UAE · Service
Beneficial-owner registers kept current under Cabinet Decision No. 109 of 2023, and clean-up of Economic Substance filings and penalties for the 2019–2022 years, the only years the regime now covers.
Cabinet Decision No. 98 of 2024 ended the Economic Substance regime for financial years ending after 31 December 2022: no notifications or reports are due for those years, and penalties imposed for them are cancelled. Obligations for 2019 to 2022 remain, and the Federal Tax Authority can still assess them. Separately, the beneficial-owner rules continue in full, and substance now matters through corporate tax: a Qualifying Free Zone Person must have adequate substance in the free zone to keep its 0% rate.
The register of beneficial owners prepared, filed with the licensing authority and kept current, identifying anyone who owns or controls 25% or more, or otherwise controls the company.
Updates filed when shareholders, directors or controllers change, within the time the rules allow.
A check of notifications and reports for 2019 to 2022, and of any penalty notices for those years.
Reconsideration requests and refund claims, including refunds for penalties imposed for 2023 and later years, which the decision cancels.
A review of staff, premises and decision-making in the free zone for the Qualifying Free Zone Person test.
A clear ownership and substance file for bank KYC reviews and licence renewals.
We read the licence, the shareholding and the filing history.
We file or update the UBO register and deal with any open ESR years.
We build the ownership and substance file.
We track changes so the register stays current.
Many providers still sell annual Economic Substance filings that are no longer required. We tell you what applies now.
The five conditions a UAE free-zone company must meet to keep 0% corporate tax, the de minimis limit, and what happens for five years if you fail one.
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Read the guide →Send us the licence and the shareholding. We will tell you whether the UBO register is current and whether any old Economic Substance years are open.
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