How to verify a UAE trade licence in two minutes

Most losses to unlicensed providers in the UAE start the same way. A company sends a professional-looking PDF of a trade licence, the customer sees a name and a stamp, and a deposit goes out the same day. Nobody checks the number.

The check itself is short. It needs the licence number, a phone or laptop, and the website of the authority that issued the licence. You do not need an account, a lawyer or a fee.

This guide covers companies licensed on the mainland by the economic department of each emirate (the Department of Economy and Tourism, DET, in Dubai, ADDED in Abu Dhabi, SEDD in Sharjah) and companies licensed in free zones such as DMCC, IFZA, Dubai South, Dubai Silicon Oasis and JAFZA in Dubai, or RAKEZ in Ras Al Khaimah. The steps are the same for all of them; only the website changes.

Run the check before you pay a deposit, share an Emirates ID copy, hand over a passport for visa work or sign a contract. After that point, a mismatch costs you far more to fix.

A mainland licence from DET in Dubai, or from the economic department of another emirate, is a single page with a handful of fields that matter. Learn to read them, because every later step compares against them.

• Trade name and legal form. For example "Example Consultancy L.L.C." The legal form tells you who is liable if something goes wrong.
• Licence number and register number. The licence number is what you search. Write it down yourself instead of copying it from the company's message.
• Licensed activities. A short list of what the company may do. This is the field people skip, and the one that catches most problems.
• Issue and expiry dates. Most licences run for one year and must be renewed.
• Business address. A unit, building and area, usually tied to a registered tenancy contract: in Dubai that is Ejari, the Dubai Land Department's rental registry, and in Abu Dhabi it is Tawtheeq.
• Owners and managers. Names, shares and nationalities appear on the licence or on the linked record.

Free zone licences carry the same ideas in a different layout. Each free zone issues its own licence with its own number format, which is why you must check the register of the zone named on the document.

Ask the company for three things in writing: the full trade name, the licence number and the issuing authority. A real company answers in a minute because the number is printed on its letterhead, its invoices and usually its website footer.

Be cautious if the answer is only a photo or a scan. Images can be edited, and the number in the image may belong to a different company. A number typed into a message is easy to search.

If the company says it works "under" another licence, a sister company or a partner, ask for that licence too. The contract and the invoice must carry the name of the company that holds the licence. Paying a different company is the most common way a clean-looking check turns into a loss.

For a mainland company, use the licence verification service on the website of the emirate's economic department (DET in Dubai, ADDED in Abu Dhabi, SEDD in Sharjah) and search by licence number or trade name. The record shows the current status, the activities and the expiry date. Type the number yourself.

For a free zone company, go to the website of the zone named on the licence. Most zones, including DMCC, IFZA, Dubai South and Dubai Silicon Oasis, publish a company search or a licence verification page. Some ask for the licence number, others for the company name.

Three outcomes are possible:

1. A record that matches. Continue to step 3.
2. No record, or a different company name. Stop. Ask the company to explain in writing. A genuine company can usually point you to the right register within a day.
3. A record marked expired, suspended or cancelled. Do not pay anything. An expired licence means the company cannot lawfully trade, and your contract with it may be hard to enforce.

A record that exists is only half the answer. Compare it with what you are about to buy.

The name. The name on the record must match the name on the quote, the contract and the invoice, letter for letter. "Example Trading L.L.C." and "Example Consultancy L.L.C." are two different companies.

The activity. A company licensed for "general trading" is not licensed to give legal advice. A company licensed for "management consultancy" is not licensed to repair air conditioners. If the activity does not cover the service you are buying, the company is working outside its licence, and you have little recourse if the work goes wrong.

The dates. Check that the licence is valid today and for the length of the job. If it expires next week and your project runs for three months, ask when the renewal will be done.

The address. A company that markets itself as a large office but lists a virtual desk or a residential unit is not necessarily illegitimate, but it is worth a direct question.

The licence proves the company exists. It does not prove that the bank account in the invoice belongs to it.

Ask for the account name with the IBAN and compare it with the trade name on the licence. Payments should go to a company account in the licence holder's name, not to a personal account, an exchange house transfer to an individual or a mobile wallet.

If the company is registered for VAT, its invoice carries a Tax Registration Number (TRN). The Federal Tax Authority offers a TRN verification tool on its website. A mismatch between the TRN holder and the invoice name is a red flag.

For larger jobs, pay in stages tied to delivery, keep every receipt and ask for the contract to name the licence holder and its licence number. Moathaq's guide on mainland and free zone licences explains why some groups of companies trade through more than one entity.

A trade licence is the base layer. Several activities are regulated by a second body, and the second check matters more than the first.

• Real estate brokers in Dubai need a RERA broker registration through the Dubai Land Department, and every property advert there carries a permit number. Search the broker and the permit before viewing. Other emirates have their own real estate regulator.
• Lawyers need a practising licence from the Ministry of Justice, or from the Legal Affairs Department in Dubai or the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) in Abu Dhabi. A "legal consultancy" trade licence alone does not allow appearing in court.
• Recruitment agencies need a licence from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE). No licensed agency charges the candidate a fee for a job offer.
• Clinics and healthcare providers are licensed by the Dubai Health Authority in Dubai, the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi and the Ministry of Health and Prevention in the other emirates.
• Financial services inside DIFC are regulated by the DFSA, and elsewhere by the Central Bank or the Securities and Commodities Authority. Banking consultants are advisers, not banks, and cannot promise an account.

Typing centres and PRO companies handle government transactions on your behalf. For them, ask which portals they are registered on, such as Tasheel for MOHRE services and Amer for immigration services, and who in the office will handle your file.

Forged and borrowed licences usually fail one of a few simple tests.

• The number returns nothing, or returns a company with a different name.
• The document is a flat image with no selectable text, an odd font or a crooked logo.
• The expiry date has passed, or the company is vague about when the renewal will happen.
• The licensed activity has nothing to do with the service on offer.
• The company refuses to put the licence holder's name on the contract or invoice.
• The price is far below every other quote, and the payment details are personal.
• Pressure to pay today "to hold the slot".

One failed test is a reason to ask a question. Two or more is a reason to walk away. If you think you have seen a fake licence on a listing, report it to us at /report and we aim to review it within two working days.

A business that applies for a badge uploads its trade licence. For the Verified badge, a person on our team matches the number, the trade name, the activity and the expiry date against the issuing authority's register. Only then does the badge appear, and only if the owner has also proved control of the company's Google Business Profile. A Listed badge means we have the documents but have not matched them yet, and a listing with no badge has not been checked by us.

We repeat the check when a licence expires, and we remove a badge when a record no longer matches. The full process, including what we never do, is on our methodology page.

You can run the same check on any company, listed with us or not. Start with the licence number, search the register, compare the name, the activity and the dates, and confirm who receives the money. It takes about two minutes, and it is the cheapest protection available to anyone hiring in the UAE.