How to Amend a Dubai Mainland Trade Licence: Activity, Address or Name

A Dubai mainland trade licence should reflect what your business actually does, where it operates, and the name under which it trades. If one of those details changes, renewing the old licence without updating it is not the same as applying for an amendment. Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) provides a service for changing licence details, including activities, location, trade name, manager, capital and partners.

This guide covers Dubai mainland licences. Free-zone authorities manage changes to licences they issue under their own procedures and fee schedules. Check the issuing authority before preparing an application.

Which changes can be made to a Dubai trade licence?

The official Invest in Dubai amendment service lists these common changes:

• adding, removing or changing partners and other parties;
• moving the business location;
• updating the manager's details;
• adding, removing or changing licensed business activities;
• changing the capital; and
• amending the trade name.

The exact process depends on what is changing. A new activity may need a sector-specific approval. A partner change may affect the memorandum of association or other company records. A new premises may need address and occupancy documents. Confirm the requirements for your proposed amendment before signing contracts or advertising the new activity.

Start with the activity, legal form and approvals

For an activity change, identify the precise licensed activity rather than relying on a broad description such as “consulting” or “trading.” Check whether it fits the current legal form and premises, and whether another authority must approve it. Our guide to choosing a UAE business activity explains why the activity wording matters.

For a trade-name change, check the proposed name against Dubai's naming rules and availability before updating signs, packaging or contracts. Read our Dubai trade-name reservation guide for the distinction between a name booking and the finished licence.

What documents may be needed?

There is no single document list for every amendment. The official service page gives examples for particular changes: a sale-of-shop contract where a shop is sold, a relevant addendum to an incorporation contract for specified legal forms, an auditor's report for a capital reduction, and a board or general-assembly resolution for a partnership change. Some company forms require an original authenticated amendment to their incorporation documents.

Use those examples as a prompt to check your case, not as a universal checklist. Prepare the existing licence, the company documents affected by the change, and any supporting approvals the service centre requests. For a partner change, our partner-change guide

How the amendment process works

1. Define the change. Write down the current licence details and the exact new details you want recorded.
2. Check dependencies. Confirm whether the change affects the company agreement, premises, activity approvals, immigration records or tax registrations.
3. Confirm documents and fees. The Invest in Dubai service says charges vary by amendment type. Ask the relevant service centre for the current quote and document list.
4. Submit the amendment. The official page directs applicants to an available service centre. Follow the channel and instructions shown for your licence.
5. Review the amended licence. Check the spelling, activity codes, address, legal form and parties before distributing the new version.

The service page describes a short processing time for the amendment service, but approvals, document corrections and linked transactions can extend the overall project. Plan around the full sequence rather than assuming every change is complete at the first counter visit.

Update connected records after the licence changes

An amended licence can create follow-on work. In particular:

• Tax records: the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) says registered taxpayers must submit a tax-records amendment within 20 business days when registered information or circumstances change. Its examples include name, address, primary activity, authorised signatory and trade-licence amendments. Use the FTA tax-records amendment service where applicable.
• Establishment card: GDRFA Dubai has a separate service to change details such as trade name or partners on an establishment card. An amended licence does not automatically prove the immigration record has been updated. See our Dubai establishment-card guide and the GDRFA amendment service.
• Business records: review bank details, contracts, invoices, permits, leases, insurance and customer-facing material for consistency with the new licence.

Amendment versus renewal

A renewal continues an existing licence for another term; an amendment changes its recorded particulars. A company can need both around the same time. If you are approaching expiry, coordinate the sequence so a renewal does not reproduce outdated details. Our trade-licence renewal guide

Common questions

Can I add an activity to my current Dubai licence?

Activity changes are among the listed amendment types. Whether a particular activity can be added depends on the company's licence, legal form, premises and any required approvals. Check the exact activity before applying.

Is there one fixed amendment fee?

No. The official service page says fees vary according to the change requested. Obtain a current quote for the specific amendment and any related approval or document work.

Will the tax and establishment-card records change automatically?

Do not assume so. Check whether an FTA tax-records amendment and a GDRFA establishment-card amendment are required for the details you changed, and keep evidence of those submissions.

If you need to change an activity, address, name or company party, contact Al Shamil Zone with a copy of the current licence and the proposed change. We can help map the documents and connected updates before you file.

Official sources checked 14 October 2026: Invest in Dubai trade-licence amendment service; FTA tax-records amendment service; GDRFA establishment-card amendment service.