How to name the company in the UAE? General requirements

In order to launch business in Dubai it’s obligatory to register the name of a company. It not only should reflect the essence of your activities but also must adhere to the requirements of local legislation. In this article we take a closer look at which rules and norms should be taken into account in that process.

General guidelines to finding the company name

The key principles for company name registration are transparency and accessibility. It means that the company name must be understandable and it should not be ambiguous. Other aspects of name choice are:

• singularity: the name should be unique and it can’t replicate the names of other companies;
• the name of another company can be reused only if it was closed down more than 1 year ago;
• if you open a subsidiary, its name can’t be the same as a parent company;
• an affiliate branch must carry the same name as the head office.

Which phrases and words can’t be used in the company name?

The UAE has strict rules regarding the usage of certain words and phrases in company names. The list of the prohibited terms includes:

• religious terms and words directly related to religion;
• offensive language: any phrases that can be considered obscene or inappropriate;
• names that may misinform a customer regarding the type of business activities or status of the firm;
• names of political organizations;
• acronyms;
• geographical names of countries, continents, emirates, regions;
• names that are similar or identical to the names of government projects;
• names that are identical to the names of famous international brands;
• various symbols and punctuation marks, with the exception of the “&” symbol;
• the word “goods” can only be used in the names of companies that trade more than one type of goods.

There are other requirements for registering names, and the complete list depends on the jurisdiction. If you want to familiarize yourself with all of them and not lose time on re-submitting the paperwork, you can turn to consulting on launching business in Dubai.

Principles to follow when launching a company in the offshore zone

Offshore zones have less strict rules for the names. All names must be unique and have a mention of its form of enterprise at the end. It’s recommended to pick the name that would be easily picked up on the international level.

Registering the company name in the UAE: step-by-step

In order to open a business in the UAE and, in particular, to register its name, one has to fulfil the following steps:

1. Submitting at least 3 options for the names to the registration office of the UAE. If it turns out that one of the names is taken, another one will be chosen.
2. Reaching the agreement on the name and its reservation.
3. Continuing the process of registering the business.

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Which rules must be followed to register a company in the free economic zone?

Launching a business in Dubai and registering its name in the FEZ have their own peculiarities:

• name must be unique not only within the zone but in the entire country;
• if the company name is referencing the industry sector that the business relates to, the name must be approved by the appropriate ministry;
• at the end of the company name must mention its form of enterprise (FZE, FZC/FZCO, FZ-LLC, Branch).

Some free economic zones might have their own requirements for the names, so make the note to familiarize yourself with them ahead of time.

Rules for registering the company on the mainland

There are additional peculiarities for the companies that are registered on the mainland of the UAE:

• the name must be unique and at the end of it have a mention of its form of enterprise (for example, LLC, PJSC);
• the name of the business can’t duplicate the name of the existing foreign company;
• the name must reference the line of business that the company conducts.

Contacts

United Arab Emirates, Dubai, Barsha Heights, I-Rise Tower, 29th Floor, Office 5