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Establishment card renewal in Dubai is a GDRFA service called "Renewal of Establishment Card, all categories". GDRFA lists a renewal fee of AED 200 plus 5% VAT, AED 10 Knowledge Dirham, AED 10 Innovation Dirham and an AED 50 service fee, and states 48 hours. Renew before staff visas fall due: with an expired card, the company cannot sponsor anyone.
Why the renewal date matters
The card is the record GDRFA checks every time your company applies for an entry permit, a status change or a residence visa. When it lapses, the next staff file stops at the first screen.
GDRFA does not print a validity period on its service page. Its fee wording talks about a yearly amount, and market sources say the card normally runs for one year. So treat it as a yearly job and diary it with the licence.
Renewal fees
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Renewal fee | AED 200 plus 5% VAT |
| Knowledge Dirham | AED 10 |
| Innovation Dirham | AED 10 |
| Service fee | AED 50 |
| Urgent service (optional) | AED 100 |
Source: GDRFA renewal of establishment card page, checked .
The renewal page repeats the same odd line as the issuance page: "AED100 per year". It sits next to the AED 200 figure without explanation. GDRFA does not say which one the system charges, so read the amount on the payment screen before you confirm, and keep the receipt for your accounts.
What renewal usually costs in practice
| What you pay for | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Renewal through a service provider | AED 300 to 500 |
| GDRFA processing, listed on top | AED 50 to 100 |
| Typing at a typing center | AED 50 to 150 |
| PRO firm, per simple transaction | AED 150 to AED 500 |
Source: published price lists of Dubai typing centers and PRO firms, checked . Government fees are extra in the PRO line.
Documents for the renewal
- The appendix with the partners' names, current version.
- Passport copies of each authorised signatory, valid.
- A notarised authorisation if a manager applies rather than an owner.
If anything changed during the year (new partner, new manager, a trade name change), the appendix you upload has to show it. A renewal filed with last year's appendix after a partner change is a common reason for a return.
Order of the yearly renewals
Mainland companies renew several things in a cycle. A sensible order:
- Trade licence with DET, after the office tenancy is current. See trade licence renewal.
- GDRFA establishment card, with the renewed licence.
- MOHRE labour file, if the licence or signatories changed, so the company labour file matches.
- Staff visas and work permits as each one falls due: visa renewal and work permit renewal.
Doing the card before the licence is renewed leaves you with a card that points at an expired licence.
Checking status and getting a copy
To check validity, open the GDRFA status inquiry and use the establishment inquiry tab. GDRFA says the tool verifies entry permits, residence permits and establishment cards.
GDRFA does not describe a separate download service for the card. The renewed card comes back through whichever channel filed it, so if a typing center or PRO renewed it, ask them for the PDF. If you filed online, look in your company's GDRFA account. Keep a copy next to the licence, because banks, MOHRE and free zones ask for it.
If the card has already expired
GDRFA's renewal page lists no late renewal fine. Older media reports described a monthly fine, but no current official page shows it, so no number is quoted here. The real cost of a lapse is time: no new entry permits, no visa renewals and no status changes until the card is renewed. If a hire is waiting inside the UAE on a visit visa, that delay can push them towards overstay, so renew first and file their visa second. See overstay fines for how those are charged.
Cancelling instead of renewing
If the company is closing, you cancel rather than renew. GDRFA needs every sponsored person removed first, then the trade licence and a sponsor's letter. The process is on the establishment card page.
Doing it yourself
With UAE Pass and an up-to-date appendix, the online renewal is short. Filing online also avoids the extra AED 100 that GDRFA lists for submission through an Amer center. Hand it over if the signatory is travelling, the appendix changed, or you have staff visas due the same month and want one person tracking all of it.
Handing over your card renewal
Send the current card, the renewed trade licence and the signatories' passports. The partner team checks the appendix against the licence first, since a renewal filed with last year's appendix after a partner or manager change is a common reason for a return. They file the renewal with GDRFA, send you the renewed card and note the next expiry alongside the staff visas falling due, so the card never lapses in the middle of a hire. If the MOHRE file needs updating too, they do it at the same time. You get one total price, with the GDRFA fees and the service charge listed separately, before work starts.
