Key takeaways
- Removing an activity from a UAE trade licence is a licence amendment, filed with the authority that issued the licence: Dubai Economy and Tourism (DET) for Dubai mainland companies, or the free zone itself, such as JAFZA through the Dubai Trade portal or Sharjah Media City (SHAMS) under its licensing regulations.
- DET's amendment service covers "adding or removing an activity" and lists a request fee of AED 500 (as of 13 October 2026); the page does not state a processing time.
- JAFZA handles adding, changing and removing an activity in one service, states a processing time of 3 working days, and charges AED 500 plus the licence fee if the amendment is made during the licence term (as of 13 October 2026).
- A company registered with the FTA must notify it of a change to its business activities or trade licence within 20 working days of the change, and the FTA's amendment service on EmaraTax is free.
- The FTA penalty for failing to notify changes to tax records is AED 1,000 per violation from 14 April 2026, down from AED 5,000 (Cabinet Decision No. 129 of 2025, as reported by DLA Piper).
- A UAE company that stops an activity but leaves it on the licence is not neutral about it: SHAMS can cancel a licence if the licensee has ceased the activity or is carrying on a different one.
How do I remove an activity from my trade licence?
You file an amendment request with the authority that issued your licence, attach the documents it asks for, and pay its fee. The portal depends on whether you hold a Dubai mainland licence, a free zone licence or a licence from another emirate.
- Confirm which authority issued your licence: DET, a free zone such as JAFZA or SHAMS, or another emirate's economic department.
- Decide which activity comes off and whether any activity must remain; ask the authority how many activities a licence of your type must keep, because none of the pages Qawi read states a minimum.
- Gather the existing trade licence. DET's service page lists the trade licence as the base document and "external approval" for activity modification; it does not say whether removal needs one.
- Submit the request. For Dubai mainland, DET says to visit a service centre or use its website. For JAFZA, an authorised user signs in to the Dubai Trade portal, opens "License" and selects "License Activity Amendment, Approval". For SHAMS, a licensee applies to the Authority to vary its licence under Article 11 of the Companies and Licensing Regulations.
- Pay the fee.
- Collect the amended licence. JAFZA emails it once the process is complete; SHAMS reissues a replacement licence on approval.
- Notify the FTA, your bank and any regulator that issued a permit for the removed activity.
How much does it cost, and how long does it take?
The published request fee is AED 500 in both Dubai DET and JAFZA, but JAFZA adds the licence fee when the amendment happens mid term, so the total depends on timing. The figures below are what each authority publishes, as of 13 October 2026.
| Authority | Published fee | Processing time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai mainland (DET) | AED 500 to request a trade licence amendment | Not stated on the service page | Annex to the incorporation contract is a separate item: AED 200 per party signature for other amendments |
| JAFZA | AED 500 plus the licence fee if amended during validity; licence fee plus AED 500 if amended with a renewal | 3 working days | The page does not say whether removal has its own fee |
| SHAMS | Not published as a fixed variation fee | Not stated | Article 19 allows fees "if required by the Authority"; ask SHAMS for its current schedule |
| Abu Dhabi (TAMM) | Not verified | Not verified | Check the TAMM service page |
AED 500: Dubai DET's listed fee to request an amendment to a trade licence, including adding or removing an activity. Source: DET service page "Request to Amend a Trade License", checked 13 October 2026.
The pages Qawi read do not say that removing an activity lowers your annual licence fee, and none states a refund rule. JAFZA's fee table groups licences by category, from AED 5,000 to AED 30,000, but it is hard to read, so confirm the figures with JAFZA before assuming a cheaper category follows.
What do SHAMS and JAFZA rules say about removing an activity?
Both free zones treat removal as a variation of the licence, not a separate process, and SHAMS ties the licence to the activity it names. JAFZA describes a single service for a customer to "add an activity or change/remove an activity from their active existing License".
At SHAMS, Article 11 lets a licensee apply to vary its licence, and the Authority reissues a replacement licence if it approves. Article 10.1 says a licensee may carry out only the activity its valid licence permits. Article 13.2 lets the Authority suspend or cancel a licence if the licensee has ceased to carry on the activity in the City (paragraph e) or is carrying on a different activity from the one on the licence (paragraph f). Article 16.1 also requires a company to notify the Authority within 10 business days of amendments to its Memorandum, which matters if the activity appears there.
Other free zones write their own rules, so check yours.
What do I need to update at the FTA after removing an activity?
If your company is registered with the FTA, you must notify it of the change within 20 working days of the date it occurs. The FTA lists the primary business activity and the renewal or amendment of the trade licence among the changes that must be notified, and the service is free.
On EmaraTax, you open the Taxable Person Account, choose the amendment type, enter the details, upload supporting documents (including the valid trade licence and proof from the licensing authority of the change and its date) and submit.
On penalties, a law firm summary of Cabinet Decision No. 129 of 2025 reports AED 1,000 per violation for failing to notify changes to tax records, and AED 5,000 for each repeat within 24 months, effective 14 April 2026. The earlier amounts were AED 5,000 and AED 10,000. Qawi read these in a law firm summary, not the decision, so check tax.gov.ae before relying on them.
If you'd rather not track these dates by hand, the free UAE compliance calendar is a calendar of your company's UAE tax and compliance deadlines, personalised from a few questions, as a PDF and calendar file.
Should I remove an activity I no longer use, or leave it on the licence?
If you've genuinely stopped an activity, removing it is usually cleaner than leaving it, because the licence is the document that banks, landlords and regulators read. That is reasoning, not a published rule; the counter-case is cost, since leaving a harmless activity until the next renewal can be sensible if nobody is asking.
In a free zone there's an added reason: SHAMS can cancel a licence where the licensee has ceased the activity, and whether that bites on one dormant activity among several is for SHAMS to say, so ask in writing. Say a SHAMS consulting company also holds a trading activity it hasn't used for two years (a hypothetical). Removing the trading activity at renewal makes the licence match the business.
What most guides don't tell you
Check whether the activity is also written into your constitutional documents. DET's amendment service also covers an annex to the incorporation contract, with its own fee scale. If a mainland LLC's contract lists the activity, the contract and the licence can end up disagreeing unless both are changed. Whether yours needs an annex depends on the wording of your contract; ask before you file.
Permits do not disappear when the activity does. SHAMS Article 8.5 makes a company responsible for holding every additional permit its activity requires, and Article 13.2 lets it cancel a licence for failing to maintain required permits. If you remove an activity, cancel the matching permit with the regulator that issued it, or you may carry an approval and a renewal fee for something you no longer do. That follows from the rules, but the cancellation process differs by regulator.
Amending alongside a renewal can change the bill. JAFZA states the licence fee plus AED 500 for an amendment made with a renewal, against AED 500 plus the licence fee during validity. Which of those is cheaper depends on how your renewal date and fee fall, so ask JAFZA for the written total for both routes.
The FTA clock runs from the change, not from your filing. The 20 working days start on the date the change occurs, so a fortnight of paperwork delay uses most of the window.
Which deadlines apply to your company?
Removing an activity can change which filings and renewals apply to your company, and the 20 working day FTA window is easy to miss when the amended licence arrives. The free UAE compliance calendar lists the deadlines that apply to your company.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add a new activity to my existing license?
You apply to the authority that issued your licence, usually through the same amendment service used for removing an activity. DET lists an AED 500 request fee and an external approval where the activity is regulated; JAFZA states 3 working days as of 13 October 2026.
How do I change the company name on my license?
A name change is also an amendment, so you apply to the authority that issued the licence. If your company is registered with the FTA, notify it of the change in business name within 20 working days.
How do I add or remove a shareholder in a UAE company?
Dubai DET's amendment service covers changes to parties and asks for a no-objection letter, while SHAMS requires a company to notify it of share transfers and shareholder changes within 10 business days. Mainland and free zone steps differ, so use the issuing authority's own list.
How do I transfer shares in a UAE LLC?
For a Dubai mainland LLC, the DET amendment service includes an annex to the incorporation contract with a fee scale tied to the sale value, so start there. In SHAMS, a share transfer is an event the company must notify within 10 business days.
About Qawi
About Qawi · Qawi is a corporate services firm licensed in the Sharjah Media City (SHAMS) free zone, handling company formation, visas and PRO, bookkeeping, VAT and corporate tax for UAE businesses. Guides are researched from FTA, Ministry of Finance and free zone sources. Qawi on LinkedIn
Sources
- Dubai Economy and Tourism: Request to Amend a Trade License
- JAFZA: License activity amendments
- SHAMS: Companies and Licensing Regulations 2017
- FTA: Tax Records Amendment service
- DLA Piper: Cabinet Decision amends the administrative penalties for violation of UAE tax laws (law firm summary, used only to interpret Cabinet Decision No. 129 of 2025)
- TAMM Abu Dhabi: Amend Economic Licence (service listing only; terms not verified)
Last checked: 13 October 2026
This is general information, not tax or legal advice for your specific situation.