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A trade licence amendment in Dubai is how a mainland company records a change of activity, trade name, partners, manager, address or capital with the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). DET publishes no single fee because each type of change is priced differently. The papers behind the change matter more: a partner change needs a notarised MOA amendment, and the FTA must be told within 20 business days.
Which changes count as an amendment
DET's amendment service covers six kinds of change. What each one needs before you file is different, so start by naming yours.
| Change | What usually has to come first |
|---|---|
| Add or remove a business activity | Regulator approval if the activity is regulated |
| New trade name | Name approval; DET can refuse a name close to an existing one |
| Partner or shareholder change | Notarised MOA amendment, board or general assembly resolution, share transfer agreement if shares move |
| Manager change | Papers depend on the legal form; check DET's list |
| New address or location | New tenancy contract registered in Ejari under the company |
| Capital change | An auditor's report if capital is reduced |
The examples DET gives of supporting papers are a contract of sale when a shop is sold, an appendix to the incorporation contract for some legal forms, an auditor's report for a capital cut and a board or general assembly resolution for a partner change. DET's service pages do not give one list for every legal form, so confirm the exact list for yours when you apply.
A free zone licence is a different track. The free zone authority that issued it handles the change, with its own forms and fees. Nothing on this page about DET applies there.
Activity changes and regulated work
Adding an activity is the most common request. If the new activity falls under another authority, its approval comes before DET. Business guides name the Dubai Health Authority for medical work, KHDA for education and RERA for real estate as examples.
Removing an activity is simpler, but check two things first. Staff whose job titles only fit the old activity may need their work permits reviewed, because MOHRE expects a worker's occupation to fit the establishment's activity (its transfer rules say so). And if the activity was why you hold a Dubai Customs code, think about whether you still need it; see the customs code page.
Partner and shareholder changes
This is the amendment with the most paperwork and the most risk if it is done in the wrong order.
- Agree the new ownership split in writing.
- Draft the MOA amendment, and a share transfer agreement if shares move between people.
- Notarise both. The Dubai Courts Notary Public and Smart eNotary are the two routes named in market guides.
- File with DET.
- Update everything that names the owners (see the table below).
An outgoing partner who sponsors family or staff on the company's file needs a plan for those visas before the change goes through. A new partner who wants residence through the company can apply for the GDRFA partner investor green permit once the licence shows them. The partner visa page covers that.
Partner documents signed abroad, such as a resolution of a foreign corporate shareholder, have to be legalised for use in the UAE. MOFA treats a commercial power of attorney as a commercial document at AED 2,000. Details are on the company document attestation page.
Trade name changes
Pick two or three options before you apply, since DET can reject a name that is too close to one already registered. Once the new name is on the licence, the old one is out of date everywhere else. Plan to replace the company stamp, letterheads, invoice templates and the website footer in the same week.
What has to be updated after the amendment
The licence is only one record. Market guides list these as the files that follow it:
| Record | Who holds it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Establishment card | GDRFA | Must match partners and signatories before new visas |
| Labour file | MOHRE | Owners, signatories, activity and location are registered there |
| Tax registration | FTA (EmaraTax) | Changes reported within 20 business days |
| Bank mandate | Your bank | Signatories and company name must match the licence |
| Ejari | DLD | Only for an address change |
| Invoices and contracts | You | New name, address or TRN details |
The FTA deadline comes from market guides that cite the FTA. They say late notice carries a penalty under Cabinet Decision No. 40 of , but give no amount. Check it on EmaraTax if you are close to the limit.
For the GDRFA card, a published market price for amendment or replacement is AED 170 plus VAT. The establishment card page and the company labour file page explain both files.
What an amendment costs: market ranges
There is no official DET fee to quote. We checked consultancy statements of DET amendment fees and could not trace them to a DET page, so they are left out. What you can budget with is the service fee firms charge on top of government fees, from a published price list of a Dubai business setup consultancy, checked :
| Change | Service fee, government fees extra |
|---|---|
| Trade name change | AED 1,000 to AED 3,500 |
| Add or remove an activity | AED 1,500 to AED 5,000 |
| Manager change | AED 1,500 to AED 4,500 |
| Address change | AED 1,000 to AED 3,500 |
| Shareholder added or removed | AED 3,000 to AED 10,000 or more |
| Capital change | AED 2,500 to AED 8,000 or more |
| Legal form change | AED 2,500 to AED 10,000 or more |
Add the notary for partner changes (market price about AED 200 to AED 500 per document) and Ejari for a move (AED 177.75 online, AED 220 at a trustee center, Dubai Land Department fee page). DET's own amendment fees come on top, and they vary by service.
Where amendments go wrong
- Filing before the regulator approves. DET cannot add a regulated activity without it, so the application stalls.
- Unsigned or un-notarised MOA changes. A partner change without the notarised amendment will be turned back.
- Forgetting the FTA. The licence is updated, the tax record is not, and the 20-day window passes.
- New address, old Ejari. The lease must be in the company's name and registered before DET records the move. See commercial Ejari.
- Leaving the bank until last. A signatory who left the company can still sign cheques until the mandate changes.
- Amending at renewal time without saying so. If your licence is also due, do both together; the trade licence renewal page covers the renewal side.
What you can do yourself
A sole owner adding a simple, unregulated activity can file it with DET without help. Where outside help earns its fee is the chain of follow-up updates, the partner changes that need notarised papers, and anything involving a foreign shareholder.
Handing over a licence amendment
Tell us the licence number, what is changing and who the partners are before and after. Send the current MOA and the passports of anyone joining or leaving. The partner team lists the documents for your exact amendment, drafts the MOA amendment or resolution, books the notary, gets any regulator approval and files with DET. Amendments usually go wrong afterwards, when the establishment card, MOHRE file and FTA record still show the old details, so they update all three and tell you what to change at the bank. One total price is agreed first, the DET and notary fees separate from the service charge. Other company files are in company services in Dubai.
