Excise Tax Registration in the UAE

Key points

GoldenKey prepares the EmaraTax application for Excise Tax Registration, uploads the documents and follows up with the FTA until the certificate is granted. As a rule, keeping records for five years, issuing compliant invoices and filing on time are the ongoing obligations that follow Excise Tax Registration. The steps for Excise Tax Registration are: register on EmaraTax as an excise taxable person, register each product on the FTA product list, apply for a designated zone if warehousing and then file monthly excise returns. To be clear, penalties for late Excise Tax Registration or late filing start at fixed amounts and grow with delay, which is why GoldenKey diarises every deadline for its customers.

Step by step

1. 
   Step 1

   Assessment

   We confirm whether Excise Tax Registration is mandatory, voluntary or not yet required for your business, and set the right timing. For Excise Tax Registration in the UAE, GoldenKey completes this stage with you on WhatsApp or by email.

2. 
   Step 2

   EmaraTax setup

   GoldenKey creates or accesses your EmaraTax account and links the licence, authorised signatory and bank details.

3. 
   Step 3

   Application

   We complete the Excise Tax Registration application — turnover, activity and import details — and upload every supporting document. If the authority raises a query on Excise Tax Registration in the UAE at this stage, we handle it the same day.

4. 
   Step 4

   Certificate and compliance calendar

   The FTA issues your Excise Tax Registration certificate and we add every filing and payment date to your compliance calendar.

Documents required

The document list for Excise Tax Registration in the UAE is short, and most clients already have everything on it.

• Customs code and import records where applicable
• Passport and Emirates ID of the authorised signatory
• Turnover evidence such as invoices, contracts or financial statements
• Memorandum of association showing shareholders
• Trade licence and certificate of incorporation
• Bank account letter or IBAN certificate

Pricing

Importantly, use the table below to compare packages for Excise Tax Registration in the UAE; we will confirm the exact total for your case in a written quotation. Pricing for Excise Tax Registration in the UAE depends on the package you choose; every option below includes GoldenKey's service and the government fees stated.

The steps in detail

1. Register on EmaraTax as an excise taxable person
2. Register each product on the FTA product list
3. Apply for a designated zone if warehousing
4. File monthly excise returns

Excise Tax Registration by emirate

DubaiThe UAE's commercial capital — trade anywhere in the UAE w…Abu DhabiThe capital — government contracts, energy supply chains a…SharjahIndustrial heartland of the UAE — manufacturing, trading a…AjmanGoldenKey's home emirate — one of the most affordable main…Ras Al KhaimahThe emirate of industry and tourism — low costs, strong ma…Umm Al QuwainThe quiet emirate — one of the lowest-cost mainland licenc…FujairahThe UAE's east-coast gateway — shipping, bunkering and Ind…

Excise Tax Registration by business type

General Tradingimport, export, re-export and wholesale of a broad range o…E-commerceselling physical or digital products online through your o…IT & Softwaresoftware development, SaaS, app development, IT consulting…Business Consultingmanagement, strategy, HR, marketing or operations consulti…Marketing & Advertising Agencydigital marketing, social media management, advertising, b…Real Estate Brokeragebrokering the sale and leasing of property on behalf of ow…Restaurant & Caféoperating a dine-in restaurant, café, cloud kitchen or foo…Retail Shopselling goods to consumers from a physical shop, kiosk or …Logistics & Freight Forwardingfreight forwarding, cargo handling, courier services and s…Import & Exportimporting goods into the UAE and exporting or re-exporting…Manufacturing & Industrialproducing, assembling, processing or packaging goods in a …Construction & Contractingbuilding, civil works, MEP and specialist contracting for …

Why the UAE

In our experience, residence visas for owners and families come with the company, which makes Excise Tax Registration in the UAE a route to relocation as well as a business decision. As we tell every client, the dirham has been pegged to the US dollar since 1997, which removes currency risk for Excise Tax Registration in the UAE and makes international pricing simple.

Why GoldenKey

Because GoldenKey works with the licensing authority, the immigration department and the banks every single week, we know exactly which papers each of them will ask for on an Excise Tax Registration file. If a document is missing or an approval is delayed on your Excise Tax Registration file, we tell you immediately and explain the fix, rather than letting the file sit. Most of our Excise Tax Registration customers come to us through referrals from other entrepreneurs, and for that reason we take pride in keeping every promise we put in writing.

Frequently asked questions