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Trade licence renewal in Dubai (often searched as "trade licence renewal"), for a mainland company, is done with the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) once the business lease is valid and registered in Ejari and any activity approvals are current. Published market prices put the renewal at about AED 10,000 to AED 15,000 a year in licence fees. The late renewal fine is unclear: official sources give conflicting figures, so confirm yours with DET.
Before you renew: three checks
Most renewals that get stuck fail on one of these, not on the payment.
- The lease. DED guidance is reported to say a licence cannot be renewed without a registered lease, so treat a valid Ejari as a precondition. If the tenancy contract ends before the licence does, renew the lease first and register it in Ejari. Online through Dubai REST, Ejari costs AED 177.75; at a DLD trustee center it costs AED 220 (Dubai Land Department fee page, checked ).
- External approvals. If your activity needed sign-off from another authority when the licence was issued, check that the approval is still valid. DED guidance lists these approvals as a step before renewal.
- Branch documents. A branch licence renewal needs a copy of the parent company's current licence. If the parent is abroad, have its renewed licence ready, attested if DET asks for it; see certificate attestation in Dubai.
The renewal steps with DET
- Apply through DET's online services or app, or at a business service center.
- Pay the fees shown for your licence. DET's e-services include an estimator called "Estimate Cost of Licence Renewal", which is worth running before you accept any quote.
- Download the renewed licence. Licences are usually renewed yearly, and DED material mentions multi-year options for some.
- Update anything tied to the licence: the establishment card with GDRFA, the MOHRE company file, bank records and any contracts that quote the licence expiry.
If you have changed partners, activities or address since the last renewal, that is an amendment, not a plain renewal. Do the amendment first or in the same application.
Documents for a mainland renewal
| Document | Why it is needed |
|---|---|
| Current trade licence | Identifies the file being renewed |
| Ejari certificate valid for the new period | DET will not renew on an expired or unregistered lease |
| Renewed external approval, if any | Required for regulated activities |
| Parent company licence copy | Branches only |
| Passport and Emirates ID of the manager or signatory | Needed for the application and payment |
What renewal costs: market ranges
DET fees depend on the activity and the rent, so there is no single price. These ranges come from published price lists of Dubai PRO firms, consultancies and free zones, checked .
| What is renewed | Typical yearly cost |
|---|---|
| Dubai mainland licence fees | AED 10,000 to AED 15,000 |
| Basic free zone licence | AED 10,000 to AED 15,000 |
| Free zone year two with 1 visa, desk, audit and tax filing (Sharjah zones to Meydan) | AED 18,500 to AED 32,000 |
| DMCC year two on the same basis | AED 34,500 to AED 42,000 |
The mainland figure is licence fees only. Office rent, Ejari and visa renewals sit on top. The free zone year-two totals already include a visa and a desk, which is why they look higher.
The late renewal fine: what the sources say
A DED compliance fines list (the page has since been taken down) gave one fixed fine for failing to renew in time. An older DED renewal page described a fine charged every month after expiry. Business consultants quote yet another monthly figure. None of these could be confirmed on a current DET page, so we do not print a number here.
What you can do: ask DET what is due on your own licence before you pay, and get any quote to show fines as a separate line. Then renew as soon as you can, because a monthly fine grows the longer you wait.
The renewals that fall due around the same time
The licence rarely expires alone. Plan these together:
- Establishment card. GDRFA lists the establishment card renewal at AED 200 plus 5% VAT and small extras. The same page also says AED 100 per year, and GDRFA does not explain which applies, so read the payment screen. See establishment card renewal.
- Staff and investor visas. Each residence visa has its own expiry. See visa renewal in Dubai for the medical test and Emirates ID steps.
- Work permits. Mainland staff need valid MOHRE work permits, covered on the employment visa page.
- The lease. Line up the lease end date with the licence date so you register Ejari once a year, not twice. The Ejari typing center guide shows where to register.
Free zone renewals
A free zone licence renews with the free zone that issued it, not with DET. Each zone sets its own fees and usually bundles the desk or office renewal and the establishment card into one invoice. The year-two market totals above also count audit and tax filing costs, which is part of why they run higher than the licence fee alone.
Handing over your licence renewal
Send the licence number, the expiry date and whether the lease is still valid. The partner team runs the DET estimate, renews the Ejari if needed, gathers activity approvals, submits the renewal and pays the DET fees shown on your quote. Renewals mostly stall on an expired or unregistered lease, so that is checked first. They then update the establishment card and line up the staff visa renewals that fall due, booking each medical and Emirates ID appointment. You skip the DET service center and the renewal estimator. One total price is confirmed first, the DET fees and the service charge shown separately. For the rest of the year's paperwork, see PRO services in Dubai.
