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Trade Licence Renewal in Dubai

Trade Licence Renewal in Dubai

Mainland renewal runs AED 10,000-25,000, driven by the 5% market fee on your rent. The real risk is the cascade when the establishment card lapses behind it.

Mir Ali Licensed PRO consultant · Amer & Tasheel partner

Updated 4 Sep 2026 Get a fixed quote

The short version

Mainland renewal runs AED 10,000–25,000, driven largely by the 5% market fee on your annual rent.
Fines accrue from day one after expiry — commonly AED 250 per month. The licence is blocked around 30 days.
At 90 days the bank account can be frozen, visas cancelled and the company struck off.
Ejari is the usual blocker. No valid Ejari, no renewal — and Ejari needs a valid Emirates ID.

The renewal itself takes days. What takes weeks is the Ejari that expired, the establishment card nobody tracked, or the partner whose Emirates ID lapsed six months ago.

What renewal costs

Component	Typical range	Notes
DED licence fee	AED 8,000 – 15,000	Varies by activity and legal form
Market fee	5% of annual rent	Calculated from the Ejari value
Chamber of Commerce	AED 500 – 2,000	Mandatory for mainland
Ejari registration	AED 200 – 300	Required annually
Establishment card renewal	AED 600 – 1,200	Separate from the licence
Typing and service fees	AED 200 – 500	Authorised centre
Realistic mainland total	AED 10,000 – 25,000	Free zone priced by the individual zone

Why online quotes are useless for you

The market fee is 5% of your annual rent. A company paying AED 60,000 rent and one paying AED 300,000 differ by AED 12,000 before anything else is counted. Any quoted "average" that has not seen your Ejari is guesswork — send us the licence and we will give you the actual figure.

What you need

Document checklist

Current trade licence
Valid registered Ejari tenancy contract — mainland
Memorandum of Association and any amendments
Passport and Emirates ID copies for all partners and the manager
Chamber of Commerce membership — mainland
Establishment card, current or renewed alongside
Clearance of outstanding fines across DED, MOHRE and immigration

The sequence that works

Renew Ejari first

Everything depends on it, and the market fee is calculated from it. If the landlord has not issued a renewal contract, resolve that before touching the licence.

Clear fines across all three authorities

DED, MOHRE and immigration hold the file independently. Checking only DED is why renewals stall unexpectedly.

Submit and pay

Typically processed within 1–5 working days with a complete file. Same-day is achievable at DED service centres when nothing is outstanding.

Renew the establishment card

Separate application, separate fee, and required for every immigration transaction. Companies renew the licence and forget this constantly.

The late-renewal cascade

Time after expiry	Penalty	Consequence
From day 1	~AED 250 per month	Fine accrues; renewal still straightforward
Around 30 days	Accruing	Licence blocked; transactions stop
90 days	Accruing	Account may be frozen, visas cancelled, company struck off

The cost nobody budgets for

An expired licence stops the establishment card renewal. An expired establishment card stops every employee work permit and residence transaction. Staff drift out of status and each begins accruing their own overstay at AED 50 per day.

A AED 250 monthly fine becomes a five-figure problem across a team of fifteen.

Where renewals get stuck

Ejari expired or never registered — the most common blocker by a wide margin
Landlord dispute preventing a renewal tenancy contract
Partner Emirates ID or passport expired, so the partner record cannot validate
Unpaid MOHRE or WPS fines holding the file from the labour side
Activity no longer permitted at the registered address, requiring an amendment first
Establishment card overlooked, discovered when a visa transaction fails

The four dates to track together

Companies that never have licence problems track these as one calendar, because each feeds the next: trade licence, Ejari, establishment card, and partner Emirates IDs. Any one lapsing stalls the rest.

That calendar is what our corporate PRO services retainer exists to run, alongside employment visa processing and WPS compliance.

Trade licence renewal questions

How much does trade licence renewal cost in Dubai?

Mainland renewal typically totals AED 10,000–25,000, covering the DED licence fee, the 5% market fee calculated on your annual rent, chamber membership, Ejari and the establishment card. Free zone pricing is set by each zone.

What is the fine for late trade licence renewal?

Fines accrue from the first day after expiry, commonly cited at AED 250 per month. Around 30 days the licence is blocked, and by 90 days the bank account can be frozen and the company struck off the registry.

Do I need Ejari to renew my trade licence?

Yes, for mainland licences a valid registered Ejari is mandatory and the market fee is calculated from it. An expired Ejari is the most common reason renewals stall.

How long does renewal take?

One to five working days with a complete file and no outstanding fines, and same-day is possible at DED service centres. Delays come from Ejari, fines or partner documents rather than from DED itself.

Is the establishment card renewed with the licence?

No, it is a separate renewal with its own fee. Companies frequently renew the licence and overlook the card, then find every employee visa and work permit transaction blocked.

What if my licence has already expired?

Send us the licence copy. We check every outstanding item across DED, MOHRE and immigration, give you a fixed total, and usually complete the renewal within the week — provided you have not passed the 90-day cliff.

Hand it over