Paralegal services
Business licences, activity approvals and permits from the authorities that issue them.
We obtain the licences and approvals a business needs to operate in the UAE, from a new commercial licence to sector approvals from the health, education, financial and municipal authorities. For new entrants and for businesses expanding into new activities.
Every business activity in the UAE requires a licence, and many require additional approvals before the licence is issued or renewed. A restaurant needs the municipality and the food safety authority; a clinic needs the health authority; a school needs the education regulator; a financial adviser needs the Securities and Commodities Authority or a financial free zone regulator; an e-commerce business needs a specific activity code. Adding an activity, opening a branch, changing premises or hiring a certain category of staff each brings its own approval. The rules differ between emirates and free zones and change frequently.
Khalifa Al Sada Advocates & Legal Consultants obtains licences to conduct business in the UAE for clients ranging from new companies entering the market to established businesses expanding into different areas and sectors. Our paralegal team deals with the authorities daily and our lawyers step in when an application raises a legal question.
We assist:
We also advise companies that are unsure whether their planned activity is licensable at all, before they invest.
We identify the licence category and activity codes that match what you actually do, and the approvals that each activity triggers. We prepare and file the applications with the Department of Economy and Tourism, the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, the free zone authorities and the sector regulators, and we follow them through inspections and conditions to issue. We handle the related registrations with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, the immigration authority, the Chamber of Commerce and the tax authority.
For regulated sectors we prepare the supporting documents the regulator expects: business plans, policies, staff qualifications, premises plans and compliance manuals. We handle renewals and amendments, including changes of activity, trade name, manager and address, and the annual approvals that some sectors require. When a licence is suspended or a fine is imposed we lodge the grievance and negotiate the conditions for restoration. Where a business needs a legal opinion on whether an activity is permitted or how it must be structured, our corporate and regulatory lawyers provide it.
Licensing is where many businesses lose months. Our team knows which authority to approach, what each will ask for and in what order, and how to avoid the rejections that come from mismatched activity codes or missing approvals. Because our lawyers work alongside the paralegal team, a problem that turns legal is handled without delay.
We work in Arabic and English from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and we deal with the authorities in Arabic on your behalf.
We match your business to the correct licence category, activity codes and required approvals.
We prepare the file, obtain the pre-approvals and submit to the licensing authority.
We follow the application through inspections, sector conditions and the issue of the licence.
We complete the related registrations and diarise the renewals.
The activity list is long and the wrong choice leads to rejection or later problems with banks and tenders. We map your actual business to the codes and approvals that fit.
Traditionally only through a mainland branch or distributor. Dubai now offers a permit route for some activities under 2025 rules, with conditions. We advise on the options.
It varies widely. A health facility or a school approval can take several months and requires premises and staff to be in place; simpler approvals take days. We give you a timeline at the outset.
Fines, closure and difficulty enforcing contracts. It is far cheaper to license correctly first. If you are already operating, we regularise the position.
Insights
7 Sept 2026 7 min read
The differences that matter between a mainland licence and a free zone company: ownership, where you can trade, corporate tax, visas, cost, banking and the new permit routes. A practical comparison for investors and founders.
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