The short answer
There is no single Dubai company registry and no UAE version of Companies House. Every UAE company is licensed by one authority: the economic department of an emirate for a mainland company, or a free zone authority. To check a company from abroad, read the issuing authority off its trade licence or certificate of incorporation, then search that authority's own register.
The Invest in Dubai business directory lists Dubai mainland companies and companies in Dubai free zones such as Meydan, IFZA, DMCC and Dubai World Trade Centre. You can search it by company name or Dubai Unified Licence (DUL) number without an account. DIFC, ADGM and DMCC also run their own public registers. For mainland companies in the other emirates, the official lookups need a UAE PASS sign-in. Compare the name, licence number, status, expiry date and activities with the copy you were sent.
Which register holds the company
Start with the licence or certificate you were sent. It names the authority that issued it, and that authority's register is the one to search. Mainland companies are licensed by the economic department of their emirate. Free zone companies are licensed by their free zone authority, and each free zone keeps its own records.
| Where the company is licensed | Licensing authority | Official lookup | Search by | What you can check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai mainland and Dubai free zones (for example Meydan, IFZA, DMCC and Dubai World Trade Centre) | Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) for mainland companies, or the free zone authority named on the licence | Invest in Dubai business directory | Company name or Dubai Unified Licence (DUL) number. No account needed. | Issuing authority, status, DUL and licence number, legal type, licence type, issue and expiry date, address, and each licensed activity with its status. An IFZA company we looked up was listed under Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DSO). |
| Abu Dhabi mainland | Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) | Enquire about economic licences, on TAMM | The licence details the service asks for. Sign in with UAE PASS first. | Licence information held by ADDED. |
| Sharjah mainland | Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD) | National Economic Register | Licence or trade name details. Sign in with UAE PASS first. | Economic licences and their activities. SEDD's own trade name search did not load from outside the UAE when we checked on 25 Sep 2026. |
| Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah mainland | The economic department of each emirate (in Fujairah, Fujairah Municipality) | National Economic Register | Licence or trade name details. Sign in with UAE PASS first. | Economic licences and their licensed activities. |
| Any mainland company, in any emirate | Ministry of Economy and Tourism (federal platform) | National Economic Register | Licence or trade name details. Sign in with UAE PASS first. | Licence data from nine licensing authorities in one place. |
| DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre) | DIFC | DIFC Public Register | Entity name or registered number | Status, registered number, activities, registered office, licence type and validity date, legal structure, directors and shareholder names. |
| ADGM (Abu Dhabi Global Market) | ADGM Registration Authority | ADGM Public Registers | Entity name or identifier | The entity's registration record. The same page links to the register of firms regulated by the FSRA. |
| DMCC free zone | DMCC | Register of DMCC entities | Simple or advanced search | Whether an entity is registered with DMCC. DMCC companies are also listed in the Invest in Dubai directory. |
| RAKEZ free zone | RAKEZ | Verify Document, on RAKEZ e-services | The document number printed on a RAKEZ document | A document issued by RAKEZ, checked against its number. |
| SPC Free Zone, Sharjah | SPC Free Zone | No public company search found on its website on 25 Sep 2026 | Not available | Ask for the licence, then confirm it with the free zone using contact details from its own website, spcfz.ae. |
| RAK ICC (offshore companies) | RAK International Corporate Centre (RAK ICC) | No public company search found on 25 Sep 2026 | Not available | Ask for the certificate of incorporation, then confirm it with RAK ICC through rakicc.com. |
UAE PASS sign-in: when we checked on 25 Sep 2026, the Abu Dhabi licence enquiry on TAMM and the National Economic Register both asked for a UAE PASS sign-in, the UAE digital identity, and neither offered a guest search. If you do not have UAE PASS, ask the company for a current certificate from its licensing authority, and confirm it with that authority through the contact details on the authority's own website.
The UAE government portal keeps an official list of the licence and trade name enquiry services for every emirate: u.ae: Verify business licences
On 25 Sep 2026 the Invest in Dubai directory and the DIFC Public Register opened without an account or payment. This guide prints a fee only when the authority publishes it on its own website, and we found no published search fee for these registers.
Setting up your own UAE company from abroad?
Fixed package prices for the two free zones we quote most often. Every other free zone and every mainland company is quoted in writing.
| Package | Meydan | IFZA | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | AED 12,500 | AED 12,900 | Licence, memorandum of association, flexi-office address and certificate of registration. No visa. |
| Standard | AED 23,136 | AED 23,436 | Basic plus one residence visa, establishment card, medical, Emirates ID and corporate tax registration. |
| Premium | AED 28,136 | AED 28,436 | Company, one residence visa and business bank account opening assistance. |
Bank account opening is subject to each bank's KYC, compliance review and final approval. We prepare the file, pre-check it against the bank's requirements, and if one bank declines we apply to the next.
Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.
How to check a UAE company from abroad, step by step
You can do most of this online from the UK, the US, Europe or anywhere else. The exception is a mainland company outside Dubai, where the official lookups need a UAE PASS sign-in.
- 1
Ask for the licence and the exact legal name
Ask for a copy of the current trade licence, or the certificate of incorporation or registration if that is what the company holds. Write down the legal name exactly as printed, including endings such as LLC, FZCO, FZE or Ltd, and the licence or registration number.
- 2
Find the issuing authority on the document
The licence names the authority that issued it and usually carries its logo. That tells you which row of the table above applies.
- 3
Search that authority's register yourself
Open the register from the authority's own website or from u.ae. Do not use a verification link sent by the company, and do not rely on a screenshot of a search result.
- 4
Compare every detail
Match the legal name, issuing authority, licence or registration number, status, expiry or validity date, licensed activities and registered address with the copy you were sent. For DIFC companies, the record also names the directors and shareholders.
- 5
Check the regulator too, if they sell financial services
If the company offers banking, investment, brokerage, insurance or payment services, check the financial regulator's register as well. In the DIFC, for example, only firms authorised by the DFSA can provide financial services. See the section on financial firms below.
- 6
Ask the authority when you cannot search yourself
For SPC Free Zone and RAK ICC, and for a mainland company outside Dubai if you do not have UAE PASS, contact the licensing authority through the details on its own website and ask it to confirm the licence you hold. You can also ask the company for a current certificate from its authority.
What a register result proves, and what it does not
A matching result shows
- A company with that name and number is licensed by that authority.
- The status of the licence on the day you searched.
- The activities the company is licensed for, where the register shows them.
It does not show
- That the person you are dealing with works for the company or has the right to sign for it.
- That the bank account on an invoice belongs to the company.
- Anything about the company's finances, debts or trading history.
- Who ultimately owns the company, except where the register lists shareholders, as the DIFC register does.
To close those gaps, ask for a letter on company letterhead signed by a named manager, call the company on a number you found yourself, and pay only into an account in the company's exact registered name.
Red flags when checking a UAE company
| What you see | What it can mean | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The company is not in the register named on its licence | The licence may be fake, or the name is spelled differently | Search again by licence number, then ask the authority to confirm |
| The licence is expired, cancelled or suspended | The company may not be allowed to trade | Do not pay or sign until a current licence is confirmed |
| The licensed activities do not cover what they are selling | They may be trading outside their licence | Ask why, and check with the authority |
| The name on the invoice or contract differs from the registered name | You may be paying a different business | Insist on the exact registered name on every document |
| Payment to a personal account, or to an account in another name or country | A common sign of invoice fraud | Stop and verify by phone on a number you found yourself |
| A verification link that is not on the authority's own website | The result page may be a copy | Search the register yourself from the authority's site or u.ae |
| A licence image with no number, or a number that returns another company | The document may have been edited | Ask the authority to confirm the licence |
| Pressure to pay before you can check anything | A pattern used in scams | Take the time to check; a real company can wait a day |
Banks, brokers and other financial firms
Financial services have their own regulators and registers, separate from the licence registers above. Check both.
- Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE)
Publishes the CBUAE Register of licensed financial institutions, and a register of insurance entities, on its licensing page.
- Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA)
Regulates financial firms in the DIFC. Its public register lists authorised firms and individuals.
- Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA)
Regulates financial firms in ADGM. Its register is on the ADGM Public Registers page.
Checking a UAE tax registration number (TRN)
If a UAE supplier sent you a tax invoice, the Federal Tax Authority's Status Check page has a TRN verification tool. You enter the TRN and a security code, and the result shows on screen. Federal Tax Authority: Status Check
Documents to ask the company for
For a larger contract, a supplier onboarding or a KYC file, ask for official documents rather than screenshots.
- A copy of the current trade licence, or the certificate of incorporation or registration.
- The memorandum and articles of association.
- A current certificate or letter from the licensing authority confirming the company's status, if the authority issues one. Names vary, for example certificate of good standing or certificate of incumbency.
- For a VAT registered supplier, its TRN, which you can check yourself as described above.
The company requests authority documents from its own licensing authority. The authority sets the fee and shows it when the company applies, so this guide does not print one.
Setting up your own UAE company from abroad
Some people who search the Dubai company register want to be in it. If you are planning your own UAE company, First Idea Consultant has helped founders set up in the UAE since 2015, from our office in Business Bay, Dubai.
These are the free zones we set up in:
- IFZA (International Free Zone Authority), Dubai
- Meydan Free Zone, Dubai
- DMCC, Dubai
- Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC)
- SPC Free Zone, Sharjah
- RAKEZ, Ras Al Khaimah
- RAK ICC offshore companies, Ras Al Khaimah
You send your business activity and visa count. We come back with an itemised written quote, prepare the application and documents for the free zone, and keep you updated on WhatsApp. The quote says which steps, if any, need you in the UAE. Once the licence is issued, your own clients abroad can check your company with the free zone in the way this guide describes.
- 0% personal income tax. Corporate tax is 9% only on profit above AED 375,000, and registration is included in every package from Standard upward.
- No professional service fee on licence renewals; government and authority fees still apply.
- Bank account opening is subject to each bank's KYC, compliance review and final approval. We prepare the file, pre-check it against the bank's requirements, and if one bank declines we apply to the next. Business bank account opening
Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.
Questions people ask about the Dubai company registry
Is there a Dubai companies house?
No. The UAE has no single companies house. Each company is registered with the authority that licensed it: the economic department of an emirate for a mainland company, or a free zone authority. The National Economic Register brings together licence data from nine licensing authorities, and DIFC, ADGM and DMCC run their own public registers.
How do I check that a Dubai company is real?
Ask for its trade licence, find the issuing authority on it, and search that authority's register yourself. For a company on the Dubai mainland or in a Dubai free zone such as Meydan, IFZA, DMCC or DWTC, use the Invest in Dubai business directory. Compare the name, number, issuing authority, status, expiry date and activities with the copy you were sent.
Can I search the Dubai company register for free?
On 25 Sep 2026 the Invest in Dubai business directory and the DIFC Public Register opened without an account or payment, and we found no published search fee for the registers in this guide. The Abu Dhabi licence enquiry and the National Economic Register need a UAE PASS sign-in. Official certificates are different: the authority sets the fee when the company applies.
What is a DUL number?
DUL stands for Dubai Unified Licence. The Invest in Dubai business directory lets you search Dubai businesses by name or by DUL number.
How do I find a UAE company's licence or registration number?
It is printed on the trade licence or certificate of incorporation. If you only have a name, search the right register by name: the Invest in Dubai directory for Dubai mainland and Dubai free zone companies, or the DIFC, ADGM or DMCC register for those zones. For mainland companies in other emirates, the National Economic Register needs a UAE PASS sign-in. Without one, ask the company for the number and confirm it with its licensing authority.
Can I see who owns a UAE company?
Only in some registers. The DIFC Public Register lists directors and shareholder names. For other companies, ask for the memorandum of association and a current certificate from the licensing authority.
How do I verify a UAE trade licence from the UK or the US?
For a company in Dubai, search the Invest in Dubai business directory, which opened without an account when we checked on 25 Sep 2026. The DIFC, ADGM and DMCC registers can also be searched online. The Abu Dhabi licence enquiry and the National Economic Register, which covers mainland companies in the other emirates, need a UAE PASS sign-in. Without UAE PASS, or where a free zone has no public search, ask the company for a current certificate from its licensing authority and confirm it with that authority through its own website.
Can First Idea Consultant set up a UAE company for me from abroad?
We set up free zone companies at IFZA, Meydan, DMCC, DWTC, SPC and RAKEZ, and offshore companies at RAK ICC. Your written quote says which steps, if any, need you in the UAE. The Basic package is AED 12,500 at Meydan and AED 12,900 at IFZA. Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote.
Planning your own UAE company?
Tell us your business activity and how many visas you need. You get an itemised written quote, usually within a couple of hours.
Official sources, checked 25 Sep 2026
- u.ae: Verify business licences (updated 6 Apr 2026)
- u.ae: National Economic Register (updated 17 Apr 2026)
- Ministry of Economy and Tourism: Company registrars within the UAE
- Invest in Dubai: Dubai business directory
- DIFC: Public Register
- ADGM: Public Registers
- DMCC: Register of DMCC entities
- RAKEZ: Verify Document
- CBUAE: Licensing and the CBUAE Register
- DFSA: Public Register
- Federal Tax Authority: Status Check (TRN verification)
- Ministry of Finance: Corporate Tax threshold of AED 375,000 (Cabinet Decision No. 116 of 2022)