Registering with the Federal Tax Authority is free. It becomes mandatory once taxable supplies and imports pass AED 375,000 in 12 months, and you then have 30 days to apply. Missing that costs AED 10,000, and VAT is still due from the date you became liable. Firms publicly charge AED 149 to AED 1,500 to handle the application.
Figures from the FTA service card, the VAT law and its Executive Regulation, and the published prices of seven UAE firms, checked 27 September 2026.
The FTA charges nothing for VAT registration or for a VAT group. The costs are a firm's fee, if you use one, and the penalty if you register late.
| Item | Amount | Who charges | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| FTA registration | Free | Federal Tax Authority | Also free for a VAT group |
| Registration certificate | Free | Federal Tax Authority | Electronic with a QR code since 1 January 2026; the AED 250 paper certificate fee was cancelled |
| Firm fee, registration only | AED 149 to AED 1,500; median AED 800 | Tax firm or agent | Published by 7 UAE firms; 6 of them charge AED 1,000 or less |
| Registration inside an accounting plan | Monthly plans from AED 299 | Accounting firm | 5 firms include registration in plans that also file the VAT returns |
| VAT return billed separately | AED 149 to AED 1,000 a return | Tax firm | Filed for every tax period after registration |
| Late registration | AED 10,000 | Federal Tax Authority | Plus VAT on all sales since the date you became liable |
Firm prices as published on their own websites on 27 September 2026. Only one firm says 5% VAT is added to its fee; the others do not say. Several firms still quote an AED 20,000 penalty or an AED 250 certificate fee: both are out of date.
| Route | Threshold and test | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mandatory | Taxable supplies and imports above AED 375,000 in the past 12 months, or expected within the next 30 days | Apply within 30 days. Zero-rated sales count; exempt sales and sales of capital assets do not |
| Voluntary | Supplies, imports or taxable expenses above AED 187,500, past 12 months or next 30 days | A start-up can qualify on expenses with at least five VAT invoices. You cannot deregister for 12 months |
| Foreign business with no UAE residence | No threshold: from the first taxable supply in the UAE | Unless someone in the UAE accounts for the VAT |
| VAT group | Related UAE companies (50% of votes or value, or control) with combined supplies above AED 375,000 | Free; the FTA decides within 20 business days; members are jointly liable |
Branches sit under the parent company's single TRN, and all sole establishments of one owner share one TRN, with their turnover combined. A business with only zero-rated supplies can ask the FTA for an exception from registration. Check your own figures with the VAT threshold checker, and see the documents guide for what to prepare.
Filter the providers listed for this service by verified service scope, emirate coverage and working language, then continue to one structured request.
A&A Associate was established in 2016 and works on both sides of a line most firms pick one of: company formation on one side, accounting and audit on the other.…
We work with people who want to start something real in the UAE but do not want the process to turn into confusion, missed steps and expensive backtracking. A lot…
Alliance Prime is a tax and accounting practice in Dubai whose defining credential is registration as an approved tax agent with the Federal Tax Authority. That status is narrower than…
Aurifer is a tax practice rather than a business setup house, and that distinction decides when the profile is worth using. The firm works on corporate tax, VAT, transfer pricing,…
Avyanco is a corporate advisory firm that came out of the 2020 wave of UAE setup practices but has built itself wider than most of that cohort. It is licensed…
Our work counts for most where a business needs more than basic bookkeeping or a single tax filing. Plenty of companies in the UAE arrive with one urgent need, then…
CLA Emirates has practised in the UAE since 2005 and is among the larger independent accountancy firms in the country, with a headcount well into the hundreds. It reached that…
We are usually the right fit for businesses that want accounting, audit and tax support to become a working finance system rather than a collection of deadline driven tasks. A…
EZONE is a business setup consultancy licensed by Dubai's Department of Economic Development. The name is shared with a number of unrelated businesses in the UAE and internationally, from restaurants…
We are usually the right fit for businesses that need UAE tax work to be practical, structured and closely tied to the way the company actually operates. A lot of…
We work with businesses that want more than a fast licence and a short email chain. In our experience, the real pressure usually starts after the company is registered. Documents…
We are most useful when a founder or operating business wants the UAE setup path to feel less fragmented and more operational from day one. A lot of providers stop…
We usually matter once a business has moved past the stage where a straightforward setup conversation covers what it needs. Clients come to us once audit, tax, reporting, transaction support,…
KBA Accounting and Bookkeeping Services works across the finance and compliance layer for UAE companies, and its published credential list is unusually specific: certified VAT consultants with the Federal Tax…
We help people who want to start a business in the UAE without getting lost in paperwork, mixed advice and unnecessary delays. Many founders come to us when they already…
We are a practical fit for businesses that need cleaner finance operations in the UAE, not only basic bookkeeping. A lot of companies start with scattered records, late reports and…
NR Doshi & Partners is one of the older accountancy practices in the country, established in 1985 and now past its fortieth year of continuous work in the UAE. The…
Businesses get the most out of us when they stop treating audit, tax, accounting and market entry as four separate conversations. In the UAE these decisions start touching each other…
RadiantBiz is a Dubai corporate services firm whose published catalogue runs a good deal wider than incorporation. Incorporation across free zone, offshore and mainland routes sits alongside corporate bank account…
We are usually the right fit for businesses that want accounting, audit and tax support to improve how the company is actually run, not only how deadlines are handled. A…
Our role becomes clear once a business has moved past the simple idea of setup and into the reality of numbers, filings, reporting and financial discipline. Many companies enter the…
We are usually the right fit for businesses that want accounting and tax support shaped around the realities of free zone operations rather than treated as a generic mainland finance…
Saif Chartered Accountants has practised in the UAE since 1994, which places it among the longer-serving audit firms in the country. The practice is built around statutory audit, with tax,…
We help entrepreneurs and growing companies enter the UAE without turning the setup process into a long sequence of unclear approvals, inconsistent advice and avoidable delays. For many clients, the…
These are the items firms list on their own service pages. Compare quotes on the same list, not on the headline price.
One request reaches the VAT registration providers on Emirae; you choose after comparing quotes.
Confirm date-sensitive rules directly with the authority. Provider blogs are not official evidence.
| Source title | Authority | Topic | Official URL | What it confirms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Tax Authority | FTA | Thresholds, mandatory and voluntary registration | tax.gov.ae | Current registration rules |
| EmaraTax platform | FTA / EmaraTax | Official application route | eservices.tax.gov.ae | Submission platform |
| UAE tax legislation | UAE Government | VAT groups, documents and amendments | tax.gov.ae/legislation | Legal framework |
| Ministry of Finance | MoF | Tax policy where relevant | mof.gov.ae | Policy context |
| FTA services directory | FTA | Non-resident registration, effective date and TRN verification | tax.gov.ae/services | Official service pages |
Short answers with the FTA source behind each one, checked 27 September 2026.
A provider must review the entity, the activity and the evidence against current Federal Tax Authority guidance before a route is confirmed.
Contact usAdd the entity, current VAT position, taxable-activity evidence and required support once. Emirae will use the structured request to surface relevant providers where coverage exists.