How we verify businesses

Listed. The business uploaded a trade licence and the owner's identification, and entered its licence number. We have received the documents and checked that they are legible and not expired. We have not yet matched the licence on the register. Confirming the phone number with a WhatsApp code is coming soon, so a phone number is not yet checked by code.

Verified. A person on our team matched the licence against the issuing authority's register (for mainland companies the emirate's economic department, such as DET in Dubai, ADDED in Abu Dhabi or SEDD in Sharjah; otherwise the relevant free zone). The trade name, the activity and the expiry date agree with what the business tells customers. The owner also proved control of the company's Google Business Profile by signing in with Google.

Trusted. A Verified business that has also been on Moathaq for at least 90 days, has at least 10 reviews from people who contacted it through Moathaq, answers 80 percent or more of its enquiries and has no unresolved complaints. The badge is awarded by the numbers, not by request.

No badge. The business has not submitted documents. Some listings are created from public licence records and have not been claimed by their owner; they also carry no badge, and we have not checked them. We show them with a clear label.

For a Verified badge we check, in this order:

1. The licence number exists on the issuing authority's register and its status is active.
2. The trade name on the register matches the name the business uses.
3. The licensed activity covers the services listed. A trading licence does not cover legal advice.
4. The expiry date is in the future. We set a reminder for the renewal.
5. The owner's identification belongs to a person named on the licence or authorised by it.
6. For regulated activities, the second licence is present: for real estate brokers, registration with the emirate's real estate regulator (RERA in Dubai); for lawyers, a practising licence.

Recruitment agencies and manpower supply companies are not accepted on Moathaq. We are a job advertising portal, and only employers posting their own vacancies can list.

We aim to review a complete submission within two working days. This is a target, not a promise. We keep the documents for 90 days after the decision and then delete them (see the privacy notice).

We re-check a licence when it expires, when a business changes its name or activity, and when a customer or employee reports a problem. If a record stops matching, the badge is removed within one working day and the business is told why. A business can restore the badge by submitting the renewed licence.

• We never award a badge for payment, for advertising spend or as a favour.
• We never verify from a photo alone. The number must match a register.
• We never guarantee a business's work. A badge says the company is licensed and checked; it does not say the work will be good. Reviews from people who contacted the business cover that.
• We never edit or delete a review to help a business, and we never write one.
• We never let a plan, a bid or a sponsored placement change the verification level.

Reviews come only from people who contacted the business through Moathaq. We ask for a review 48 hours after the enquiry, whatever the outcome, and we publish negative reviews. The ranking factors are public.