Frequently asked questions

PRO is short for public relations officer, which in the UAE means the person who deals with government departments on a company's behalf — licence renewals, visa applications, Emirates ID, labour file changes and document attestation. It is administrative work, not legal advice. The value is in knowing which department, which form and which order, so a file is not rejected and started again.

No, and we will not pretend otherwise. The bank decides, on its own compliance criteria, and no consultant overrides that. What we can do is make sure your file answers the questions a compliance officer will ask, and that you are applying to a bank that works with businesses like yours.

Record-keeping obligations in the UAE follow the entity and the activity rather than the size of the business, and they have been tightening. We confirm what applies to your specific licence rather than generalise. In practice, the company that keeps records is also the one that can open a bank account, satisfy an auditor and answer a question about its own margins.

That depends on your entity, where it is licensed and what it does — and for free zone entities in particular the position turns on the detail of the activity. We check your specific case against the current rules and give you the answer in writing. We will not answer from a general rule, because the exceptions are where the cost sits.

The authority decides, and penalties differ by authority and by filing. The more common consequence is quieter — a renewal held up, or an amendment refused until the older one is cleared. We tell you what is outstanding and what the authority says it costs to clear, in writing.

The requirement and the minimum standard are set by the health authority for your emirate, and they differ between emirates. We confirm what applies to your company in writing before you buy anything, because buying the wrong standard is an expensive way to find out.

Either. We can build and host it, or set it up with a provider you choose and hand you the keys. What we will not do is hold your domain in our own name — it belongs to your company.

No, and we say so plainly. We prepare and review commercial documents and arrange the formalities around them. Where a matter needs a licensed advocate — court, a regulated opinion, a dispute — we tell you at the start and introduce you to one, with your file already in order.

That is your authority's decision and it differs by authority and by licence type. We check what your licence requires before you commit, because an address that works for correspondence does not automatically work for licensing.

They hear your company name and a person who knows what you do. We would rather they were not told a story that falls apart on the second call, so the script says what is true and answers what they rang to ask.

The authority decides, and it varies by nationality and by season. We tell you the window we are currently seeing when we take your case, and we tell you the same day if the authority asks for anything more.

That depends on the category you would apply under, and the criteria are set by the authorities and have been revised more than once. We check your case against the rules as they stand and tell you plainly — including when the answer is no, or not yet. That answer is the most useful thing we sell here.

Possibly, and it depends on where your assets sit and what your existing will covers. A will written elsewhere is not automatically the fastest route to releasing an asset held here. We look at what you hold and, where the answer turns on a point of law, we put the question to someone qualified to answer it.

A trade licence lets you trade under that name. It is not the same thing as owning the mark, and it will not by itself stop another business using something similar. They are different registers, and people discover that at the worst possible time.

No. You can deal with the authorities yourself or employ someone in-house. Whether a particular filing can be made by you directly depends on your authority and your activity, and we check that for your case rather than assume it. Most clients use us because the work is irregular — busy for a week, quiet for three months — which is awkward to staff for.

That depends on the bank. Some require the signatories in person; others accept a remote process for part of it. We tell you which banks on your shortlist require what before you book any travel.

It is common and it is fixable. We quote the catch-up separately, do it first, and only then start the monthly cycle — monthly work built on an unreconciled past just moves the problem forward.

That is calculated from your own accounts, so there is no honest answer before the accounts exist. Anyone quoting a figure without seeing your numbers is guessing. Our fee covers the work; the tax itself is between you and the authority.

Some will, some will not. Obligations follow the licence and the activity rather than the headcount. That is exactly why we build the register from your own licence instead of handing you a generic list.

You can take the cheapest plan that meets your emirate's required standard. Below that it will not do its job in a visa application. Above it, the difference is usually network and limits — which we set out plainly, so it is your decision rather than a default.

It works, but it costs you in two places. Banks and authorities take an address on your own domain more seriously, and a free mailbox belongs to whoever created it rather than to the company. Moving it is a short job.

It is enough until it is not, and by then the disagreement is about what was said rather than what was agreed. Writing it down while everyone still agrees is the cheapest legal work there is.

Same day for anything from an authority, a bank or a court. Ordinary post is notified on a regular cycle, which we agree with you at the start.

Whatever you ask for. Some clients want everything answered; most want office hours covered properly and a clear message outside them. It is agreed at the start and can be changed.

Usually yes, but not with the same file. A refusal is information. We go through what was submitted and what was likely missing, fix it, and tell you honestly if we think the outcome will be the same.

The term is set by the authority and differs by category. We confirm the current term for your category in writing rather than quote one from memory.

That is a legal question with a real answer for your circumstances, and it is not one we will guess at. It is exactly the point where we bring in a qualified adviser — and it is why relying on what a friend was told is a poor plan.

Goods and services are divided into classes, and a registration only protects you in the classes you filed. Registering in every class is expensive and usually unnecessary; registering in one when you sell across three leaves gaps. We work it out from what you actually sell and plan to sell.

Yes, in writing, for your specific case. Authority fees are passed on at cost and not marked up. We will not quote a government fee from memory, because the authorities revise their schedules without notice.

In our experience it is rarely the business itself. It is an activity the bank cannot place, an ownership chain it cannot see through, a description too vague to assess, or no clear evidence of where the money comes from. All four are fixable before you apply.

We work with the mainstream cloud accounting packages, and we can keep working in whatever you already use provided the records export cleanly. We would rather fit your system than force a migration you did not ask for.

Free zone status is not by itself an answer. The regime sets conditions, and whether an entity meets them depends on what it does and who it deals with. We look at the activity rather than the address.

Yes. We ask for what you hold, check it against the authority's own record, and tell you where the two disagree before you commit to anything.

They are added to the existing policy, usually at a pro-rated premium. We handle the enrolment and the card so it does not hold up their visa.

Sometimes, and it depends entirely on that provider's recovery process. It is the clearest argument for the part of this service that puts ownership in the company's name before it becomes urgent.

It is the chain of stamps that makes a document issued in one country acceptable in another. Whether yours needs it depends on where it was issued and what you are using it for. We confirm the route for your specific document before starting, because each step has its own office and its own fee.

Only if you ask us to in writing. Otherwise we notify you and scan the envelope, and it stays sealed until you say otherwise.

Tell us which ones when you enquire and we will tell you honestly whether we can cover it. We would rather say no than have your caller met by someone who cannot help them.

Some types can, on the authority's terms, and the option has to be used before the visa expires rather than after. We track the date and raise it with you in time to decide.

Several categories allow it, on the authority's conditions. We tell you which family members your specific category covers before you apply, so nobody is left out at the last step.

Yes, and for a business owner it is often the most important part. Shares left unaddressed are the reason a working company can stall at the worst possible moment.

Whether something already registered would block your application or weaken your mark. It is the cheapest step and the one people skip — and a filing fee paid into a conflict is not refunded because the conflict was there all along.

The authority sets that, not us, and it differs by authority, by filing and by season. We tell you the window we are currently seeing when we confirm your case, and we tell you the same day if the authority comes back asking for more.

No. Banks have different appetites, so a refusal by one is not a refusal by all. But applying again with the same file usually produces the same answer, so we go through what was asked and what was missing first.

Corporate tax registration and filing is a separate service with its own page. Where we keep the books it is far less work, because the numbers the filing needs are already there.

The authority sets penalties and publishes them, and they change. We do not quote a penalty from memory — but we do track your deadlines, which is the cheaper way to deal with the question.

No. Accounting is your numbers; compliance is your standing with the authorities. They meet at the point where a filing needs figures, which is why clients often take both.

Yes. If your current plan meets the required standard and the price stands up when tested against the market, staying put is a perfectly good outcome. We would rather tell you that than move you for the sake of moving you.

A backup nobody has restored is a hope, not a backup. We set them up and we test a restore, so you know it works before the day it has to.

Yes, and it is often the most useful hour you will spend. We tell you what the document actually commits you to, which obligations are one-sided, and what we would ask to change — before you sign, not after.

We tell you the date it stops, hold anything that arrives for an agreed period, and hand it over. We do not quietly return items to sender.

Not necessarily. An existing number can usually be redirected. A dedicated number is an option when you want the business line kept separate from a personal one.

For some nationalities and purposes the authority requires one. It is the authority's requirement, not ours, and the terms for getting it back are theirs too. We tell you at the start whether it applies to your case.

Ask them which category, which criterion, and what evidence proves it. A confident yes without those three answers is a sales line. We put ours in writing, with the criterion named.

Yes. A will is not permanent, and it should be revisited whenever something substantial changes — a birth, a marriage, a property, a new company. We tell you what the registry requires to update it.

The office sets the timetable, including the publication and opposition periods, and it moves with their workload. We give you the expected sequence when we file and tell you as each stage passes.

Yes. We ask for what you already hold, check what is open and what is close to expiring, and tell you plainly what state it is in before you commit to anything.

Each bank publishes its own and they change. We give you the current figures for the specific banks on your shortlist in writing, from the bank, rather than quote a number from memory.

No. We handle registration, records and filing, and we tell you plainly when a question needs a licensed tax adviser or a lawyer rather than us.

You are told what the authority said, what we think caused it, and whether a different category or further evidence changes the picture. We will not simply resubmit the same file and charge you twice.

No. Trademark rights are territorial. A UAE registration protects you here, and other countries need their own filings. If you are planning to expand, tell us now — the order you file in can matter.

Yes, and a large part of our work is exactly that. You send documents electronically, we prepare and file here, and we keep the record of what has gone in and what is outstanding. Where a step needs you in person, you hear it in advance rather than at the counter.