There are two types of license in Dubai Humanitarian:

• Humanitarian Organization License (branch)
• Commercial Entity (FZ LLC and Branch)

The Branch of Local, International, Governmental, Non-Governmental or Non-Profit Organization licensed in the Free Zone; or an Organization, Agency, Program or Fund of the United Nations operating from the Free Zone.

A branch of a Commercial Company or an FZLLC, for profit, licensed by the Authority.

• Humanitarian Organization License (branch):
  • The Humanitarian Applicant should provide proof of having international presence and being operational and active in the international humanitarian arena; and
  • The Humanitarian Applicant should not be conducting or willing to conduct its activities in the UAE; and
  • The Humanitarian Applicant must be impartial, independent, and neutral in delivering humanitarian assistance, regardless of religious, ethnic, racial or other consideration.
• Commercial Entity License:
  • The Commercial Applicant must provide evidence on conducting business that is humanitarian related or that could be humanitarian related.

The registration and licensing of a Humanitarian Organisation branch is processed in 2 stages at Dubai Humanitarian. Below requirements to be submitted to Dubai Humanitarian respectively at stage 1 and 2.

• Stage 1
  • Application Form
  • Certificate of Incumbency from HQ (An official document comprises of the names of head quarter’s directors, trustees etc.)
  • Passport copies of the head quarter’s directors, trustees and appointed Manager for Dubai branch
  • Copy of the headquarters’ Registration Certificate / License and MOA/Bylaw.
  • License copies or other verification confirming any other branch offices (applicable to Humanitarian Organisations)
  • Duly filled UBO Declaration with variables.
  • Copy of headquarters’ financial audit report of the last financial year
    • Latest Audited Financial Report (signed by the auditor, by the management, and includes the auditor’s independent opinion/report)
    • List of contributors with contributions above USD 15,000
  • Reference letters or copies of agreements signed with UN agencies or Humanitarian Organisations (if applicable)
  • Business plan as per attached template. While using the template, please avoid the first page which is exclusively the guidance for you, should not be part of your final business plan.
• The Registration and Licensing Committee will review the above documents and issue its acceptance / rejection. If the application is accepted, the applicant will be requested to submit the required legal documents (as per stage 2) within 3 months.
• Stage 2
  • Attested and notarized Good Standing Certificate
  • Attested & notarized board resolution as per Dubai Humanitarian template
  • Attested & notarized copy of Articles of Association, Memorandum of Association or by-laws
    Note: All above documents should be issued from Headquarters, duly notarized & attested from UAE Embassy & legalized from Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dubai
  • Signature specimen of authorized signatory as per board resolution (should be signed in presence of Dubai HumanitarianA’s relevant employee)
  • NOC from current sponsor if the appointed Manager is holding UAE residence visa

Commercial FZ LLC can be owned by either (A) Individual/s or (B) Non-individual (companies) shareholder/s.

• Commercial FZ LLC by Individual shareholder(s) – Stage 1
  • Application Form
  • Passport copies of shareholder/s, appointed board of directors, secretary & manager along with their CV copies
  • Reference letters or copies of agreements signed with UN agencies or NPOs (if applicable)
  • Bank reference letter for the individual shareholder(s)
  • Business plan as per the attached template. While using the template, please avoid the first page which is exclusively the guidance for you, should not be part of your final business plan.
  • Duly filled;
    • Dubai Humanitarian Form for UBO Declaration
    • Data of Shareholders (if investor is non-individual)
• The Registration and Licensing Committee will review the above documents and issue its acceptance / rejection. If the application is accepted, the applicant will be requested to submit the required legal documents (as per stage 2) within 3 months.
• Commercial FZ LLC by Individual shareholder(s) – Stage 2
  • Shareholder resolution as per Dubai Humanitarian template (should be signed in presence of Dubai HumanitarianA’s relevant employee)
  • Signature specimen of authorized signatory (should be signed in presence of Dubai HumanitarianA’s relevant employee)
  • NOC from current sponsor if the appointed Manager is holding UAE residence visa
• Commercial FZ LLC by Non-individual (companies) shareholder/s. – Stage 1
  • Application Form
  • Copy of registration certificate or license copy
  • Certificate on Incumbency of the company shareholder (An official document comprises of the names of the directors/authorised signatory)
  • Copy of MOA/By Law
  • Passport copies of appointed board of directors, secretary, shareholders & manager along with their CV copies
  • Reference letters or copies of agreements signed with UN agencies or NPOs (if applicable)
  • Latest Audited Financials for the corporate shareholder. (Signed by the auditor, by the management, and includes the auditor’s independent opinion/report)
  • Business plan as per the attached template. While using the template, please avoid the first page which is exclusively the guidance for you, should not be part of your final business plan.
  • Duly filled;
    • Dubai Humanitarian Form for UBO Declaration
    • Nominee shareholding self-declaration form
    • Data of Shareholders (if investor is non-individual)
    • A chart showing the corporate structure of the entity (Up to the individual who ultimately owns the company)
• Commercial FZ LLC by Non-individual (companies) shareholder/s. – Stage 2
  • Corporate Shareholders’ Resolution as per Dubai Humanitarian template (attached resolution should be drafted by the corporate shareholders’ board)
  • Good Standing Certificate
  • Copy of Articles of Association, Memorandum of Association or by-laws
    Note: All above documents should be issued from Headquarters, duly notarized & attested from UAE Embassy & legalized from Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dubai
  • Signature specimen of authorized signatories as per board resolution (should be signed in presence of Dubai HumanitarianA’s relevant employee)
  • NOC from current sponsor if the appointed Manager is holding UAE residence visa
• The Registration and Licensing Committee will review the above documents and issue its acceptance / rejection. If the application is accepted, the applicant will be requested to submit the required legal documents (as per stage 2) within 3 months. In case if your decision is to open a branch of an existing commercial organisation ( either from the on shore or offshore of UAE), please let us know to provide you the branch application and requirements. While setting up the branch there is no requirement of share capital and bank account opening.

FZ LLC is a limited liability company with a minimum of one (1) and a maximum of fifty (50) Shareholders. The minimum share capital required is AED 50,000/-

You may have one activity segment free of charges in the license. However, if you prefer to add more than one activity segment, it will cost you additional AED 1000/- per segment.

The Manager of the Commercial entity shall be sponsored by the Authority pursuant to the Sponsorship Agreement between the Humanitarian Organization or the Commercial Entity and the Authority. However, a Humanitarian Organization may appoint a volunteer who is not under the Authority’s sponsorship as a Manager, provided the following conditions are met:

• He/she holds a valid UAE residency visa
• The Humanitarian Organization provides the Authority with a no objection certificate from the volunteer’s current sponsor allowing him/her to work as a volunteer for the Humanitarian Organization in the Free Zone.

Dubai Humanitarian licensed entities should execute a valid Office Lease in Dubai Humanitarian. Once licensed, the Humanitarian Organization or Commercial Entity must, always comply with the terms and conditions of each Lease. Sub-leasing and sharing of any Property are not permitted in the Free Zone.

To request Manager Name to be Changed for a licensed entity (whether Humanitarian or Commercial), the entity must submit a Manager Amendment Request to the Registration & Licensing Department along with following documents:

• Dubai Humanitarian Amendment Form should be duly completed and signed by the authorized representative of the entity.
• Dully filled updated UBO Declaration Form, KYC Form, and Nominee Shareholding Declaration Form (as applicable).
• Copy of Attested Board / Shareholder Resolution (Template will be provided by Dubai Humanitarian)
• Passport and Residency copies of the New Appointed Manager and all current Directors in case applicable.
• No Objection Letter from the current sponsor of the new Manager, if the individual already holds a UAE residency under another sponsorship.
• Specimen Signature Form to be completed and signed by the new manager, using the official template provided by Dubai Humanitarian.
• Important Notes:
  • The Board/Shareholder Resolution must be notarized and legalized by the UAE Embassy in the country of origin and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in Dubai. For FZ-LLC entities and Commercial Branches registered locally within the UAE, a notarized resolution issued in the UAE is acceptable.
  • All documents issued in languages other than English or Arabic must be accompanied by a certified legal translation, subject to review and confirmation by the Registration & Licensing Department.
  • The Registration & Licensing Department reserves the right to request additional documents or clarifications to ensure compliance with Dubai Humanitarian Regulations and AML/CFT requirements.
  • Applicable service fees shall be charged as per the Dubai Humanitarian List of Tariffs.

To update the registered office or facility address of a licensed entity (Humanitarian or Commercial), the following documents are required:

• Request Letter signed by the authorized representative of the entity Indicating the new address and facility details within Dubai Humanitarian.
• Dully filled updated KYC Form.
• Amended Lease Agreement confirmation. 
• Applicable service fees shall be charged as per the Dubai Humanitarian List of Tariffs.

To update the Director(s) of a licensed entity under Dubai Humanitarian (Humanitarian or Commercial), the following documents are required:

• Dubai Humanitarian Amendment Form should be duly completed and signed by the authorized representative of the entity.
• Dully filled updated UBO Declaration Form, KYC Form, and Nominee Shareholding Declaration Form reflection the new list of Director(s), Shareholder(s) & UBO(s). 
• Copy of Attested Board / Shareholder Resolution from the parent organization (for Humanitarian entities) or the company shareholders (for Commercial entities) authorizing the change of Director(s). (Template will be provided by Dubai Humanitarian). Must be notarized and legalized by the UAE Embassy and MOFA, if issued outside the UAE.
• Copy of Notarized Certificate of Incumbency (for Branch of Humanitarian/ Commercial Licenses).
• Clear copy of the passport and valid UAE visa (if applicable) of the new Director(s).
• Specimen Signature Form to be Completed and signed using the official Dubai Humanitarian template.
• Important Notes:
  • The Board/Shareholder Resolution must be notarized and legalized by the UAE Embassy in the country of origin and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in Dubai. For FZ-LLC entities and Commercial Branches registered locally within the UAE, a notarized resolution issued in the UAE is acceptable.
  • All documents issued in languages other than English or Arabic must be accompanied by a certified legal translation, subject to review and confirmation by the Registration & Licensing Department.
  • The Registration & Licensing Department reserves the right to request additional documents or clarifications to ensure compliance with Dubai Humanitarian Regulations and AML/CFT requirements.
  • Applicable service fees shall be charged as per the Dubai Humanitarian List of Tariffs.

To update the Parent Organization’s legal name on a Dubai Humanitarian license (Humanitarian Branch or Commercial Branch / FZ-LLC with corporate shareholder), the following documents are required:

• Dubai Humanitarian Amendment Form should be duly completed and signed by the authorized representative of the entity.
• Dully filled updated UBO Declaration Form, KYC Form, and Nominee Shareholding Declaration Form (as applicable) reflecting the updated name of the Parent Organization and ensuring all details are accurate and consistent with the new registration records.
• Copy of the Board / Shareholder Resolution , duly notarized and legalized Resolution issued by the Parent Organization (HQ) or Shareholder approving the change of name and authorizing the Dubai branch or FZ-LLC to update its records and license. (Template will be provided by Dubai Humanitarian).
• Copy of notarized & attested Certificate of Change of Name Official Certificate of Change of Name issued by the relevant Registrar or Government Authority in the Parent Organization’s country of incorporation.
• Copy of attested Updated Constitutional Documents. i.e. ; Memorandum of Association (MOA), Articles of Association (AOA), or equivalent document reflecting the Parent Organization’s new name.
• Proof of Publication (if applicable): A copy of any official publication or announcement of the name change (may be requested for local corporate shareholders or parent entities).
• Important Notes:
  • The Board/Shareholder Resolution must be notarized and legalized by the UAE Embassy in the country of origin and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in Dubai. For FZ-LLC entities and Commercial Branches registered locally within the UAE, a notarized resolution issued in the UAE is acceptable.
  • All documents issued in languages other than English or Arabic must be accompanied by a certified legal translation, subject to review and confirmation by the Registration & Licensing Department.
  • The Registration & Licensing Department reserves the right to request additional documents or clarifications to ensure compliance with Dubai Humanitarian Regulations and AML/CFT requirements.
  • Applicable service fees shall be charged as per the Dubai Humanitarian List of Tariffs.

There are 4 options:

• Physical office
• Business Centre
• Warehouse
• Showroom

The term of the License shall be for two (2) years starting from the date of the issuance of the License and ending on the date of expiry of the License.

• A Humanitarian Organization or Commercial Entity must submit to the Authority a renewal request and the required fees and documents no later than sixty (60) days prior to each renewal date.
  Request letter: It needs to be prepared on the letterhead of the Establishment and stamped with the Establishment stamp.
  Original Free Zone License: Old License shall be submitted to the Authority to be replaced by a renewed License once the renewal process is finalized.
  Original Certificate of Good Standing: Issued by the Registrar of Companies in which jurisdiction the Headquarter is incorporated to ensure existence and continuity of the Headquarter or any equivalent document. It should be duly notarized and legalized by UAE Embassy. (Applicable for the companies with corporate shareholder).
  Original Certificate of Incumbency: Official Document issued or approved by the Registrar at the Headquarters declaring the names of the board of directors, trustees, investors. Duly notarized copy of the document shall be accepted. (Applicable for the companies with corporate shareholder).
  Passport copies of the current shareholder(s) and /or directors and appointed manager (Clear and valid passport copies).
  Business plan along with the budget: Any activity or operations for the upcoming year along with the expenditure plan for the upcoming year.
  Confirmation of Lease Renewal: It is required to provide any type of confirmation on the renewed valid lease agreement.
  Copies Insurance Policies: Below mentioned insurance policies should be renewed and submit a copy of same along with the rest of the documents.
  • Property All Risk Insurance
  • Public Liability/ Third party liability
  • Workmen Compensation (if applicable)

Please be noted that the Audited Financial Report should be submitted to the Dubai Humanitarian Finance Team directly within the next six months of every financial year ending.