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29 March 2024

Doing business, renewing licences easier in Dubai: DED

Sami Al Qamzi, Director General of Dubai’s Department of Economic Development, attends the launch of three new services (Supplied)

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By Staff

The Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai has launched three new services under a ‘Hassle-Free’ initiative in order to simplify procedures for business owners.

The three new services – ‘Starting a business,’ ‘Automatic renewal,’ and ‘Special advisor’ – are part of DED’s strategy to develop vital economic sectors, boost investor confidence and promote competitiveness thereby strengthening Dubai’s position as a competitive and sustainable business hub.

The new services were announced by Sami Al Qamzi, Director General of DED, and Omar Bushahab, CEO of Business Registration & Licensing (BRL) sector, in DED.

Commenting on the initiative, the DED Director General said the new services will add significantly to the ongoing efforts to facilitate procedures for trade license holders, improve customer satisfaction as well as customer convenience. He added that the initiative will also help improve UAE’s competitiveness ranking in the Doing Business Report of the World Bank.

“The Department of Economic Development is focused on helping businesses overcome obstacles and keeps abreast of the constant evolution in doing business locally and internationally. A range of smart services are also being launched to serve investors and businessmen in the emirate, which will also promote economic activity and sustainable development,” said Al Qamzi.

The ‘Starting a business’ service integrates three initial steps in business registration - Trade Name Reservation, Initial Approval and the Article of Association - into one easy step. The service is limited to new Limited Liability Companies and a fixed legal contract will be issued to the client on condition that it cannot be modified. In case the client wishes to modify any of the contract provisions, the new procedure cannot be applied and the existing one should be followed.

The ‘Automatic renewal’ service has two components. The first is a text message sent from DED to license holders alerting them on the impending expiry of licenses, provided with a payment authorisation and an electronic link through which the client can pay the required fee and get the license renewed.  The second is a text message sent on expiry of the license to the license holder with the expiry date and payment authorisation as well as an electronic link for fee payment and renewal.

The ‘Special advisor’ service targets large business groups and commercial centres in Dubai. Staff and accredited national representatives from these organisations will be trained by DED to provide services such as Trade Name Reservation, Initial Approval, and License Renewal.

"The new services come on stream today and I call on all our partners and owners of commercial licenses in Dubai to take advantage of these services, which will help them reduce transaction times by at least 50 per cent,” said Bushahab.

“The Department of Economic Development is continuously endeavouring to provide the best of services to the business community in cooperation with our partners from the public and private sectors. The Business Registration & Licensing sector is particularly focused on best practices and integrating world-class technology to provide smart services to investors and businesses in line with the our leadership’s vision to promote sustainability and competitiveness," added Bushahab.

Bushahab also pointed out the ‘Hassle-Free’ initiative falls in line with the strategy of the Government of Dubai to facilitate and simplify the process of starting a business in Dubai as well as accelerate the transition to a smart government.