How to renew a trade licence in Dubai, and add activities

A Dubai mainland trade licence is renewed with the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). You can renew online on the Invest in Dubai portal, by sending an SMS to 6969 and following the instructions, or at a DET service centre. DET says the renewal is completed instantly, and the fee depends on your business activity. Sort out your tenancy registration and any open fines first.

That is the whole process for most small companies, and many owners finish it from a phone in a few minutes. Free zone companies are different: they renew with their own free zone authority, not DET.

The rest of this guide covers what to check before you start, what the fee is made of, what happens if you are late, how to add or change an activity, and when it is worth paying a PRO or a business setup consultant to do it for you.

Most renewals that get stuck are stuck for one of these reasons. Check them a month before the expiry date.

1. Your tenancy registration. A mainland licence is tied to a business address. In Dubai, tenancy contracts are registered through Ejari with the Dubai Land Department. Business setup consultants consistently report that an expired Ejari is one of the most common reasons a renewal cannot go through, so renew your lease and its Ejari registration first. If your situation is unusual, confirm with a DET service centre.
2. Open fines or violations. Any outstanding DET fines usually need to be paid before the licence can be renewed. The portal will show you what is due.
3. External approvals. Some activities need approval from another authority, such as Dubai Municipality, the Dubai Health Authority or the police. If one of those approvals has expired, renew it first.
4. Your contact details. DET sends renewal reminders by SMS, and the renewed licence is sent by email. Make sure the mobile number and email registered on the licence still reach you, not a former partner or an old PRO.

It is also a good moment to look at your licence with fresh eyes. Does it still list the right activities, the right manager and the right address? If not, you may want to amend it at the same time (see below).

According to the Invest in Dubai renewal service page, run by DET, there are three ways to apply, and the service is completed instantly. DET also offers a proactive service that sends you an SMS reminder near the expiry date.

Option 1: online on the Invest in Dubai portal

1. Open the renewal service from the Invest in Dubai portal.
2. Enter your licence number or trade name, plus the mobile number and email registered on the licence.
3. Review the fees shown on screen. This is the moment to spot any fine or missing approval.
4. Pay by card.
5. Look for the confirmation. Gulf News, in its step-by-step guide, reports that a digital copy of the renewed licence is emailed to the address linked to the licence.

Option 2: by SMS to 6969

Send your licence number to 6969 and follow the instructions. Gulf News reports that you receive a payment link by SMS and pay online.

Option 3: at a DET service centre

Visit one of the registered business service centres. This is the best choice if the portal shows a problem you cannot fix online, such as a blocked approval or a change of partners.

DET's page also lists payment by direct debit with some banks, and cash or cheque payment through certain banks. Keep the receipt and the new licence copy with your company documents, and put next year's expiry date in your calendar now.

DET does not publish one renewal price, because there is not one. Its official service page says the renewal fee depends on the business activity. As of November 2026, the portal shows your exact amount before you pay, so that is the number to trust, not a figure from a blog or a WhatsApp message.

What usually makes up your total renewal bill:

• The DET licence renewal fees for your activities, shown on the portal.
• Fees for external approvals that some activities need, paid to those authorities.
• Tenancy registration. If you renew your lease at the same time, Ejari registration has its own fees. According to the Dubai Land Department, as of November 2026 registering or renewing a tenancy contract costs AED 177.75 in total through the Dubai REST app or website, and AED 220 at a Trustee Centre, including the AED 100 registration fee, knowledge and innovation fees, the partner fee and VAT.
• Any open fines.
• A PRO or consultant fee, if someone does it for you.

Staff visas, the establishment card and labour permits renew on their own dates and are separate costs. If you want the full picture of a year's running costs, our guide to business setup cost in Dubai sets out the first-year and renewal costs side by side, and the business setup price guide lists typical consultant fees.

A licence that has expired means the company is no longer licensed to trade. DET's service page says renewing on time keeps your business legal and without interruption.

In practice, a lapsed licence can also cause knock-on problems. Many other company transactions, such as staff visa renewals and some banking checks, are processed against a valid trade licence, so they can be held up until you renew. Ask your PRO or bank what is affected in your case.

If you have already missed the date:

1. Renew as soon as you can. The longer you wait, the more any fines grow.
2. Check the portal for the fine due and any blocked approvals.
3. If something blocks the online renewal, go to a DET service centre rather than trying again and again online.
4. If you are closing the business, do not simply let the licence expire. Cancelling a licence is a separate DET service, and an expired licence does not cancel itself.

Adding an activity is a licence amendment, not a new licence. DET's amend trade licence service lists the common changes:

• Modify your business activities
• Change your business location
• Change your manager's details
• Amend partners or parties involved
• Change your capital
• Amend your trade name

DET says you apply for an amendment at a service centre, that the service is completed within 10 minutes, and that fees vary depending on the change. Some changes need extra documents, such as an appendix to the company's contract when partners change, or an auditor's report when capital is reduced.

Before you add an activity, think through three things:

1. Does the new activity need its own approval? Food, health, education, security and some trading activities need approval from another authority, and that can take longer than the amendment itself.
2. Does it fit your office? Some activities have rules on the type or size of premises.
3. Does it change your fees? Renewal fees depend on activity, so adding one can change next year's bill.

Many owners add or remove activities at renewal time, so the licence and its fees are reviewed together. If you are unsure which activity code matches what you actually do, ask a service centre or a business setup consultant in Dubai before you apply, because a wrong code is harder to fix later.

Everything above is for Dubai mainland licences issued by DET. If your licence comes from somewhere else, the steps and fees are different.

• Free zones. According to the UAE government portal, each free zone authority issues its own business licences, and the portal lists dozens of free zones across the seven emirates. Renewal goes through the same authority, on its own portal, with its own fees, and often depends on your office or flexi-desk lease and visa quota in that zone. Look for the renewal price in your free zone contract, and ask for it in writing before you sign up for year one.
• Other emirates. Mainland licences in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman and the other emirates are renewed with that emirate's economic department. The UAE portal lists the official channels for each emirate.

Not sure which one you have? Your licence names the issuing authority at the top. If you are still deciding where to set up, our guide to mainland vs free zone licences compares the two, and you can verify any UAE trade licence, including your own, in two minutes.

A clean renewal of a small mainland licence is something most owners can do themselves in a few minutes. Paying someone makes sense when:

• You are adding or removing activities, changing partners or moving office at the same time.
• An external approval has expired or the portal shows a block you do not understand.
• You also have staff visas, an establishment card and labour contracts to keep on schedule, and want one person tracking every date.
• You are outside the UAE when the licence expires.

Business setup consultants handle licence changes and restructures. A PRO service handles the routine government paperwork year round; our guide on what a PRO service actually does explains the usual packages and prices.

What to ask before you pay anyone:

1. Is your company licensed for this work? Check its licence yourself.
2. Can you show me the government fees separately from your service fee?
3. Will the renewed licence and receipts come to my email, not only yours?
4. Who pays if a fine builds up because of your delay?

Keep a simple renewal calendar with the licence, Ejari, establishment card and each visa date, and check it yourself even if someone else handles the work. When you need help, you can compare licence-checked business setup consultants in Dubai and ask two or three for a quote.