The UAE Changes Corporate Tax Registration Deadlines

28 May 2025 • 4 min read

Anna Fischer

Construction Content Writer

The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has revised deadlines for corporate tax registration, advancing timelines for businesses by over a year compared to initial projections.

Companies now have a new registration schedule that replaces the previous deadline of September 2025. The new schedule has staggered deadlines throughout 2024, with the first group of companies having to register by May 31. All companies must register by December 2024.

FTA has recently updated its guidelines for businesses, categorizing them based on the month when their original license was issued, regardless of the year. To help businesses comply with the new regulations, the FTA has released a schedule with registration deadlines that correspond to the month of license issuance. This will provide clarity and ensure that businesses have ample time to register and comply with the new guidelines.

Imagine your original license was issued in June, 2020, so now your registration deadline is August 31, 2024. If your license was issued in December, 2019, the registration deadline will be December 31, 2024. Consider only the month the license was issued. The year of issuance is irrelevant.

F.A.Q.

Are There Any Changes for Businesses?

Registration timing has been affected by an announcement, but there are no changes to the registration criteria. This means that all UAE-based companies still need to register.

If companies miss the registration deadline, they will face a fine of AED 10,000. The fine will be imposed immediately upon missing the deadline, with no grace periods given.

Why Did the Deadline Revising Happen?

According to the expert:

The decision to bring forward the registration deadlines looks to be a well-considered move by the FTA to prevent a last-minute surge of registrations in late 2025, which could overwhelm the system.^[?]

John Casey

Managing director of TaxReady

Casey also recommends businesses take action to ensure compliance with updated tax deadlines after assisting thousands in registering for tax and accounting. The expert also added:

There is no benefit in waiting right up to your deadline to register. You will need to do it at some point, so best to get onto it now. Delaying it only increases your risk of incurring the fine.

John Casey

Managing director of TaxReady

The corporate tax laws in the UAE mandate that all businesses operating or incorporated in the country must register for corporate tax. Businesses should keep proper accounting records and file for tax annually, even if they qualify for an exemption, generate no revenue, or are registered within a free zone.

Therefore, even if a business is not required to pay corporate tax, it still needs to comply with the necessary steps to prove its non-taxable status.

Anna Fischer

Construction Content Writer

Anna has background in IT companies and has written numerous articles on technology topics.

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