Why we use badges at all
A directory without a standard is a phone book. We wanted a signal a customer could read in two seconds and an owner could not buy, so we settled on three badges: Listed, Verified and Trusted.
A badge is a claim, and a claim is only as good as the work behind it. This page sets out exactly what we check, how long a badge lasts and, just as important, what a badge does not tell you. The methodology page holds the formal version. Here is the plain one.
If you read nothing else, read this: Verified means the company is licensed and checked. It does not mean the work will be good.
Listed: documents received, nothing matched yet
A Listed business has uploaded a trade licence and the owner's identification and entered a licence number. Our team has the documents but has not matched them against the register.
Treat Listed as a starting point. The business exists in our system and has claimed its page, but we are not yet vouching for its licence. Customers can still contact it, and the page says plainly which stage it is at.
How quickly a business moves from Listed to Verified depends on how quickly the issuing authority's register responds and whether the documents are clear. We aim to review a complete submission within two working days.
Verified: six checks done by a person
Before the Verified badge appears, a member of the team does six things in order.
- Searches the licence number in the register of the issuing authority, the emirate's economic department for mainland companies (DET in Dubai, ADDED in Abu Dhabi, SEDD in Sharjah) or the relevant free zone, and confirms the status is active.
- Compares the trade name on the register with the name the business uses.
- Checks that the licensed activity covers the services listed. A trading licence does not cover legal advice.
- Confirms the expiry date is in the future and sets a reminder for the renewal.
- Checks that the owner's identification belongs to a person named on the licence or authorised by it.
- For regulated work, confirms the second licence: broker registration for estate agents (RERA in Dubai), a practising licence for lawyers. Recruitment agencies are not accepted on Moathaq.
The owner must also prove control of the business's Google Business Profile by signing in with Google. That step makes it harder for one person to claim another company's listing with a stolen licence.
Trusted: earned by numbers, not by request
Trusted is 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.
There is no form to request it and no fee. A business that stops answering enquiries loses the badge when its response rate falls below the threshold. A business whose reviews are mostly complaints stays Verified, but the reviews are public and customers can read them.
We chose numbers over discretion because discretion invites favours. The same rule applies to the largest company in a category and to a one-person workshop.
What a badge does not promise
A badge does not guarantee quality. A licensed AC company can still do a poor job, and a verified consultant can still miss a deadline. The licence tells you who to hold responsible. The reviews tell you what to expect.
A badge does not mean we have inspected the premises, tested the workmanship or checked the price.
A badge also does not cover a business forever. It describes the state of the register on the day we checked, and we re-check on expiry. For a large job, run the check yourself on the day you sign, using our guide to checking a contractor before paying.
A practical way to use a badge is as a filter, not a verdict. Start with Verified businesses in your category, read the three-star reviews, then ask for a written quote. If two companies both carry the badge, the quote, the warranty terms and the way each one answers your first message will tell you far more than the badge does.
When we remove a badge
A badge comes off within one working day when the register stops matching: the licence expires, is suspended or is cancelled, or the trade name or activity changes. The business is told why, and it can restore the badge by submitting the renewed licence.
We also act on reports. A confirmed fake licence leads to immediate suspension of the listing. A confirmed fake review is removed. A repeat offender is removed from Moathaq.
We do not leave a badge in place while a renewal is in progress. The customer reading the page needs to see the licence as it stands today.
What we will never sell
Businesses pay Moathaq for optional plans, labelled sponsored clicks and extra job posts. None of those changes a badge. We do not sell Verified or Trusted at any price, and a plan does not move a business up the organic ranking.
The line matters most when it is inconvenient. A large advertiser with a lapsed licence loses its badge on the same day as a small one. We would rather lose a customer than the meaning of the badge.
If you see a badge that does not match a licence you checked yourself, tell us through the report form. It is the fastest way for us to find a mistake.
If a Verified business does poor work anyway, write to it with the invoice and a deadline of seven days, leave a review on its Moathaq page and, for a dispute over an amount such as AED 1,500, file a complaint with the consumer protection section of the emirate's economic department (the Department of Economy and Tourism, DET, in Dubai). Send us the details as well, because a pattern of complaints lowers a business's ranking.
Any AED amounts in this guide are typical ranges for Dubai as of October 2026; prices in other emirates are often similar or lower. They are not quotes and not offers: real prices depend on the job, the company and the date, so ask for written quotes.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get the Verified badge?
We aim to review a complete submission within two working days, but this is a target, not a promise. Delays come from unclear scans, a licence number that does not match the trade name, or an owner who has not yet signed in with Google.
Can a business pay for a Trusted badge?
No. Trusted is awarded only when a Verified business has 90 days on the platform, 10 reviews from people who contacted it through Moathaq, an 80 percent response rate and no unresolved complaints. There is no fee and no request form.
Does Verified mean Moathaq guarantees the work?
No. It means the trade licence was matched against the register of the emirate's economic department (such as DET in Dubai) or the free zone. Moathaq does not process payments or guarantee workmanship, so use reviews and a written quote to judge the work itself.
What happens to a badge when a licence expires?
It is removed within one working day. The business is told why and can restore it by uploading the renewed licence, which we match against the register again.
