How to get a trade licence in Ajman

Mainland businesses in Ajman are licensed by the Ajman Department of Economic Development, listed on the UAE Government portal as the emirate's licensing authority (ajmanded.ae). Free zone companies in Ajman are licensed by their zone, not by the DED.

In December 2025 Ajman DED launched Go Business, which turns commercial licence issuance into five digital steps:

1. Log in through UAE Pass.
2. Reserve the trade name.
3. Register the activity details; the memorandum of association is documented automatically as part of issuance.
4. Pay electronically.
5. Receive the commercial licence together with the chamber membership certificate and the establishment card.

The fact that the establishment card arrives with the licence is the practical gain: in most emirates the card is a separate application after the licence. The service page for licence issuance states a service time of ten minutes once the prerequisites are complete. The prerequisites, covered below, are what take the time.

Ajman DED's service page for commercial licence issuance (service code DED01.002) sets out the underlying procedure that Go Business digitises:

1. Reserve the trade name through the e-service or a customer happiness centre.
2. Obtain approval from the federal identity and nationality authority for foreign nationals.
3. Obtain approval from other government entities for high-risk activities.
4. Have the lease contract authenticated by the Municipality and Planning Department.
5. Pay the prescribed fees.
6. Issue the memorandum of association (for companies).
7. Issue the licence, including the Ajman Chamber membership certificate and a permit for the commercial signboard.

Documents are light: an Emirates ID for UAE nationals and residents, or a passport copy where a partner is a visitor. For a branch of a company from another emirate or abroad, add the parent's commercial registration certificate, the parent licence and the MOA amendment annex. Activities that need another regulator's approval, such as health or education, take longer and should be confirmed before you sign a lease.

Ajman DED publishes its fees as separate lines rather than a package price. For issuance, the service page lists (AED):

• economic licence issuance or renewal: 600;
• administrative services application: 50;
• commercial name signboard permit: 350;
• commercial register registration: 200, and unified economic activities register: 200;
• advertising banner specification form approval: 100;
• CSR UAE Fund community contribution (companies and establishments): 1,500;
• publishing the official document of a limited liability company: 3,000;
• commercial registration certificate: 200;
• contract documentation fees based on stated capital, plus AED 50 per page for English translation.

Ajman Chamber of Commerce fees are charged on top, and the lease, the attestation and any external approvals are separate costs. Because the total depends on legal form, capital and activity, use these lines to check any quote you receive, and confirm the current schedule on the Ajman DED page before paying. We do not publish our own package price.

Ajman DED's conditions note that UAE citizens may practise all activities under the chosen legal form once the requirements are met. For civil (professional) companies the page sets out specific rules:

• Two or more GCC citizens may form a civil company for a professional activity without a local service agent.
• If any partner is not a GCC citizen, a UAE citizen must be appointed as local service agent or made a partner at any percentage.
• Two citizens of other countries may form a civil company, again with a UAE-citizen local service agent appointed or admitted as partner.

For companies, the page states that the company must have sufficient capital to achieve its purpose, with capital set by the partners and divided into equal shares. Commercial LLCs can generally be fully foreign-owned under the federal Commercial Companies Law, subject to the emirate's list of strategic-impact activities. Choose the legal form with the activity in mind, because changing form later means amending the licence and the MOA.

Go Business is fast only when the inputs are ready. Before logging in, have the following settled:

• The activity and legal form. Pick the activity first; it decides whether you need an external approval and which legal form fits. A civil company with a non-GCC partner needs a UAE-citizen local service agent.
• Two or three trade name options that carry the legal-form suffix and avoid religious, government or already registered names.
• A lease you can attest. The Municipality and Planning Department must authenticate it, so check the unit is zoned for your activity before signing.
• UAE Pass for every signatory, and Emirates ID or passport copies for each partner.
• Parent documents if you are opening a branch: commercial registration, licence and MOA amendment annex.
• A budget for the CSR and LLC publishing lines, which together add AED 4,500 for a new LLC and are often missing from quotes.

Renewal is also digital: log in with UAE Pass, submit the application with the documents, pay and receive the renewed licence. The Ajman Government service page lists a valid attested lease, external approvals where needed and renewal of the original licence for branches. Fee lines on renewal include AED 600 economic licence, AED 50 application, AED 350 signboard permit, AED 100 commercial register renewal, AED 10 unified register renewal, AED 1,500 CSR contribution and AED 200 register certificate, plus chamber fees. The stated time is 15 minutes, and the licence can be extended for one to three years.

After the licence, the usual federal registrations follow: corporate tax registration on EmaraTax (late registration costs AED 10,000), VAT once supplies pass AED 375,000, and the beneficial owner register (see how to file UBO in Ajman). For bookkeeping, see bookkeeping in Ajman. If the business closes, follow the order in Ajman DED licence cancellation.