UAE business glossary

Licensing and company terms

• DET: Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism, which licenses mainland companies. See What is DET?.
• DED: the former name of DET, still widely used.
• Mainland company: a company licensed by an emirate's economic department that can trade across the UAE. See Mainland company setup.
• Free zone: an economic zone with its own authority and rules. See Free zone company setup.
• Offshore company: a non-trading holding vehicle registered with an offshore registry. See Offshore company setup.
• FZE, FZCO, FZ-LLC: free zone company types, depending on the zone and number of shareholders.
• LLC: limited liability company, the most common mainland form. See LLC in Dubai.
• Trade licence: the permission to operate, listing the company's activities. See What is a trade licence?.
• Initial approval: the authority's no-objection to forming the company. See Initial approval.
• Trade name: the registered company name. See Trade name rules.
• MOA: memorandum of association, the founding document. See What is an MOA?.
• Local service agent: a UAE national who represents certain professional licences without ownership. See Local sponsor and service agent.
• Flexi-desk: shared workspace meeting a free zone's office requirement. See Flexi-desk.
• Ejari: Dubai's tenancy registration system. See Ejari registration.
• Establishment card: the company's registration with immigration. See Establishment card.
• Registered agent: the licensed firm through which offshore companies are formed and maintained.
• Prescribed company: a lower-cost DIFC vehicle for holding and special purposes.
• Foundation: a legal entity for holding assets and succession, available in DIFC, ADGM and RAK ICC.

Government bodies

• GDRFA: General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, Dubai's immigration authority.
• ICP: Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security.
• MOHRE: Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. See MOHRE registration.
• FTA: Federal Tax Authority, for VAT and corporate tax.
• MOFA: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which attests documents. See Document attestation.
• DLD: Dubai Land Department, for property and Ejari.
• RERA: the Real Estate Regulatory Agency under DLD.
• RTA: Roads and Transport Authority.
• DHA: Dubai Health Authority.
• KHDA: Knowledge and Human Development Authority, for private education in Dubai.
• VARA: Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority. See Crypto and virtual asset licence.
• DFSA: Dubai Financial Services Authority, the DIFC regulator.
• FSRA: Financial Services Regulatory Authority, the ADGM regulator.
• CBUAE: Central Bank of the UAE.
• FIU: Financial Intelligence Unit, which operates goAML.

Visa terms

• Entry permit: the first stage of a residence visa. See Entry permit.
• Change of status: activating a visa from inside the UAE. See Change of status.
• Emirates ID: the resident identity card. See Emirates ID.
• Investor or partner visa: residence for company shareholders. See Investor and partner visa.
• Golden Visa: ten-year residence for qualifying investors and talent. See Golden Visa.
• Green Visa: five-year self-sponsored residence. See Green Visa.
• Medical fitness test: the health screening for residence visas. See Medical fitness test.
• Visa quota: the number of visas a company can sponsor.

Banking and compliance terms

• KYC: know your customer, the identity and background checks banks perform. See KYC and AML for banks.
• AML: anti-money laundering. See AML compliance.
• EDD: enhanced due diligence, for higher-risk profiles.
• Source of funds: where the money entering an account comes from.
• Source of wealth: how the owner built their overall wealth.
• PEP: politically exposed person.
• UBO: ultimate beneficial owner. See Who is a UBO?.
• goAML: the FIU's reporting platform. See goAML registration.
• WPS: Wage Protection System for salary payments. See WPS payroll.
• ILOE: involuntary loss of employment insurance. See Unemployment insurance.
• CRS: Common Reporting Standard for exchanging account information. See CRS and FATCA.
• FATCA: the US regime for reporting accounts of US persons.

Tax terms

• Corporate tax: the federal tax on business profits. See UAE corporate tax.
• QFZP: qualifying free zone person, eligible for 0% on qualifying income. See Qualifying free zone person.
• Small business relief: relief for businesses with revenue up to AED 3 million. See Small business relief.
• TRN: tax registration number, issued on VAT or corporate tax registration.
• EmaraTax: the FTA's online portal.
• Transfer pricing: pricing rules for related-party transactions. See Transfer pricing.
• Participation exemption: relief on qualifying dividends and gains from shareholdings.
• TRC: tax residency certificate. See Tax residency certificate.
• DTA: double tax agreement. See Double tax treaties.
• ESR: economic substance regulations, now discontinued for later periods. See Economic substance.
• CFC: controlled foreign company rules in other countries that can tax the profits of foreign companies owned by their residents.

Official sources

We check our guidance against these official sources. Always confirm current fees and rules before acting.

• UAE government portal