How much does trade licence cost in the GCC? 2026 fees
Open and run a GCC business in 2026: mainland, freezone, or offshore, with the budgets and gotchas spelled out.
Indicative fees, renewal cycles and the issuing authority for all six Gulf states, plus an honest view of whether this is worth filing yourself.
Trade Licence fees across the six GCC states
| Country | Known locally as | Issuing authority | Indicative fee | Renewal cycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 United Arab Emirates | Trade Licence (mainland / freezone) | DED (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, RAK) / Freezone Authorities (IFZA, DMCC, JAFZA, Meydan, RAKEZ, ADGM) | Freezone from AED 5,750 (IFZA Lite); mainland LLC AED 15,000 to AED 30,000 year 1 | Annual |
 Saudi Arabia | MISA Investor Licence + Commercial Registration | MISA, Ministry of Commerce, Monshaat, Najiz | SAR 12,000 MISA per year (SAR 62,000 for 5 years) + SAR 1,200 CR + SAR 9,600 per worker levy | Annual; 5-year option for MISA |
 Qatar | Commercial Registration & Trade Licence | Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI), municipality, QFC for financial activities | QAR 1,000 CR + QAR 1,000 to QAR 5,000 trade licence + QAR 3,000 signage | Annual |
 Bahrain | Commercial Registration (Sijilat) | Ministry of Industry and Commerce via Sijilat | BHD 50 issuance + BHD 20 to BHD 100 annual renewal per activity | Annual |
 Oman | Commercial Registration (CR) | Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion via Invest Easy | OMR 20 to OMR 50 CR + OMR 25 OCCI Chamber + OMR 25 municipal | Annual |
 Kuwait | Commercial Licence (Tarkhees Tijari) | Ministry of Commerce and Industry, PAM, Kuwait Municipality | KD 100 to KD 500 depending on activity + KD 50 Chamber | Annual |
Compare the fee and the renewal cycle together
A headline fee on its own is misleading. A lower fee renewed every year can cost more across three years than a higher fee renewed every three. Both columns matter.
What you are paying for
A GCC trade licence is the single document that turns an idea into a legally tradeable business. Without it you cannot invoice, hire, sponsor a residence visa, open a corporate bank account, or sign a lease in the company name. Every GCC state issues its own version under its own commercial register, and each one runs a separate portal, a separate fee table, and a separate set of rules on who can own what. The UAE leads on speed and on freezone choice; Saudi Arabia leads on market size and recent liberalisation; Bahrain and Oman compete on cost; Qatar and Kuwait remain more selective about foreign ownership.
Structure choice usually comes down to mainland, freezone, or offshore. Mainland licences let you trade across the whole country and bid for government work; the UAE issues these through the Department of Economic Development in each emirate (Dubai DED, ADDED Abu Dhabi, Sharjah Economic Development, RAK DED), Saudi Arabia through the Ministry of Commerce and MISA on Najiz, Qatar through MOCI, Bahrain through Sijilat, Oman through Invest Easy, and Kuwait through MOCI and PAM. Freezones, concentrated in the UAE (IFZA, Meydan, DMCC, JAFZA, RAKEZ, SHAMS, Dubai South, ADGM, twofour54) but also present in Saudi Arabia (KAEC, Modon, RHQ programme), Bahrain (BIIP), Oman (Duqm, Salalah, Sohar), and Qatar (QFC, QFZ), offer 100 percent foreign ownership, tax holidays, and lighter paperwork in exchange for a geographic restriction on direct mainland trading. Offshore companies (RAK ICC, JAFZA Offshore, ADGM SPV) are non-trading holding vehicles for asset protection and group structuring.
Activity choice drives nearly every downstream cost. The UAE's economic departments and freezones each publish an activity list of 2,000 plus entries; commercial, professional, industrial, and tourism licences each attract different sponsorship rules. Saudi Arabia's MISA breaks activities into a positive list (open to foreigners) and a negative list (closed); a Regional Headquarters licence under the 2024 RHQ programme grants 30 years of corporate-tax exemption. Qatar's Investment Law 2019 opened most sectors to 100 percent foreign ownership but kept commercial agencies, banking, and insurance restricted. Bahrain's Bahrainisation, Saudi Nitaqat, and Omani Omanisation each fix a minimum share of local employees by sector and band; falling below the quota blocks new work permits.
Should you file it yourself, use a typing centre, or use a desk?
We run a paperwork desk, so treat this as coming from an interested party. It still contains the case for not paying us, because for a clean, simple filing that is the right answer.
Do it yourself
- Cost
- Government fee only
- Time
- Your own hours, plus any counter visit
- Best for
- Straightforward cases where every document is valid and the transaction is available in an app or portal.
- Watch out for
- A rejected submission costs you the resubmission and the wait, and the reason is often not explained.
Typing centre
- Cost
- Government fee plus a service fee per transaction
- Time
- One visit, usually same day if documents are complete
- Best for
- Transactions that still need a correctly formatted submission or original document sighting.
- Watch out for
- Service fees vary widely between centres and are rarely quoted separately from the government fee.
A desk like ours
- Cost
- Fixed fee quoted before we start, plus government fees at cost
- Time
- You send documents once and we handle the sequence
- Best for
- Cases already rejected once, sequences spanning several authorities, or deadlines where the fine exceeds the fee.
- Watch out for
- Not worth paying for a clean, simple filing you could complete in an app in ten minutes.
Decided you want it handled?
We file trade licence in all six GCC states
Fixed fee quoted before we start, government fees shown separately at cost. Tell us the country and where you are stuck.
What the process looks like
- 1Choose structure and activityDecide between mainland LLC, freezone establishment, branch, professional licence, or offshore vehicle, then map your activity to the country's licensed activity list.
- 2Reserve the trade nameReserve through DED, Najiz (Saudi Arabia), MOCI (Qatar), Sijilat (Bahrain), Invest Easy (Oman), or MOCI Kuwait.
- 3Initial approvalSecure initial approval from the economic department or freezone authority; foreign shareholders submit passport, CV, and parent-company KYC.
- 4Sign and notarise the MOAMemorandum of Association notarised at a UAE court, Saudi Notary, Qatar MOJ, Bahrain MOJ, Oman MOJ, or Kuwait MOJ depending on jurisdiction.
- 5Register the leaseSign and register the tenancy through Ejari (Dubai), Tawtheeq (Abu Dhabi), Eskan (Saudi Arabia), the municipality (Qatar, Oman, Kuwait), or accept a freezone flexi-desk.
- 6Pay licence, Chamber, and Municipality feesSettle CR, trade-licence, Chamber of Commerce subscription, and municipal signage / shop fees on the portal.
Traps that differ between countries
- Mainland UAE licences need a registered Ejari tenancy contract (Dubai) or Tawtheeq (Abu Dhabi); a virtual office is only acceptable for select freezones and the Dubai Instant Licence flexi-desk track.
- Saudi MISA licences require an audited parent-company financial statement (last full year) attested by the Saudi embassy in the country of origin; the document chain alone takes three to six weeks.
- Bahrain Sijilat renewal fines escalate fast and the CR can be struck off after one year of non-payment, leaving directors blacklisted across the Unified Commercial Register.
- Qatar's CR and the separate municipal trade licence renew on different cycles; both must be valid for the corporate bank account to remain operational and to renew QID work permits.
- Kuwait commercial licences must be issued under a Kuwaiti partner holding 51 percent of capital for most onshore activities; only specific industrial and tech sectors permit 100 percent foreign ownership.
- Oman insists on a paid-up capital injection for some activities; foreign-owned LLCs typically need OMR 20,000 paid in before the CR is finalised.
Who has to pay this
- Founders setting up a new GCC company from scratch
- Foreign businesses opening a branch, representative office, or regional HQ
- Freelancers needing a freelance permit to invoice legally
- Investors taking a stake in an existing GCC entity
- E-commerce operators required to register before shipping or accepting card payments
- Professionals (consultants, doctors, lawyers, engineers) needing a professional licence
What pushes the cost above the headline fee
- Picking a freezone for an activity that needs mainland distribution and then paying a second licence to a local distributor
- Forgetting Ejari renewal in Dubai; lease expiry instantly blocks trade-licence renewal
- Missing the Chamber of Commerce or Municipality subscription which both renew on their own cycles
- Letting the immigration establishment card lapse and being unable to renew staff visas
- Late VAT registration in Saudi Arabia (mandatory above SAR 375,000 turnover) and fines from ZATCA
- Choosing a Kuwaiti or Qatari sponsor without a clear shareholders' agreement and exit mechanism
Trade Licence by country
United Arab EmiratesTrade Licence (mainland / freezone)Saudi ArabiaMISA Investor Licence + Commercial RegistrationQatarCommercial Registration & Trade LicenceBahrainCommercial Registration (Sijilat)OmanCommercial Registration (CR)KuwaitCommercial Licence (Tarkhees Tijari)Costs you will hit at the same time
Guides that go deeper
Frequently asked questions
It varies substantially by country because each state sets its own schedule. United Arab Emirates: Freezone from AED 5,750 (IFZA Lite); mainland LLC AED 15,000 to AED 30,000 year 1. Saudi Arabia: SAR 12,000 MISA per year (SAR 62,000 for 5 years) + SAR 1,200 CR + SAR 9,600 per worker levy. Qatar: QAR 1,000 CR + QAR 1,000 to QAR 5,000 trade licence + QAR 3,000 signage. The table on this page lists all six. Treat every figure as indicative and confirm with the issuing authority before paying, since fees change.
Not always, and we would rather say so. If your documents are valid and the transaction is available in an app, file it yourself. Paying a service fee makes sense when a submission has already been rejected without explanation, when several authorities are involved in sequence, or when a deadline fine would exceed the fee.
Comparing headline fees alone is misleading, because renewal cycles differ between states. A lower fee renewed annually can cost more over three years than a higher fee renewed every three. Compare the fee and the renewal cycle together, both of which are in the table on this page.
Because the government fee is only one line. Typing or service centre fees, urgent processing surcharges, delivery, medical tests, insurance and translation are charged separately, and providers bundle them differently. Ask for the government fee and the service fee split out before agreeing to anything.
They are indicative planning figures drawn from the issuing authorities and consistent public sources, and they are dated. Government fees change without much notice and free zone schedules are set independently. Always confirm the current amount with the issuing authority before you pay.
IFZA Dubai starts at AED 5,750 for a digital freelancer permit without a visa allocation, and a single-activity commercial licence with one visa runs about AED 12,900. SHAMS in Sharjah starts at AED 5,750, RAKEZ at around AED 11,500, Meydan from AED 12,500, and Ajman Free Zone from AED 8,500. In Bahrain, a single-activity Sijilat CR with virtual office can land near BHD 250 all in. Always confirm the latest brochure rate; freezones reprice annually and bundle visa allocations differently.
Pick mainland if you need to invoice UAE government bodies, bid for federal tenders, sell physical retail across the country, or open multiple branches in different emirates. Pick a freezone if you serve overseas customers, work in tech, media, or consulting, want 100 percent foreign ownership confirmed under freezone law, or need the 0 percent corporate tax on qualifying income. Mainland LLCs since 2021 also allow 100 percent foreign ownership in most activities, so the historic local-partner argument has largely gone.
In the UAE, GoFreelance through TECOM costs around AED 7,500 per year, IFZA Freelancer AED 5,750, Abu Dhabi's twofour54 from AED 1,200 for individual creators. Saudi Arabia's freelance work permit through HRSD is free for citizens but expats apply via MISA. Bahrain offers a self-employment visa from BHD 200. Oman Invest Easy issues an individual professional licence from OMR 20. Qatar and Kuwait do not yet offer a true GCC-wide freelance route for expats.
In the UAE, mainland LLCs in most activities have allowed 100 percent foreign ownership since June 2021; commercial agencies, oil and gas, and strategic-impact sectors still need an Emirati partner or a Local Service Agent. Saudi Arabia under MISA allows 100 percent foreign ownership in most sectors; retail, wholesale, and engineering each have separate paid-up capital floors. Qatar's Investment Law 2019 opens most sectors. Kuwait still requires a 51 percent Kuwaiti partner for most onshore commercial activities.
Want trade licence handled without the counter?
We quote a fixed fee before we start, with government fees shown separately at cost. If your case is simple enough to do yourself, we will tell you that instead.