Short answer: The IFZA licence cancellation letter is the official confirmation that your company's trade licence has been de-registered and the company cancelled. It is the one document you receive at the end — there is no separate document for the establishment card cancellation; the licence letter covers both. It is issued by Dubai Silicon Oasis (the authority IFZA licenses under), and IFZA charges AED 2,500 to cancel the licence and establishment card together. You need this letter to deregister from corporate tax — its date starts the three-month FTA clock.
When you close an IFZA company, the process ends with a single piece of paper that matters more than any other: the cancellation letter. It is the proof the company has ceased to exist. Yet it routinely causes two moments of confusion — owners expect it to come from "IFZA" and it comes from somewhere else, and they wait for a second document that never arrives. This article clears both up, and explains what the letter actually contains and why it matters.
The basicsWhat is the IFZA licence cancellation letter?
It is the authority's formal confirmation that your IFZA company's trade licence has been de-registered and the company cancelled. It states, in plain terms, that all the relevant formalities are complete and the company and its licence have been closed.
That confirmation is the whole point of the document. It is not a receipt or an interim acknowledgement — it is the definitive record that the company has formally ceased to exist, issued only once every step of the cancellation is done. It is the letter you keep permanently and produce whenever you need to prove the company is closed.
The DSO questionWhy does it come from Dubai Silicon Oasis, not "IFZA"?
This surprises a lot of owners: they close an IFZA company and the cancellation letter arrives on Dubai Silicon Oasis letterhead, marked as a member of Dubai Integrated Economic Zones (DIEZ). It looks, at a glance, like the wrong document.
It is not. IFZA licenses companies in Dubai under the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, which sits within Dubai Integrated Economic Zones. Dubai Silicon Oasis is the governing authority for the free zone that IFZA operates within — so the official cancellation of an IFZA company is issued by Dubai Silicon Oasis, on its letterhead. The DIEZ branding is the authority behind your licence, not a different company. Your IFZA company's cancellation letter simply carries the name of the authority that administers it.
Is there a separate document for the establishment card cancellation?
No — and this is the single most useful thing to know. Closing an IFZA company cancels two things: the trade licence and the establishment card (the company's immigration card). Owners naturally expect a document for each. There is only one.
The establishment card is cancelled as part of the process, but IFZA does not issue a standalone establishment card cancellation certificate. The licence cancellation letter is your single confirmation that both the licence and the establishment card have been closed. If you are waiting for a separate immigration-card document before you consider the company fully cancelled, you will wait indefinitely — because none is issued.
What does IFZA charge to cancel the licence and establishment card?
IFZA charges AED 2,500 to cancel the trade licence and the establishment card — one combined fee covering both. There is no separate line for the establishment card; the single charge closes the pair.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| IFZA licence & establishment card cancellation | AED 2,500 (combined government fee) |
| Separate establishment card document | None issued |
| Document you receive | The licence cancellation letter (covers both) |
This is an IFZA government charge, separate from visa cancellation costs and from any professional fee for the liquidation report. IFZA sets the amount and confirms it in the estimate it issues once the cancellation application is submitted — and any late-cancellation penalty, if the licence has expired, is added on top. The way that penalty runs, and the establishment card cancellation date that stops it, is covered in our guide to the IFZA cancellation penalty.
What's in itWhat does the cancellation letter contain?
It is a short, formal letter — typically bilingual, English and Arabic side by side. In substance it carries:
- The date of cancellation.
- The company's name and that it is a Dubai, UAE entity.
- A subject line along the lines of "Notice of Termination/Cancellation of Company."
- A confirmation that all relevant formalities are complete and the company and licence have been de-registered or cancelled.
- A sign-off from the authority's commercial services department, Dubai Silicon Oasis.
- A note that it is an approved electronic document with a QR code for verification — so it carries no wet signature.
Because it is issued electronically and verified by QR code, the absence of a physical signature is normal and does not weaken it. The QR code is how any third party — the FTA, a bank — confirms the letter is genuine.
Why it mattersWhy do you need the cancellation letter?
Because it is the evidence the company is properly closed, and several things depend on it:
- Corporate tax deregistration. The date on the letter starts the three-month window to file your CT deregistration with the FTA. The letter, and its date, are central to closing the tax file. See corporate tax deregistration.
- Closing the bank account. The bank will want proof the company has ceased before closing the corporate account.
- Proof of a clean exit. It is the record that the company was formally cancelled rather than left to lapse — the document to keep on file permanently.
What should you do with the cancellation letter?
- Confirm it is the right document. Dubai Silicon Oasis / DIEZ letterhead is correct for an IFZA cancellation.
- Do not wait for an establishment card certificate — the licence letter covers both.
- Note the date. It starts the three-month FTA deregistration clock.
- File your corporate tax deregistration within that window, using the letter as proof of cessation.
- Keep it permanently, alongside your final liquidation report and licence documents.
Cancel your IFZA company the right way
Fastlane is an MoE-Approved Auditor. We prepare the IFZA liquidation report, coordinate the licence and establishment card cancellation so the AED 2,500 fee and any penalty are settled correctly, and obtain your cancellation letter — then deregister your corporate tax file within the three-month window the letter starts. One team from closure to tax file.
+971 55 127 3479 · info@fastlanecareer.com
Related guides and services
- IFZA liquidation — the full IFZA closure process, costs and documents.
- IFZA cancellation penalty — when the penalty starts and what stops it.
- Corporate tax deregistration — closing your FTA file after cancellation, from AED 399.
- UAE liquidation audit report — closure across other UAE jurisdictions.
- Corporate tax filing — the final return before deregistration.
IFZA Liquidation
The full IFZA closure — process, costs and documents.
Cancellation Penalty
When the IFZA penalty starts, and what stops it.
CT Deregistration
Close your FTA file after cancellation — from AED 399.
UAE Liquidation
Closure across other UAE jurisdictions.
Frequently asked questions
It is the official document confirming that your IFZA company's trade licence has been de-registered and the company cancelled. It is the proof that the company has formally ceased to exist — the single confirmation you receive at the end of the cancellation process, and the document the Federal Tax Authority, your bank and others will want to see as evidence the company is closed.
Because IFZA licenses companies in Dubai under the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, which is part of Dubai Integrated Economic Zones (DIEZ). Dubai Silicon Oasis is the governing authority for the free zone IFZA operates within, so the official cancellation letter for an IFZA company is issued on Dubai Silicon Oasis / DIEZ letterhead. It is still your IFZA company's cancellation confirmation — the DIEZ branding is the authority behind the licence, not a different company.
No. This is the point most owners get wrong. The establishment card is cancelled as part of the closure, but IFZA does not issue a standalone establishment card cancellation certificate. The licence cancellation letter is your single confirmation that the company — licence and establishment card together — has been closed. Do not wait for a separate immigration-card document, because none is issued.
IFZA charges AED 2,500 to cancel the trade licence and the establishment card — one combined fee covering both. This is an IFZA government charge, separate from any professional fee and from visa cancellation costs. IFZA sets the amount and it is confirmed in the estimate IFZA issues once the cancellation application is submitted.
It is a short, formal letter, typically bilingual in English and Arabic. It shows the date, the company's name, a subject line such as “Notice of Termination/Cancellation of Company,” and a confirmation that all relevant formalities are complete and the company and licence have been de-registered or cancelled. It is signed off by the authority's commercial services department and issued as an approved electronic document with a QR code for verification — so it carries no wet signature.
It is the evidence the company is properly closed. You need it to deregister from corporate tax with the Federal Tax Authority — the date on it starts the three-month window for your CT deregistration application — and to close the corporate bank account and settle any other closure formalities. Without it, there is no proof the company has ceased, and the tax file cannot be closed cleanly.
No. The letter closes the IFZA licence; it does not close your Federal Tax Authority registration. Corporate tax deregistration is a separate application filed with the FTA, and it must be submitted within three months of the cancellation date shown on the letter. Treat the letter as the trigger to start the CT deregistration, not as proof it is done.
The names are used loosely. You may see it referred to as the licence cancellation letter, the trade licence cancellation certificate, or the company cancellation clearance certificate. They refer to the same thing: the authority's formal confirmation that the company and its licence have been cancelled. What matters is the confirmation it carries, not the exact title.
Fastlane Tax Team
MoE-Approved Auditor · FTA-Registered Tax Agent · Dubai
This article was prepared by the audit and liquidation team at Fastlane Management Consultancy, a Dubai-based MoE-Approved audit firm and FTA-Registered Tax Agent. We handle IFZA company closures end to end — liquidation report, licence and establishment card cancellation, obtaining the cancellation letter, and corporate tax deregistration.