Company registration in the United Arab Emirates works on two levels: every business is entered in the Commercial Register (السجل التجاري) of the emirate or free zone authority that licenses it, and all local registers feed one federal Economic Register (السجل الاقتصادي) held by the Ministry of Economy and Tourism (وزارة الاقتصاد والسياحة), under Federal Decree-Law No. 37 of 2021 and Cabinet Resolution No. 107 of 2022. The public entry point to the federal data is the National Economic Register (السجل الاقتصادي الوطني).

The company registry of the United Arab Emirates

There is no single registration counter in the UAE. Under Article 4 of Federal Decree-Law No. 37 of 2021, each Competent Authority — the government body or free zone authority issuing licences in its jurisdiction — keeps its own Commercial Register, while the Ministry keeps the Economic Register consolidating all of them. Article 13 of the Executive Regulations extends that database to trademarks, commercial agencies and industrial property, and assigns each establishment an Economic Register Number.

The public platform of the federal register is the National Economic Register at growth.gov.ae/G2C, run by the Ministry with the economic development departments of the seven emirates. It offers enquiry about economic licences and economic activities, a search for the availability of economic (trade) names, open data and a directory of licensing entities; the detailed licence enquiry requires sign-in with UAE PASS, the national digital identity.

The Ministry lists the registrars within the UAE as the Departments of Economic Development of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah, plus Fujairah Municipality and Dibba Fujairah Municipality. Dubai's registrar is the Department of Economy and Tourism (دائرة الاقتصاد والسياحة), Abu Dhabi's the Department of Economic Development (دائرة التنمية الاقتصادية) via the TAMM platform. Each free zone authority is a registrar in its own right, listed separately by the Ministry, which also keeps the federal Register of Private Joint Stock Companies.

The two financial free zones run independent common-law registries: the DIFC Registrar of Companies, established under Article 6 of the DIFC Operating Law (DIFC Law No. 7 of 2018), with a searchable Public Register, and the ADGM Registration Authority, which maintains the public register of Abu Dhabi Global Market entities.

The UAE keeps no separate register for sole traders. Individual commercial establishments (المؤسسات التجارية الفردية) owned by natural persons sit in the same Commercial Register, and the same Economic Register, as companies, so they are verified through identical channels.

Legal forms that can be registered

Article 9 of Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2021 on Commercial Companies fixes the forms open to mainland companies and makes any other form null and void, its founders personally liable. Emirate authorities additionally license professional and unincorporated structures, and the free zones add their own.

  • شركة التضامن (General Partnership) — two or more partners, all natural persons, jointly liable with their personal funds.
  • شركة التوصية البسيطة (Limited Partnership) — general partners with unlimited joint liability, plus limited partners liable only up to their capital share.
  • شركة ذات مسؤولية محدودة (Limited Liability Company, LLC) — two to fifty partners, each liable only up to its share; the standard mainland vehicle.
  • شركة الشخص الواحد ذات المسؤولية المحدودة (Limited Liability One Person Company, OPC) — an LLC wholly owned by one natural or legal person.
  • شركة مساهمة عامة (Public Joint Stock Company, PJSC) — capital in negotiable shares that may be offered publicly and listed.
  • شركة مساهمة خاصة (Private Joint Stock Company, PrJSC) — two to two hundred shareholders, equal shares paid in full, no public offering.
  • شركة مساهمة خاصة – شركة الشخص الواحد (Private Joint Stock — One Person Company) — wholly owned by a single legal person.
  • مؤسسة فردية (Sole Establishment) — owned by one person, personally liable for all its obligations; licensed, not incorporated.
  • شركة أعمال مدنية (Civil Company) — two or more partners practising a professional activity such as consultancy or training.
  • فرع شركة محلية (Branch of a local company) — a branch of a company licensed in the same emirate, without separate legal personality.
  • فرع شركة من إمارة أخرى (Branch of a company based in another emirate) — an extension of a company licensed in another emirate.
  • فرع شركة منطقة حرة (Branch of a free zone company) — a mainland branch of a UAE free zone company.
  • فرع شركة خليجية (Branch of a GCC company) — a branch of a company incorporated in another Gulf Cooperation Council state.
  • فرع شركة أجنبية (Branch of a foreign company) — a branch of a company incorporated outside the UAE and the GCC.
  • Free Zone Establishment (FZE) — a limited liability free zone entity with a single shareholder.
  • Free Zone Company (FZC / FZCO) — the multi-shareholder equivalent; local and international branches are also registrable.
  • Private and Public Company Limited by Shares — core ADGM forms, including the restricted scope company variant.
  • Private Company Limited by Guarantee, Limited Liability Partnership, Limited Partnership, Foundation, Branch — the remaining ADGM structures, which also permit continuance of a foreign entity into ADGM; DIFC uses comparable common-law forms.

What information is available from the register

Article 14 of the Executive Regulations defines the data that may be published openly: the Commercial and Economic Register numbers, the trade name in Arabic and English, the date of incorporation, telephone and email, the licence number and status, the legal form, capital, the address, branch information, the economic activity classification and the names of the management. This is what the National Economic Register and the emirate portals return, and it is enough to confirm that a counterparty exists, is validly licensed and may carry on the activity claimed. The DIFC Public Register shows registration number, name, status, financial or non-financial classification, activities and registered address; the ADGM register performs the same function.

Two categories are closed. Under Cabinet Resolution No. 109 of 2023 on the real beneficiary procedures every company keeps a Register of Real Beneficiaries and a Register of Partners or Shareholders and files them with the Registrar, but Article 16 forbids the Ministry and the Registrar to disclose that data without written approval, apart from legally required disclosure and anti-money-laundering cooperation. Annual accounts are not obtainable from the register for private companies; audited financials are public only for public joint stock companies, through disclosures under the Securities and Commodities Authority regime and on the market where the shares are listed.

Documents that can be obtained from the register

  • مستخرج من بيانات القيد (Extract of registration data) — the official extract of data recorded in the Commercial or Economic Register, issued under Article 16 of Federal Decree-Law No. 37 of 2021; standard evidence of registered particulars for banks, tenders and courts.
  • الرخصة التجارية (Trade licence) — issued by the emirate or free zone authority; shows licence number, trade name, legal form, activities, owners or partners, manager and validity, and is the usual proof of lawful trading.
  • شهادة السجل الاقتصادي – تجاري (Economic Register Certificate — Commercial) — issued in Abu Dhabi through TAMM; reproduces the register record of the trade licence including all licence-related transactions, so it shows the history of changes.
  • عقد التأسيس وملاحقه (Memorandum of Association and its amendments) — the constitutional document registered with the Competent Authority under Article 15 of the Commercial Companies Law; sets out shareholding, capital, objects and management powers.
  • Company file details — the Ministry's enquiry service on commercial companies' licences provides the details or a copy of a company's file held at the Ministry.
  • شهادة تسجيل شركة مساهمة خاصة (Private Joint Stock Company registration certificate) and شهادة لمن يهمه الأمر (To Whom It May Concern certificate) — issued by the Ministry for companies in the federal Register of Private Joint Stock Companies, evidencing registration and standing.
  • DIFC certified copies and register extracts — the Registrar issues certified copies of a certificate of incorporation, registration or continuation, extracts of Public Register information, and a Certificate of Name Change.
  • ADGM incorporation and registration certificates — issued by the ADGM Registration Authority for entities on its register, with related confirmations through the online registry.

Registers of real beneficiaries and of partners or shareholders are not available to third parties: they are filed with the Registrar but withheld from disclosure under Cabinet Resolution No. 109 of 2023.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the UAE have one national company register?

It has one federal register built on many local ones. Each emirate authority and each free zone authority keeps its own Commercial Register, and the Ministry of Economy and Tourism consolidates them into the Economic Register, which the public consults through the National Economic Register platform. DIFC and ADGM keep separate public registers.

Where can I check a UAE trade licence online?

Through the National Economic Register at growth.gov.ae, which covers enquiry about economic licences, economic activities and trade name availability for licences issued anywhere in the UAE, and through the portal of the issuing authority — for example TAMM in Abu Dhabi or the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai. The detailed federal enquiry requires a UAE PASS sign-in.

Are shareholders and beneficial owners of UAE companies public?

No. Companies must keep and file a Register of Real Beneficiaries and a Register of Partners or Shareholders, but Cabinet Resolution No. 109 of 2023 bars the Ministry and the Registrar from disclosing that data without written approval, apart from legally mandated disclosure and anti-money-laundering cooperation. Published register data covers management names, not ultimate ownership.

Can I obtain the financial statements of a UAE company?

Not from the commercial register for a private company. Audited financial information is publicly available only for public joint stock companies, which disclose it under the rules of the Securities and Commodities Authority and of the market on which they are listed.

Are free zone, DIFC and ADGM companies in the same register as mainland companies?

Free zone authorities are competent authorities under Federal Decree-Law No. 37 of 2021, so their licence data is consolidated into the federal Economic Register. DIFC and ADGM operate their own registrars and public registers, which should be searched directly for entities registered there.

How does a sole establishment differ from a company in the register?

Only in legal form. A sole establishment (مؤسسة فردية) is owned by one person who is personally liable for its obligations, while an LLC or joint stock company limits liability to the capital. Both appear in the same Commercial Register and through the same public search channels.

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Keywords

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