VAT Registration in Dubai
AED 199. 1 Working Day.

VAT (Value Added Tax) is a consumption tax levied on the supply of goods and services in the UAE. Introduced in January 2018, the standard UAE VAT rate is 5%. Certain goods and services are zero-rated (0%) or exempt from VAT entirely, such as most healthcare and education services. Businesses collect VAT on behalf of the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) and remit it quarterly.

Any business whose taxable supplies and imports exceed AED 375,000 annually must register for VAT — this is mandatory. Businesses with taxable turnover between AED 187,500 and AED 375,000 may register voluntarily. This applies to mainland companies, free zone entities, sole traders, and foreign businesses with a taxable presence in the UAE.

Once your taxable supplies exceed AED 375,000 in the previous 12 months, you must register within 30 days. You must also register if you anticipate exceeding the threshold within the next 30 days. There is no single annual deadline — the clock starts when your turnover crosses the threshold. Fines for late registration can reach AED 20,000.

The FTA imposes fines of up to AED 20,000 for businesses that fail to register for VAT by their required deadline. Additional penalties apply for interest on unpaid VAT. Non-compliant businesses may also face audits and difficulty obtaining government approvals.

Yes — free zone companies that exceed the mandatory VAT registration threshold must register. Some free zone transactions may be treated as outside the scope of UAE VAT (treated as international supplies), but the company itself still needs a TRN if it meets the threshold. Each free zone has nuances — we advise on your specific situation free of charge.

Voluntary VAT registration is available to businesses with taxable turnover or VAT-bearing expenses between AED 187,500 and AED 375,000. It's worth considering if your clients are VAT-registered (so you can issue proper tax invoices), if you incur significant VAT on business expenses you want to reclaim, or if VAT registration enhances your credibility with larger clients and tenders.

You can verify any UAE VAT registration number through the FTA's official TRN verification tool at tax.gov.ae. Enter the TRN and the portal will confirm whether the number is valid and active. This is useful for due diligence when working with new suppliers or customers.

We submit your application within 1 working day of receiving your complete documents. FTA approval typically takes 3–7 working days from submission, after which you receive your TRN and VAT certificate. The most common cause of delay is incomplete documentation — we review everything before submitting to avoid this.

Yes — if your taxable turnover falls below AED 375,000 and you don't expect to exceed it in the next 12 months, you can apply for VAT de-registration through the FTA portal. We offer this service for AED 499, including eligibility assessment and FTA submission. Note: you cannot de-register within the first 12 months of registration.

Once registered, you must add your TRN to all tax invoices, file VAT returns quarterly (or monthly if FTA requires), maintain VAT records for at least 5 years, and update your FTA registration if your business details change. We brief you on all of this as part of the AED 199 registration service — and offer ongoing quarterly VAT filing from AED 199 per quarter.