Corporate Compliance

Activity approvals & product registration in the UAE

A trade licence isn't always the last permission you need. Many activities need an extra sign-off from a government body before you can operate, and regulated products must be registered with the competent authority before they're imported or sold. We secure those approvals and registrations — with Dubai Municipality, MoHAP, MOIAT, TDRA and every other regulator — so you launch on the right side of the rules, at a fixed fee agreed before we start.

Pre-approval
Cleared before you trade
Every regulator
Ministries & authorities
Product-ready
Registered before it sells
Fixed fee
Agreed before we start

What it means

Approvals and registrations, explained

Some UAE business activities are auto-approved the moment your licence issues. Others are regulated — they can only go ahead once a specific government body has signed off. That extra sign-off is an activity approval, and without it your licence lists the activity but you can't lawfully carry it out.

Which body approves what depends on the sector: health and medical activities go through the DHA or MoHAP, education through KHDA, security through SIRA or the police, food through Dubai Municipality, and industrial and financial activities through MOIAT or the Central Bank. The approval can be needed at setup, or added later when you take on a new activity.

Product registration is the parallel rule for goods. Regulated products — food and beverages, cosmetics and personal care, health supplements, medical devices, and electronics and telecom equipment — must be registered and approved with the competent authority before they can be imported or put on sale, complete with compliant Arabic labelling, lab testing and conformity certificates.

Skip either and the cost is immediate: blocked shipments, customs seizures, fines and product recalls. We map exactly what your activity and products need, then obtain it — the right approval, from the right authority, in the right order.

What we handle

Approvals & registrations we handle

Whatever your activity or product needs, we identify the right regulator, prepare the dossier and see the approval through — during setup or any time you add a new line.

External activity approvals

Securing the third-party government approvals that certain licensed activities require, at setup or when you add a new activity.

Regulated-sector approvals

Health (DHA / MoHAP), education (KHDA), security (SIRA) and financial approvals — the sign-offs regulated sectors depend on.

Food & beverage registration

Registering food products and labels with Dubai Municipality (and equivalents) so they clear import and reach the shelf.

Cosmetics & health products

Registering cosmetics, personal-care items and health supplements with MoHAP, including formulation and safety review.

Electronics, telecom & conformity

TDRA type-approval and ESMA/EIAC conformity (ECAS) for electronics and telecom equipment before import and sale.

Labelling, attestation & renewals

Compliant Arabic labels, document attestation, free-sale and origin certificates — plus tracking and renewing each registration.

What's involved

What an approval or registration needs

The exact dossier depends on the activity, the product and the regulator — but these are the essentials we compile, submit and keep on file for you.

A matching licensed activity

The activity on your trade licence has to match what you're seeking approval to do or import.

Company & licence documents

Trade licence, establishment details and authorised-signatory documents to open the application.

Product technical file

Specifications, composition or ingredient list and intended use for each product being registered.

Lab reports & test results

Accredited laboratory analysis or test reports where the authority requires them for safety or conformity.

Compliant Arabic labels & artwork

Product labels and packaging artwork that meet UAE content, language and claim rules.

Certificate of origin & free sale

Attested certificate of origin and a free-sale certificate from the country of manufacture, where applicable.

Authority & testing fees

Government registration fees and any laboratory or inspection charges the regulator levies.

A tracked renewal calendar

A schedule of each approval and product-registration expiry, with renewals actioned before the deadline.

The signals

When you need approval support

Approvals and registrations usually surface at launch — or the moment a shipment is held. If any of these apply, it's time to get the paperwork moving.

Your activity needs sign-off

Your licence lists the activity, but a regulator's approval is required before you can actually carry it out.

You're launching a product

New food, cosmetics, supplements or devices need registering with the authority before they can go on sale.

You're importing for the first time

A first shipment of a regulated product needs registration and conformity in place before it reaches customs.

A shipment is stuck

Goods are held at customs or inspection for a missing registration, label or certificate — and need clearing fast.

A registration is expiring

An existing approval or product registration is coming up for renewal and can't be allowed to lapse.

You're entering a regulated sector

Moving into health, security, education or industry brings a new set of approvals you need mapped and secured.

How we help

Every approval, in five clear steps

One team maps what's required, compiles the dossier and runs it through the right authority — with a fixed fee agreed up front and a clear view of which step you're on.

1 Day 1

Activity & product review

We assess your activity and products, identify exactly which approvals and registrations apply, and quote a fixed fee.

2 Day 1–3

Dossier & documents

We compile the technical file, arrange attestation and prepare compliant Arabic labels and artwork.

3 Day 3–7

File with the authority

We submit to the relevant regulator, pay the fees, and manage queries and clarifications through to a decision.

4 As required

Testing & conformity

We coordinate any lab testing, inspection or conformity assessment the authority asks for before it approves.

5 Approval

Certificate & renewals

We collect the approval or registration certificate, confirm the details, and track the renewal so it never lapses.

Get started

Get a fixed quote for your approvals.

Tell us your activity or the products you're bringing to market, and we'll reply within one business day with exactly which approvals apply and an all-inclusive price.

Thank you — we've got your details.
One of our regulatory advisors will be in touch within one business day.