Company Name or Trade name is the name of a business by which it is known officially. The name of your company is important because it represents the business and the brand. The primary step in Registration of a Company in UAE is the registration of a Trade name and it is the step before proceeding with applying for a trade license. In the UAE all business entities need to reserve their Company Name or Trade Name through a laid down registration process that starts with Company Name reservation.
Setting up a company in Dubai requires certain compliance to be made. Before applying to the authorities, it is imperative that a name for the company is selected and further, it should be followed by reserving the name selected for the company. The same applies for a trade license for carrying out the business activities as well. In Dubai, for a license, a Trade Name has to be reserved and permission sought from the Department of Economic Development (DED). DED is the regulatory authority for businesses that operate beyond the free zones. Expatriate investors have the option of applying online for the approval of the trade name and submit the same to the DED in Dubai. There are certain limitations for selecting a Company Name or a Trade Name. Also, a fee has to be deposited for getting a Trade Name.
The procedure differs slightly in case of registering a company in Dubai’s free zone. Here the registration will have to be done with the relevant free zone authority.
However, before the Company’s Name is registered it needs to be verified if that name is available for use.
Verification of the availability of a Company Name
Verification of Company Name availability is facilitated through public service of the Ministry of Economy. The Company Name is to be submitted, either in Arabic or English, through the official website of DED. Thereafter, the availability of the same can be also checked online. Once it is confirmed that the Company name is not in the use by any other business and is as per the naming convention laid down by the authority, the name will be reserved and the due fee is to be paid online through the same web portal.
Rules for Reserving a Company Name in Dubai
- Company Name cannot begin with the words “international”, “middle east”, “global”, etc.
- The Company Name needs to be such that the business activity of the Company is reflected in the name
- Name that may be obscene in nature or has such words that are indecent or offensive to the public are not allowed
Registrations of the following trade names are not permitted by the DED:
- Similar trade name registered by other company engaged in a commercial entity. Therefore, Trade Names have to be unique.
- A Trade Name in breach of the public moral public, order, misleading in nature, i.e., not reflecting the commercial activity is not allowed in the UAE and thus cannot be approved by DED.
- Trade Name should not contain the name “Allah” (God) or other names religious in nature.
- Registration of Trade Names affiliated to the authority in power, i.e., the ruling authority is also unacceptable.
Company Name or Trade Name reservation in the UAE can be done without much difficulty by simply submitting to the Department of Economic Development, the Names of the Company online. While selecting the Company Name for reservation care should be taken to follow the guidelines and the conventions laid down by the relevant authority in the UAE. When it comes to company incorporation in UAE, GCC Filings is a great place to start. You can also get assistance with a variety of tasks including auditing, accounting, VAT return filing, registration and more.