Key Takeaways
- Renewing the licence costs about as much as getting it. The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) charges USD 12,000 again, and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) charges USD 5,300 for a non-financial company.
- Packages follow their own renewal rules. Ajman Media City's Visionary package drops from AED 12,999 to AED 8,999, and the Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone (UAQ FTZ) renews START at the package cost.
- A Dubai branch run from a free zone office costs AED 10,000 a year to renew. The six-month mainland permit costs AED 5,000 every time you renew it.
- You have three months from incorporation to register for Corporate Tax. A late return costs AED 500 a month in the first year.
- Audit rules differ by zone and company size. In DIFC, a private company that isn't small has seven months to file audited accounts.
Most owners remember the Dubai licence renewal fee when their second year comes round. What catches them out is everything else due in the same twelve months: visa renewals, health insurance, the lease and the first tax filings. Together, those bills are what it really costs to keep a company in Dubai going. A budget built on the first-year package misses most of them. Below, each recurring cost is taken from the authority or zone that sets it. Where nobody publishes a figure, we've left the space blank.
Why the annual cost of a UAE company rises in year two
A first-year package usually covers the licence, a desk and sometimes one visa. In year two you pay for the licence again. You also face filings you didn't need in year one, such as financial statements, a Corporate Tax return and, for some companies, an audit.
No authority publishes a total for the year, because each cost comes from a different body. The template at the end of this page lets you add them up for your own company. Where a cost is marked not published, that's a question for your zone.
Dubai licence renewal fee by zone type
A free zone is an area with its own authority that licenses companies under its own rules. Zones that publish a tariff or a package show their renewal price directly. Use the table to find your zone's figure and see how recent it is.
| Zone or authority | What you renew | Amount | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIFC | Commercial licence, private company | USD 12,000 plus AED 20. There is no registrar fee for the annual confirmation statement or for filing accounts | fee schedule, revision 16, 30 July 2026 |
| DIFC | Prescribed Company licence (a special purpose vehicle, or SPV, set up for one narrow purpose such as holding assets) | USD 1,000 per year | fee schedule, revision 16, 30 July 2026 |
| ADGM | Non-financial company, including USD 300 for data protection | USD 5,300 | fee schedule, version of January 2025, still linked in October 2026 |
| ADGM | Special Purpose Vehicle | USD 1,400 | fee schedule, version of January 2025 |
| Ras Al Khaimah International Corporate Centre (RAK ICC) | International business company, one year | AED 3,950, as reported | secondary sources, 2026. This fee comes from secondary sources, not RAK ICC's own site, so confirm it with RAK ICC |
| Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) | Offshore company, Registrar fee | AED 2,500 to renew after 12 months | fee schedule, Offshore Companies Regulations 2023 |
| Ajman Media City | Business Club, Visionary, Pioneer, Innovator | AED 4,999, AED 8,999, AED 10,999 and AED 14,999 per year | package, October 2026 |
| Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ) | All-inclusive business set-up | AED 14,000 a year. The page says the renewal price is held | package, October 2026 |
| UAQ FTZ | START | renews every year at the package cost of AED 12,500 | package, October 2026 |
| Dubai, branch run from a free zone | Dual licence, valid one year | AED 10,000 per year | fee schedule, Resolution 11 of 2025, Article 12 |
| Dubai, six-month mainland permit | Renewed at the same fee | AED 5,000 every six months, which comes to AED 10,000 over a year | fee schedule, Resolution 11 of 2025, Article 12 |
Several zones don't publish a renewal price at all. When we checked their public pages in October 2026, we found no renewal fee for Meydan and no price list for IFZA. For Dubai Airport Freezone, request the renewal fee from the zone in writing. A mainland licence works differently. The mainland is anywhere in the emirate outside a free zone, and there the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), Dubai's licensing office formerly known as DED, charges whatever tariff is in force on your renewal date. Ask DET for the fee sheet that covers your activity. The other mainland costs are on the Dubai trade licence cost page.
The English versions of Executive Council and Federal Tax Authority (FTA) documents are not official translations, and the Arabic text is the one that counts. Package prices change over time. Read the renewal price of any package before you look at what it costs in year one.
Visa, Emirates ID and insurance renewals
Every residence visa comes with its own renewal costs. DMCC, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre free zone, charges AED 2,200 to renew an employment visa for one year and AED 2,790 for two years, according to its October 2026 schedule. On the mainland, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in Dubai lists AED 200 plus 5% VAT, AED 20 in levies and an AED 50 service fee to renew an establishment card. That card is the immigration record that lets your company sponsor visas. The GDRFA's green residence permit for investors and partners costs AED 100 more for each year beyond two years.
If you renew your Emirates ID late, you pay AED 20 a day, up to AED 1,000 (u.ae, February 2026). Health insurance has to be renewed too, and the government portal u.ae listed a basic package at AED 320 a year in September 2026. A private-sector employee can't get or renew a residence permit without it. The policy has been mandatory in every emirate since 1 January 2025. Dubai and Abu Dhabi already required it under their own earlier laws.
DIFC employers have one more cost. Instead of paying gratuity, the lump sum owed to staff when they leave, they pay into DEWS, the DIFC Employee Workplace Savings plan. The contribution is 5.83% of basic salary for staff with under five years of service and 8.33% after that (DIFC handbook, September 2026).
Office, desk and Ejari
Your lease renews each year, and so does its registration in Ejari, Dubai's official register of tenancy contracts. The Dubai Land Department charges AED 220 to register or renew a tenancy through a trustee centre, which is how most companies do it. Through the Dubai REST app or the website it costs AED 177.75, but that option is for tenancies where both tenant and landlord are individuals (October 2026). The rent itself is up to the landlord or the business centre.
Some packages keep office costs small. Meydan says every licence comes with a flexi desk at no extra cost and that you don't have to lease a physical office to start (Meydan blog, updated June 2026). A larger office is a paid extra. In zones that link your visa quota, the number of residence visas you may apply for, to the space you rent, hiring more people can push this cost up.
Audit, accounting and tax filing costs
Audit rules depend on where the company is registered. In DIFC, a private company that isn't small must file audited accounts within seven months of its financial year end. A small private company files its accounts within nine months (DIFC handbook, September 2026). Whether a company counts as small depends on turnover and shareholder thresholds in Article 124 of the DIFC Companies Law, and it's worth checking where yours falls.
ADGM lets small companies file just a balance sheet. Small here means turnover up to USD 13.5 million and up to 35 employees. Larger companies file audited accounts and a director's report (ADGM Annual Filings page, October 2026). A Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP), a free zone company that meets the conditions for the 0% rate, also needs audited financial statements under Ministerial Decision 229 of 2025. The QFZP guide weighs that audit cost against the 0% rate. Mainland companies should check with DET or their accountant which audit rules apply to them.
Corporate Tax brings filings of its own. You must register within three months of incorporation (FTA Decision 3 of 2024), and the Corporate Tax guide for new companies lists the dates. Small Business Relief lets a business with revenue up to AED 3 million be treated as having no taxable income. It covers tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029. A QFZP can't claim it (Ministerial Decisions 131 of 2026 and 73 of 2023).
VAT registration becomes compulsory once your taxable supplies and imports pass AED 375,000 over 12 months, or you expect them to within the next 30 days. From AED 187,500 you can register voluntarily (Federal Tax Authority, as of October 2026). The VAT registration guide has the details. A Tax Residency Certificate, the FTA document that shows your company is tax resident in the UAE, usually comes in year two. That's because a company has to have been incorporated for at least 12 months before it can apply. The FTA charges an AED 50 submission fee plus AED 500 for the electronic certificate if you have a Corporate Tax registration number, or AED 1,750 if you don't (October 2026).
Firms set their own prices for bookkeeping, audit and tax filing, and no authority publishes them. Before you ask for quotes, write down what you need: how many transactions a month, VAT returns, payroll and the year-end accounts. With that list you can compare offers from accounting firms, audit firms and bookkeeping services, each of which has its own section in the directory.
Late renewal and late filing penalties
Each authority sets its own penalties, and each deadline has its own price. ADGM charges USD 100 for the confirmation statement, a yearly filing that confirms the company's details, and fines you USD 300 if it's late. Its data protection renewal costs USD 300, with a fixed USD 450 penalty for a late renewal (ADGM, October 2026). In DIFC, you file the confirmation statement together with the licence renewal, no later than 30 days after the licence expires, as its September 2026 handbook explains.
Corporate Tax penalties are set by Cabinet Decision 75 of 2023 as amended. Registering late costs AED 10,000. A late return costs AED 500 for each month or part of a month during the first 12 months, then AED 1,000 a month from the 13th month on. Unpaid tax attracts a monthly penalty at a rate of 14% a year. If you don't keep proper records, the fine is AED 10,000, or AED 20,000 if it happens again within 24 months. These figures are as of October 2026.
For VAT, a revised penalty table under Cabinet Decision 129 of 2025 has applied since 14 April 2026 (FTA, April 2026). Late VAT registration now costs AED 10,000. A late VAT return costs AED 1,000, or AED 2,000 if it happens again within 24 months. Separately, any change to your beneficial owner, the real person who actually owns or controls the company in the end, has to be recorded within 15 days. Fines start from the second breach, at AED 15,000 for not updating the register. That amount comes from Cabinet Resolution 132 of 2023, and you should confirm it is still the current schedule.
Renewals often get stuck when a tax registration, a visa or an audit filing is still open. Before you pay, ask your zone or DET whether anything outstanding will block the renewal, and what the late fee is for your type of licence.
A year-two budget template
Copy these rows into a spreadsheet and fill in each one from your own quote. Where a published figure exists, you'll find it in the reference column.
| Cost | Reference figure | Source | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence renewal | see the zone table above; DET sets the mainland fee | fee schedule or package | October 2026 |
| Visa renewal, per person | DMCC AED 2,205 per card renewal | fee schedule | October 2026 |
| Establishment card renewal | AED 200 plus VAT, levies and service fee on the Dubai mainland | fee schedule | October 2026 |
| Health insurance, per person | AED 320 per year for the basic package | fee schedule | September 2026 |
| Ejari or lease | AED 220 for a company Ejari at a trustee centre; the landlord sets the rent | fee schedule | October 2026 |
| Audit | set by the audit firm; whether you need one depends on the zone | not published | ask for a quote |
| Bookkeeping and VAT returns | set by the firm | not published | ask for a quote |
| Corporate Tax return | a late return costs AED 500 a month in the first 12 months | penalty table | October 2026 |
| Tax Residency Certificate, if needed | AED 50 plus AED 500 with a Corporate Tax registration number, or AED 1,750 without | fee schedule | October 2026 |
Leave some room in the budget for costs you can't price yet, and treat each blank as a question to raise. Corporate tax consultants handle the tax return itself. For the books and the audit, use the directory sections linked above.
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- Dubai company setup packages and what they leave out
- Low cost business setup in Dubai and what a low quote skips
- Corporate Tax registration UAE, deadline, QFZP and penalties
- Qualifying Free Zone Person explained, when 0% tax applies
- VAT registration UAE for a new company, threshold and process
- Accounting firms in the UAE
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- Corporate tax consultants in the UAE
