Official-Source Guide For Mainland And Free Zone Businesses
Businesses in Dubai are tightly regulated in terms of what they are permitted to do. Whether you run a small LLC, a branch, or a larger corporate group, you are legally permitted to perform only the economic activities that appear on your trade licence. As your business develops, there often comes a point where you want to enter a new line of business, bundle services differently, or add related activities—and that is where a formal licence amendment becomes essential.
Using only information from official UAE and Dubai government sources, this article explains how the Dubai business licence amendment works when you want to add new activities. You will see when an amendment is required, how to navigate the Invest in Dubai portal for mainland licences, what to watch for with external approvals (such as Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) No Obligation Certificates (NOCs), how free zone procedures differ, why verification and corporate tax should not be overlooked, and the main compliance pitfalls to avoid.
Why Your Registered Activities Matter: Rules And Risks In Dubai
Under the Commercial Compliance Manual issued for Dubai, a merchant is entitled to perform only the economic activities that are registered in the trade licence. In other words, if an activity is not expressly listed on your licence, you are not authorised to perform it. The same Manual also makes clear that changing or adding an authorised activity without obtaining prior approval from Dubai Economy and Tourism (DET, formerly DED) or another competent authority is a specific violation, subject to an administrative fine of AED 2,000.
Alongside this activity-focused rule, the Implementing Regulation on commercial registration and licensing requires Dubai businesses to maintain a valid licence at all times and to conduct only the activities permitted under that licence. If a company does not possess a valid licence, the registrar is empowered to dissolve the company. Where a branch is concerned, if the parent company does not maintain a valid licence for the branch, the registrar may deregister the branch from the commercial register.
Collectively, these provisions mean that you cannot simply “start offering” a new service and update your paperwork later. Activity changes in Dubai are treated as a regulated licence amendment process that must be completed with the relevant authority in advance. Ensuring you follow the proper process helps you avoid fines, interruptions to your operations, and, in extreme cases, the risk of forced dissolution or deregistration.
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When You Must Amend Your Dubai Business Licence
You must amend your Dubai business licence whenever you want to undertake a new economic activity that is not already listed on your licence. Typical examples include a trading company that wants to add consultancy services, a consultancy firm that wants to add training activities, or a logistics operator that wants to add a transport-related activity. Because you may only perform registered activities in Dubai, such operational changes require a formal amendment so that the new activity is recorded on your licence before you begin offering it.
From a corporate law perspective, the Implementing Regulation also requires the memorandum and articles of association (MOA/AoA) of a company to state the purpose for which the business is being set up. These constitutional documents may be amended from time to time. When you add activities that materially expand or change your business scope, you may need to update the MOA/AoA purpose clause so that it clearly encompasses the new activities, and keep your corporate approvals aligned with what you request from the licensing authority.
The following sections set out how this works in practice for Dubai mainland businesses via the DET and the Invest in Dubai portal, before reviewing external approvals, free zones, and post-approval obligations.
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Step-By-Step: Adding Activities To A Mainland Dubai Licence (DET)
For mainland businesses regulated by Dubai Economy and Tourism, amending a Dubai trade licence to add activities is primarily handled through Invest in Dubai, the official online portal that provides a unified interface for business setup and ongoing licensing services in Dubai. The process can be divided into five structured stages.
Before reviewing detailed steps, keep in mind that the objective is always the same: ensure that the activities you actually perform correspond precisely to those listed on your trade licence, and that both your constitutional documents and regulatory approvals support this.
Check That The New Activity Is Officially Available
Next, you must verify that the activity you intend to add is part of Dubai’s officially approved activities list. Invest in Dubai offers a dedicated “Search Business Activities” function, where you can browse or search all available business activities in Dubai. This list includes the descriptions and coding that DET uses when issuing and amending licences.
Before applying, you should confirm that your proposed new activity appears in this list. If it does not, you cannot simply create or add a custom activity; you would instead need to consider alternative classifications or engage with DET to understand how your business model fits within existing categories. When you do find the appropriate activity, note its precise name and code, as this should match what you select when submitting the licence amendment request.
Confirm Your Current Licence Information
The first step is to understand precisely what your current licence already allows you to do. Through the Invest in Dubai portal, licensed Dubai businesses can use the “Search License Information” service to look up existing licence details, including the registered activities. The portal allows searches by licence number, Dubai Unified Licence number, or business name, helping you confirm that you are checking the correct entity.
When you review your existing licence information, pay close attention to the list of activities and your legal form (for example, LLC, sole proprietorship, branch). This will influence whether the new activity fits naturally into your existing business purpose or whether you may also need to update your MOA/AoA and obtain approvals from shareholders or partners before proceeding with the external amendment request.
Prepare Your Internal And Constitutional Documents
Once you know which activity you wish to add, you should check that your internal corporate documents can support the change. As mentioned earlier, the Implementing Regulation requires that your MOA/AoA set out the company’s purpose, and these documents may be amended if that purpose changes. If the new activity is clearly within the existing purpose wording, no amendment may be necessary; if it broadens or changes the purpose significantly, you may need to amend the MOA/AoA through the appropriate corporate process.
In practice, this means confirming whether board or shareholder resolutions are required under your existing MOA/AoA or internal policies to authorise the new activity. Authorised signatories should also be clearly identified and empowered to submit the amendment application. Preparing these internal approvals in advance helps ensure that your external filings with DET through Invest in Dubai are consistent with your company’s governance framework.
Submit A Licence Amendment Request Via Invest In Dubai/DET
With your internal preparations complete, you can proceed to the actual Dubai business licence amendment. Invest in Dubai, operated by Dubai Economy and Tourism (DET), provides digital services not only for new business setup but also for ongoing licence management, including activity-related services. Within the portal, you would use the relevant amendment service to select your existing licence and then choose the new activity or activities you wish to add from the approved list.
As you work through the online steps, the system may flag that certain activities require extra documentation or external approvals (for example, from a sector regulator). Where this occurs, you should follow the instructions provided, which may involve obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from another authority before DET can complete the amendment. The portal will also display any applicable government fees for the amendment; these should be reviewed and paid through the official channels indicated by Invest in Dubai.
Pay Fees And Keep Your Updated Licence Safely
After you have submitted the amendment request, obtained any required external approvals, and paid the displayed fees, DET will process and, if everything is in order, approve the request. The updated licence will then show the newly added activities alongside your existing ones. At this point, the activity is formally authorised, and you may lawfully conduct it, subject to any sectoral rules that apply.
It is good practice to download the revised licence document, store it securely, and circulate it to key internal stakeholders. You should also ensure that your internal compliance policies, website content, marketing material, and contracts align with the activities now authorised on your licence. In the following sections, we review activities that cannot be added without a separate NOC, what free zone businesses should do, and how to verify that your changes are reflected correctly at both the emirate and federal levels.
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Activities Requiring External Approvals And RTA NOCs
Not every activity can be added to a Dubai trade licence through the DET alone. The UAE Government’s services directory clarifies that some activities require external approvals or No Objection Certificates from sector regulators before the DET will authorise them on a trade licence. In practice, this means that your licence amendment process may involve additional steps outside the Invest in Dubai licensing portal, depending on the nature of the activity.
A clear example is the transport and mobility sector, where Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) acts as a regulator for certain activities. The government services directory lists a specific RTA digital service titled “Apply for an NOC to Add or Remove an Activity on a Trade licence”. This NOC is required when you want to add (or remove) particular transport-related activities on an existing Dubai licence. There is also a separate RTA service called “Apply for an NOC for a New Trade Licence”, underlining that new licences and amendments can be subject to different approval processes.
When you are selecting a new activity on Invest in Dubai, it is advisable to check whether the activity description indicates that an external approval is required and note which regulator is involved. You must then follow that regulator’s official process to obtain the necessary NOC or approval before DET can complete the licence amendment. Attempting to add a regulated activity without securing the required NOC can leave your business non-compliant and at risk of penalties, including the AED 2,000 fine that the Commercial Compliance Manual specifies for changing or adding an authorised activity without prior approval.
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Free Zone Businesses: Adding Or Changing Activities
If your company is established in a Dubai free zone, the process for adding or changing activities is different from that for mainland entities. Official UAE Government guidance explains that free zone businesses are regulated by their respective free zone authorities, each of which sets its own detailed procedures for licensing and amendments within the framework of applicable laws. As a result, amendments to licences in free zones, including the addition of activities, must be processed directly with the relevant free zone authority rather than through DET or Invest in Dubai.
The UAE Government portal on authorities regulating free zone activities directs investors to the websites of individual free zones and their regulators for specific procedural guidance. Those websites typically set out which activities are available, how to request amendments, which forms or board resolutions are required, and whether any external approvals or NOCs apply. Because classifications and conditions in free zones may not be identical to those on the mainland, you should always confirm with your free zone authority how your intended activity is categorised and what steps are required to add it to your existing licence.
A high-level comparison of responsibilities is set out below:
| Aspect | Mainland Dubai (DET) | Dubai Free Zones (Free Zone Authority) |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing Authority | Dubai Economy and Tourism (DET) | Relevant free zone authority |
| Main Portal For Amendments | Invest in Dubai online portal | Individual free zone authority website/online system |
| Activity List Reference | DET-approved Dubai licence activities list | Free zone’s own list of permitted activities |
| External Approvals/NOCs | Sector regulators (e.g. RTA for some transport cases) | May require sectoral approvals; varies by free zone |
| Licence Verification | DET licence search; National Economic Register | Free zone systems; where applicable, federal inquiry tools |
Regardless of whether your business is on the mainland or in a free zone, the underlying principle remains: you may only conduct the activities that are properly authorised on your current licence, and any new activities must be added through the competent authority following its official process.
After Approval: Verification, Federal Checks And Corporate Tax
Your compliance obligations do not end once your Dubai trade licence amendment to add activities has been approved. The UAE Government’s “Verify business licences” guidance highlights that businesses can and should use official channels to confirm that their licence data, including activities, is correctly recorded. For DET-regulated entities, this includes the DET’s own licence search tools, as well as the federal National Economic Register, which provides a consolidated view of registered economic entities and their key details.
The same UAE Government guidance also points users to the Ministry of Economy’s online systems, which allow inquiries by business name or business activity. These can be used to cross-check that your newly added activities are captured adequately at the federal level, where relevant. It is advised that businesses retain screenshots or official extracts from these systems, confirming that the updated activities appear correctly, as evidence for internal audit, banking or investor due diligence, and future regulatory queries.
From a tax perspective, u.ae explains that UAE corporate tax applies to all businesses and individuals conducting business activities under a commercial licence in the UAE, subject to the usual thresholds and conditions. Corporate tax became applicable from the beginning of the first financial year starting on or after 1 June 2023 or 1 January 2024, depending on the entity’s financial year. This means that any activities you add to a Dubai business licence for financial periods starting on or after those dates are potentially within the scope of corporate tax if your business otherwise meets the criteria.
Adding new activities may or may not change your corporate tax position. However, it is a logical point to reassess your situation: for example, whether the new activity alters your revenue profile, affects how your business is characterised, or introduces new cross-border elements. Because this article provides general guidance only and not tax advice, consulting a qualified tax adviser or your usual professional advisers is in your best interest to understand the specific impact of activity changes on your corporate tax obligations.
Frequent Errors And Practical Compliance Tips
Several recurring issues arise when businesses try to modify their trade licence activities in Dubai. Being aware of these helps you plan a smoother and more compliant Dubai trade license amendment.
One common error is starting to offer a new service operationally before the relevant activity has been added to the licence and approved by the DET or the free zone authority. As the Commercial Compliance Manual makes clear, conducting unregistered activities or changing/adding authorised activities without the necessary approval can trigger an AED 2,000 fine and other enforcement action. Operations and licensing teams should coordinate to ensure the licence is amended first.
Another risk is neglecting to update the MOA/AoA when the business purpose has clearly expanded. Even if the DET accepts the amendment, misalignment between your constitutional documents and your actual business scope can create legal and corporate governance issues later, especially during transactions, audits or disputes. Periodically reviewing the purpose clause when major new activities are added is advisable.
A third pitfall involves external approvals. Some activities, such as certain transport-related services, require NOCs from regulators like the RTA before the DET will authorise them. Failing to identify and obtain the required NOC can delay your amendment and, if you proceed operationally without it, leave you non-compliant. Always check activity descriptions and the UAE Government services directory for references to external approvals and follow the indicated processes carefully.
Additionally, businesses sometimes neglect to verify that the added activities are correctly recorded on the DET’s systems, free zone portals, the National Economic Register, or the Ministry of Economy inquiry services. Relying only on an internal copy of the licence is not enough; discrepancies between different official records can cause issues with banks, counterparties, and regulators. Finally, do not assume that corporate tax is unaffected just because “only” an activity was added. Given that tax applies to business activities under a commercial licence, material changes in your activity profile should prompt a review of your tax position.
FAQ
How To Add a New Activity To an Existing Trade Licence In Dubai?
To add a new activity to an existing mainland Dubai trade licence, first use Invest in Dubai’s “Search License Information” service to confirm your current activities. Then, locate the desired activity in the “Search Business Activities” list, ensuring it exists in the official DET catalogue. Align your internal approvals and, where needed, your MOA/AoA with the new activity, and then submit a licence amendment request through the relevant Invest in Dubai service, selecting the new activity from the list. Pay the displayed government fees, obtain any required external No Objection Certificates (for example, for some transport activities), and finally verify the updated licence using the DET’s search tools and the National Economic Register.
What Are The Steps To Amend a Dubai Mainland Business Licence To Add Activities?
The main steps to amend a Dubai mainland business licence to add activities are: confirm your existing licence information via Invest in Dubai; identify the official activity you want to add using “Search Business Activities”; review and, if necessary, amend your MOA/AoA and obtain internal approvals; submit an amendment request through Invest in Dubai, selecting the additional activity; secure any required external approvals, such as sector regulator NOCs; pay the indicated government fees; and verify that the newly added activity appears correctly on the DET’s systems and, where applicable, federal platforms.
What Approvals Are Needed To Add Transport Activity To a Dubai Trade Licence?
For certain transport-related activities, approvals go beyond the DET. The UAE Government services directory notes that Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) offers a digital service called “Apply for an NOC to Add or Remove an Activity on a Trade licence”. If the activity you want to add falls within RTA-regulated categories, you must obtain this NOC before the DET will authorise the activity on your existing licence. This is distinct from the RTA service “Apply for an NOC for a New Trade Licence”, which relates to obtaining a new licence rather than amending an existing one. Always check the activity description and u.ae Services Directory to see whether an RTA or other regulator NOC is required.
What Is The Penalty For Adding Activity Without Approval In Dubai?
According to the Commercial Compliance Manual for Dubai, changing or adding an authorised activity without obtaining prior approval from the DET or the competent government authority is a specific violation. The administrative fine for this violation is AED 2,000. In more serious cases, broader non-compliance with licensing requirements can lead to measures such as winding up of the company or deregistration of a branch, particularly where a valid licence is not maintained. This is why any change to authorised activities should always be processed as a formal amendment with the appropriate authority.
How Can I Check If An Added Activity Is Registered In Dubai?
After your amendment is approved, you should verify that the added activity is registered correctly. For mainland entities, you can use the DET’s licence search tools and the Invest in Dubai “Search License Information” service to confirm that the new activity appears on your current licence record. Additionally, the UAE Government’s “Verify business licences” page provides access to the National Economic Register and Ministry of Economy inquiry systems, where you can check details by business name or activity. Keeping official printouts or screenshots of these confirmations is advisable for audit and due diligence purposes.
What Is The Difference Between the New Trade Licence NOC And the Add Activity NOC From the RTA?
The RTA offers two distinct services relevant to trade licences. “Apply for an NOC for a New Trade Licence” relates to obtaining RTA’s consent when you are establishing a new business whose activities fall under RTA regulation. In contrast, “Apply for an NOC to Add or Remove an Activity on a Trade licence” applies when you already have a Dubai licence and now wish to add or remove specific transport-related activities. Understanding this distinction helps you select the correct service for your situation and avoid delays in your Dubai business licence amendment.
How Does Adding Activities To a Dubai Free Zone Licence Work?
For free zone businesses, adding activities is handled by the free zone authority that issued the original licence, not by the DET. You must consult the relevant free zone’s official website, where the authority will typically publish its list of permitted activities and the procedure for licence amendments. This may involve submitting an application through the free zone’s online system, updating corporate documents, and, where applicable, securing external approvals or NOCs. Because processes and classifications can differ from the mainland, it is important to follow the free zone authority’s specific instructions and timelines.
What Is The Corporate Tax Impact When Adding Activities To a Dubai Business Licence?
UAE corporate tax applies to businesses and individuals conducting business activities under a commercial licence in the UAE, starting from the first financial year beginning on or after 1 June 2023 or 1 January 2024, depending on the entity’s financial year. Adding activities to your Dubai business licence may impact your tax position if the new activities change your revenue profile, business model, or how your activities are categorised for tax purposes. Although simply adding an activity does not automatically increase tax, it brings that activity within the scope of corporate tax if your business otherwise meets the applicable thresholds and conditions— seeking advice from a qualified tax professional would be prudent.
Explained by
Shaimaa Sayed Qasem
Department of Dubai Economic Services at EGSH
Shaimaa Sayed Qasem is a dedicated service provider at the Department of Dubai Economic Services at EGSH, with seven years of experience delivering business services, supporting clients and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
*This article summarises information drawn from official UAE and Dubai government sources for general guidance only and does not constitute legal, tax, or other professional advice; businesses should seek appropriate professional counsel for their specific circumstances.
