A Dubai mainland trade licence renews every year, and the renewal invoice is not one number. It is a stack: the licence fee itself, the tenancy, the chamber, any activity approvals your business needs, and the immigration side running on its own clock.
We are not going to publish a total. Dubai prices by activity, legal form and premises, so a single figure for "a Dubai trade licence renewal" is a figure for somebody else's company. What we can do is show you the stack, so you can price your own and recognise a quote that is missing something.
What is in the stack
| Component | Whose charge | When |
|---|---|---|
| Trade licence renewal fee | The economic department | Annually |
| Tenancy renewal and its registration | Landlord and authority | Annually |
| Chamber of commerce membership | Chamber | Annually |
| Activity approvals, where required | The relevant regulator | Annually or per approval |
| Establishment card renewal | Immigration | Own cycle |
| Residence visas, per person | Immigration | Typically every two years |
| Health insurance, per person | Insurer | Annually |
| Our renewal handling | SwiftHub | Annually |
What the published fee schedule says
The economic department's own line in that stack is the one figure Dubai has published as law. Executive Council Resolution No. 13 of 2011, the fee and fine schedule on Dubai's legislation portal, sets AED 600 to issue or renew a licence, AED 3,000 to renew a general trading licence, AED 3,000 for a contracting licence, AED 3,000 for an investment licence, and AED 1,000 for a licence to work from home (Intilaq).
Treat those as the floor of that one line, not as your invoice. Since Decree No. 13 of 2024, every renewal is filed on Invest in Dubai, and the fees are set in a procedures manual the Department of Economy and Tourism has not published; the schedule's figures date from 2011. Your renewal invoice on the portal is the final word, which is why we read it with you before paying. What has to be in order before you file is on our DED licence renewal page.
The approvals that catch people
A licence renewal is straightforward until an activity approval is attached to it. Food businesses need Dubai Municipality clearances current at renewal. Health activities need their regulator. A lapsed approval blocks the licence renewal rather than simply expiring on its own, which is how a two-week job becomes a two-month one.
If your activity involves food, how to start a food business in Dubai sets out which approvals attach and to whom. We handle them through Dubai Municipality services.
What renewing does not cover
Renewing your licence has no effect on your tax position. Corporate tax registration persists, and the return is due nine months after each tax period ends whether or not you renewed on time. See the corporate tax filing deadline and the Federal Tax Authority.
It also does not renew your staff's visas. Those run per person on their own two-year cycle, which is why a company with several employees has renewal dates scattered across the calendar rather than one annual event.
What we charge
Our own fees are published and fixed: AED 600 for corporate tax and VAT registration, and per residence visa AED 200 typing, AED 300 unemployment insurance, AED 300 portal access and health cover from AED 500. Authority charges are billed at cost with the receipt attached.
If you are comparing renewal against a move to a free zone, free zone renewal costs covers what that side looks like, and the disadvantages of a free zone company covers what you would give up.
Renewing late
Late renewal attracts fines that grow, and past a point the licence lapses. The 2011 schedule sets AED 250 for failing to renew within the set period and AED 200 for each month of delay. A lapsed licence invalidates the visas sponsored under it, which turns an administrative problem into a residency one for your staff. It escalates faster than people expect, which is why we track client renewal dates rather than waiting for the reminder. If you would rather not own any of it, our PRO service covers the renewal calendar along with the filings.
Dubai trade licence renewal questions
It depends on activity, legal form and premises, and anyone quoting a single figure without asking those three things is quoting somebody else's company. The economic department's own fee in the published 2011 schedule is AED 600 (AED 3,000 for general trading); the tenancy, the chamber, approvals and visas sit on top, and the invoice on Invest in Dubai is the final word. We quote yours in writing.
On Invest in Dubai, the digital window through which Decree No. 13 of 2024 requires every licence renewal to be filed. Renew the tenancy and any activity approvals first; the portal checks them before it issues the invoice.
In practice yes. A current registered tenancy is generally a prerequisite for a mainland licence renewal, so the lease timing drives the licence timing rather than the other way round.
Fines that increase with time: AED 250 for missing the deadline and AED 200 a month after that, in the 2011 schedule. Eventually the licence lapses, and visas sponsored under a lapsed licence become invalid, which is the consequence that actually hurts.
No. Residence visas run per person, typically on a two-year cycle, independent of the licence date.
Yes, and renewal is often the sensible moment to do it, because an amendment at renewal is usually simpler than a standalone amendment mid-year. Tell us before we file rather than after.
Usually, because the first year carries one-off costs such as the establishment card and initial visa issuance. How much cheaper depends almost entirely on how many visas you hold.
Last reviewed 22 October 2026. This page deliberately carries no total. Dubai prices by activity, legal form and premises, and a published total for "a trade licence renewal" would be a number you could not hold us to. The fee and fine figures are from Executive Council Resolution No. 13 of 2011 and the filing channel from Decree No. 13 of 2024, both on Dubai's legislation portal, read on 22 October 2026.
