How to get a trade licence in Abu Dhabi on TAMM

On the Abu Dhabi mainland, economic licences are issued by the Department of Economic Development (ADDED). Business registration and licensing sit with the Abu Dhabi Registration Authority (ADRA), which describes itself as an arm of ADDED. Applications are not made at a counter by default: ADDED directs investors to its eServices on TAMM, the unified Abu Dhabi Government services platform, where you log in with UAE Pass.

ADDED's licensing page lists the primary services as reserving a trade name and issuing, renewing, cancelling, amending and mortgaging an economic licence, with secondary services for amending the name, address or activity, licence statements, paying fees and enquiries. It separates economic licences, which permit an activity once the legal conditions are met, from permits for things such as commercial advertising or temporary activities.

Free zones in Abu Dhabi (ADGM, KEZAD, Masdar City, twofour54 and others) license their own companies. If you are deciding between mainland and a zone first, read our Abu Dhabi company setup overview. This page deals with the mainland licence only.

ADDED lists seven economic licence types. Choosing the right one first saves the most money:

• Standard: for business in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in any legal form, using the traditional setup procedure. Most LLCs and branches use this.
• Abu Dhabi Trader (Tajer): issued electronically for specific commercial activities. ADRA publishes a basic fee of AED 790 for six activities, AED 100 per extra activity, and no office lease needed for the first three years.
• Dual: for free zone establishments that want to operate outside the zone; ADRA publishes a basic cost of AED 1,200.
• Freelancer: for citizens and foreigners practising listed activities remotely, with no physical office required.
• Mobdea: for female UAE citizens, with 44 mostly creative activities and no physical headquarters required.
• Small producers: for citizens with private farms offering agricultural and animal husbandry services.
• Virtual: for individuals living outside the UAE who want to start a business in Abu Dhabi.

Eligibility differs by type, so check the conditions on TAMM before paying for a name or premises.

The UAE Government portal sets out the conventional mainland route, and Abu Dhabi follows the same logic through TAMM:

1. Choose the activity. ADRA publishes the official activity list on TAMM; the activity drives the legal form, the licence type and the approvals needed.
2. Choose the legal form. The form must match the activity (sole establishment, LLC, partnership, branch and so on).
3. Reserve the trade name using the TAMM trade name search and reservation service.
4. Obtain initial approval. This confirms the government has no objection; it does not let you trade. For foreign investors, u.ae notes that approval from the residency authority is required first.
5. Draft the memorandum of association for an LLC or other company form, and any service agent agreement your form requires.
6. Secure the premises and register the lease, unless your licence type is exempt.
7. Get external approvals for regulated activities (for example health, education or financial services).
8. Pay the fees. u.ae warns that the trade licence must be paid within 30 days of the payment voucher or the application is cancelled.

Premises are the biggest variable. A standard licence normally needs a physical address meeting municipal planning rules, backed by a registered lease. Several Abu Dhabi licence types remove that cost for a period: Tajer Abu Dhabi needs no office lease for the first three years, freelancer and Mobdea licences need no physical office, and since February 2025 firms registered in other emirates (and their free zones) can open an Abu Dhabi branch without physical premises for the first year, for activities on ADRA's published list.

Published government fees that are fixed amounts are few:

• Tajer Abu Dhabi: AED 790 basic (six activities), AED 100 per additional activity, up to about AED 5,500 depending on activities (ADRA).
• Dual licence: AED 1,200 basic, AED 100 per additional activity (ADRA).

For a standard licence, fees depend on the activity, legal form and premises, and are shown on TAMM when you apply; Abu Dhabi Chamber membership and any external approval fees are added. We do not quote a standard-licence total because ADDED does not publish a single figure. Treat third-party starting prices with care and ask for the TAMM fee breakdown.

Most delays on TAMM come from a handful of avoidable errors:

• Choosing the licence type after the name. Tajer, freelancer and Mobdea licences have nationality, residence or legal-form limits. Confirm eligibility before reserving a name or signing a lease.
• Activities that trigger external approvals. Health, education, food, financial and media activities need another authority's sign-off; leave time for it or start with an activity that does not.
• Letting the payment voucher lapse. An unpaid voucher after 30 days cancels the application and you start again.
• A name that fails the rules. Names must carry the legal-form suffix, must not use religious or government names and must not copy a registered name.
• Mixing mainland and free zone rules. A free zone company needs the dual licence (or a separate mainland entity) to trade on the mainland; its free zone licence alone is not enough.

The licence is the first of several registrations. In order:

• Establishment card: needed before any visa; apply through ICP once the licence is issued. ICP publishes the issue and renewal fees.
• Corporate tax: every licensed juridical person must register on EmaraTax; late registration carries an AED 10,000 penalty.
• VAT: register once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000 in 12 months (voluntary from AED 187,500).
• UBO register: file beneficial ownership details with ADDED; see how to file UBO in Abu Dhabi.
• Renewal: renew through TAMM before expiry with a valid lease and approvals.

If the business later closes, the licence must be cancelled through ADDED after tax deregistration; our guide to ADDED licence cancellation covers the order of steps. For questions on TAMM services, ADDED lists the TAMM contact centre on 800555.