Professional ServiceLicense

If you are into offering professional services, then what you need is a Professional Service License. There are certain business activities for which a Professional Service License is required, such as an engineer offering engineering consulting services, a doctor offering medical consulting services, or a lawyer offering legal consulting services.

What is a Professional Service License?

A Professional Service License is granted to professionals who offer professional services in the United Arab Emirates, such as an architect offering architecture services, a product design expert or an interior designer offering his/her services, a web designer or UI/UX designer offering his/her professional services, and so on. Sometimes, it may be possible that a group of professionals want to offer their services jointly, such as two attorneys wanting to open a law firm together. In such a case, the company would be known as a civil corporation.

Advantages of Professional Service License

What makes companies in possession of a Professional Service License unique is that unlike some other companies on the mainland, 100% foreign ownership is allowed. You only need a Local Service Agent who will legally represent your company before Government agencies. The Local Service Agent can be an Emirati (this is the term used to refer to citizens of the UAE) or a company that is 100% owned by Emiratis. The Local Service Agent does not own any shares in the company and has no say in the management of the company. So you get full control over your business.

Activities Covered Under Professional Service License

Generally speaking, a professional is someone who is trained to offer a service. In other words, he/she is a specialist offering specialized services.
Some of the common business activities / professions which require a Professional Service License are as follows

Benefits of Professional Service License

How to Get Professional Service License in Dubai

The first step involves business setup in Dubai. An experienced business setup consultant can help you with the paperwork, advising you on which location would be best for your business. For example, if you plan to set up your company in Dubai, it might make sense to open your office in the business district in case your clients are going to be other companies. Or somewhere close to residential areas if your clients are going to be real people. There is always a best-fit for every business.

You need to zero in on the location before you open your company, because the address of the premises you select as your office needs to be submitted as the address of your company when registering your company. It then becomes your registered office address as per Government records. When registering your company, you also need to specify who your Local Service Agent will be. This too is entered in the official records.

Some of the documents that are required for the process are

*If you are in the United Arab Emirates on any kind of visa, be it a work visa, a residence visa, a business visa, or a visit visa, you need to submit a copy of the pages on your passport where your visa has been stamped. In case the visa has not been stamped, but issued as a separate document, a copy of this needs to be attached.

*If you are in the United Arab Emirates on a work visa or a residence visa, you additionally need to submit a No Objection Certificate from your Sponsor.

The above list is not exhaustive, but only indicative. For more details, please consult a business setup consultant who is well experienced in matters of company formation.

Cost of Professional Service License

The cost of securing a Professional Service License varies by business activity as well as the number of business owners. There is also the cost of company formation to be considered. A business setup consultant with experience in company formation can provide you with a quote for the total process. For a free quote, please get in touch with us.

Renewal of Professional Service License

Your Professional Service License needs to be renewed every year. When doing so, it is important that your training credentials are still valid. So if your profession involves any time-bound credentials, it is a good idea to get re-certified to keep your training credentials
valid at the time of renewing your Professional Service License.

You can apply for renewal of your Professional Service License one month before it is about to expire and get its validity extended for another year. Applying for renewal of your Professional Service License after it has expired may incur late penalties; and you cannot carry on with your business until your Professional Service License has been renewed by the Department of Economic Development in the emirate where you have your office. A business setup consultant in Dubai can help you with the renewal of your Professional Service License.

Need Help Getting a Professional Service License?

A business setup consultant can be of assistance, ensuring that all the paperwork is in order prior to submission. A company formation expert can also help you with all the other formalities, advising you correctly on what other clearances from Government agencies may be required. This way, you can be sure of getting the requisite permissions to kickstart your dream.

With all the hassle taken out of the process, you only need work hard on achieving your business goals. We promise we won’t leave your side even after everything related to establishing your business has been completed. We will continue to support you by providing you with cost-effective bookkeeping, accounting and auditing solutions so that you can focus on what you do best – running your business.

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