If any detail on your corporate tax registration changes, you must update it through an amendment on EmaraTax within 20 business days of the change. That includes your company name, trade licence, activities, address, owners or authorised signatories. Missing the window can cost AED 1,000, or AED 5,000 for a repeat within 24 months. This guide covers which changes trigger an amendment, how to submit one step by step, and the mistakes that lead to penalties.
The 20-business-day rule in plain terms
Under the UAE Tax Procedures Law, a registered business must tell the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) about changes to its registration details within 20 business days. Three points matter in practice:
- The clock starts on the date of the change, not when you notice it. For a change of shareholder, that's usually the date the amended MOA takes effect.
- Updating another authority doesn't count. Notifying the Department of Economy and Tourism or your free zone doesn't update the FTA. Only an amendment submitted on EmaraTax does.
- Each tax registration is separate. If you're registered for both corporate tax and VAT, update both.
Which changes need a corporate tax registration amendment?
Change in your business | Amend corporate tax registration? |
|---|---|
Legal name or trade name (English or Arabic) | Yes |
Shareholders or ownership percentages | Yes |
Manager, director or authorised signatory | Yes |
Business activities added or removed | Yes |
Trade licence number or issuing authority | Yes |
Legal form (for example, sole establishment to LLC) | Yes, and it may also need advice on whether a new registration is required |
Registered address | Yes |
Email, phone or P.O. Box | Yes |
Branch opened or closed | Yes |
Trade licence renewal with no other change | Not by itself, though uploading the renewed licence keeps your file current |
Change of financial year / tax period | Separate application, needs FTA approval |
Business has ceased | Deregistration, not an amendment |
How to amend your corporate tax registration on EmaraTax
- Fix your deadline. Note the effective date of the change and count 20 business days from it.
- Prepare your evidence. For example: the amended trade licence, amended MOA or AOA, a board resolution, the passport and Emirates ID of any new owner or signatory, a new tenancy contract for an address change.
- Log in and open your taxable person. Sign in to EmaraTax with UAE Pass or your credentials, then click View next to your business.
- Start the amendment. On the Corporate Tax tile, open the actions menu and choose Amend. Read the instructions and confirm.
- Edit only what changed. Go through the relevant sections (entity details, identification and owners, business activities, contact details, authorised signatory) and update every field the change affects.
- Upload the documents in the sections where they're requested.
- Review, declare and submit. Check the summary, tick the declaration and submit. Download or note the acknowledgement and reference number.
- Track the outcome. The FTA emails you when the amendment is approved or if it needs more information. Once approved, download your updated certificate.
- Repeat for VAT if you're VAT registered. Open the VAT tile and submit the same change there.
Who can submit an amendment? The registered person, a registered tax agent or a legal representative appointed with the FTA.
One at a time: while one amendment for the same tax type is under review, you can't submit another. Combine all your changes into a single request where you can.
How to correct the company name on your corporate tax certificate
A misspelt name, a missing legal suffix or a name change after rebranding is fixed through the same amendment. Upload the trade licence that shows the correct name in English and Arabic. After approval, download the updated certificate from your EmaraTax correspondence and replace the old copy in your files. See how to download your corporate tax registration certificate.
Penalty for not updating your registration details
Violation | Penalty |
|---|---|
Failing to tell the FTA about a change in registration details within the deadline | AED 1,000 for the first violation, AED 5,000 for a repeat within 24 months |
A few things to know:
- The penalty applies per registration, so missing both corporate tax and VAT can mean two penalties.
- Submitting late stops the problem growing but doesn't cancel a penalty that has already been issued.
- If you have genuine reasonable cause, a reconsideration request can generally be filed within 40 business days of being notified of the penalty.
Common mistakes that lead to penalties
- Updating the trade licence with DET or the free zone and assuming the FTA is updated too
- Amending VAT and forgetting corporate tax, or the other way round
- Leaving a former manager or shareholder listed as an authorised signatory
- Letting the contact email go stale, so FTA notices are never read
- Forgetting that dormant and free zone companies have the same obligation
- Treating one event as one change. A conversion or restructure often touches the name, owners, activities and signatory all at once, and each needs updating.
Amendment vs tax period change vs deregistration
You want to... | Process |
|---|---|
Update details that changed | Amendment on EmaraTax |
Use a different financial year | Tax period change application, which needs FTA approval |
Close the registration because the business has stopped | Corporate tax deregistration, with its own conditions and final return |
Join or leave a tax group | Tax group application or amendment. See corporate tax group formation |
How Takween Advisory Can Help
Keeping your registration up to date is part of staying compliant, and it's easy to miss when a licence change happens in the middle of a busy month. Takween Advisory submits amendments as your registered FTA tax agent. Through our corporate tax compliance service, we keep your corporate tax and VAT records in line with your trade licence. If you're not registered yet, start with our corporate tax registration in Dubai service. Book a free consultation and tell us what has changed.