBO register in the UAE
• Establishment card explained
• How to renew a trade licence in Dubai
• UAE government fees list
• Why companies need PRO services

Keeping a company’s licence, MoA, establishment cards, Chamber and staff files aligned after every partner, manager or address change is what our PRO services in Dubai team handles.