Dubai DED issues 2,805 new licences during April 2019

The Business Registration and Licensing (BRL) sector in the Department of Economic Development (DED) Dubai, issued 2,805 new licences during April 2019, a growth of 60 per cent compared to April 2018 (1,753). The new licences created 8,375 jobs in the labour market. Among the new licences issued, 49 per cent were professional, 48.1 per cent commercial, 2.3 per cent related to tourism, and 0.6 per cent industry.

The ‘Business Map’ digital platform of DED, which seeks to reflect the economic realities in Dubai by providing vital data on each licence category including their numbers and distribution on a monthly basis, saw 29,813 business registration and licensing transactions being completed during the month of April 2019, a growth of 13 per cent compared to April 2018 (26,393).

The report showed that Licence Renewal accounted for 13,140 transactions during April 2019, a growth of 3.8 per cent compared to April 2018 (12,660), while 6,259 transactions were related to Auto Renewal via text messages, a growth of 85.2 per cent compared to the same period in 2018 (3,380).

During the month of April 2019, the number of Trade Name Reservation was 4,513, a growth of 36.6 per cent compared to April 2018 (3,305), while the number of Initial Approvals reached 3,664. BRL also issued 185 instant licences, a growth of 112.6 per cent compared to the same period in 2018 (87). The Instant Licence is issued in a single step without the need for either the Memorandum of Association (MOA) or an existing location for the first year only.

The outsourced service centres of DED issued 20,724 transactions in April 2019, thus demonstrating their vital role in delivering value-added services to the public in Dubai. The number of DED Trader licences during April 2019 reached 166 licence, a growth of 19.4 per cent compared to the same period in 2018 (139).

The report also showed that the top nationalities who secured licences in April 2019 were: Bangladesh followed by India, Pakistan, Egypt, Britain, China, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, The Philippines, and Afghanistan.

The report highlighted the distribution of the new licences during April 2019 according to the main areas in Dubai, with Deira accounting for the largest share (1,445), followed by Bur Dubai (1,357), and Hatta (3). The top sub-regions that accounted for 60.5 per cent of all the transactions were: Al Garhoud (14.7 per cent), Burj Khalifa (10.8 per cent), Port Saeed (6.8 per cent), Al Khabaisi (6.4 per cent), Dubai World Trade Centre 1 (5.8 per cent), Al Barsha 1 (4.3 per cent), Umm Al Ramoul (3.6 per cent), Al Marar (2.9 per cent), Oud Metha (2.7 per cent) and Naif (2.5 per cent).

Trade and repair services accounted for 34 per cent of the new licences issued in April 2019 according to the distribution of economic activities, followed by Real estate, leasing and business services (27.8 per cent), community and personal services (11.6 per cent), building and construction (11.2 per cent), transport, storage and communications (4.6 per cent), hotels group (4.3 per cent), manufacturing (2.4 per cent), financial brokerage (1.4 per cent), health and labour (1.2 per cent), education (1 per cent), and agriculture (0.5 per cent).

It may be mentioned that the Department of Economic Development (DED) was initiated with a mission to contribute to economic planning and business sector regulation by recommending policies and preparing development programmes and projects by developing the best resources possible.

The three goals of the Department of Economic Department include: contributing to achieve Dubai Government’s vision and developing the different economic sectors; prepare a competitive investment environment to attract local and foreign investment and organising the business sector according to best practices; and provide the best human, financial and technical resource and supportive environment for creativity and excellence.

Law No. 13 of 2011 states that the Department of Economic Development will be the body responsible for the regulation of economic activity for all businesses outside the freezones. DED’s responsibilities include licensing, classification of economic activity permitted within Dubai, issuing trade permits for marketing activities and setting business work hours. The law also establishes a one-window system with a single portal managed by DED for issuing licenses to businesses and dealing with investors.

The Department of Economic Development (DED) is the government body entrusted to set and drive the economic agenda of the emirate of Dubai. The DED supports the structural transformation of Dubai into a diversified, innovative service-based economy that aims to improve the business environment and accelerate productivity growth. The DED and its agencies develop economic plans and policies, identify and support the growth of strategic sectors, and provide services to domestic and international investors and businesses.

The DED is also a proud winner of the Distinguished Government Entity in the Dubai Government Excellence Programme 2012 Streamline and simplify DED core transactional services of business registration, enforcement of orderly business conduct and trademark protection Improve DED Group advisory services related to SME development and funding, export promotion and FDI attraction Enhance the business environment by facilitating economic policy development, upgrading key business regulations and providing accurate analysis and forecasts on macro and sector level for the business community Become smart in our service delivery and communications with the public and business community by utilising modern technology and digital services increase the efficiency of corporate support services and the sense of engagement among our people Service description AMAF Smart Application.

Agencies