Closing down
Company liquidation done cleanly, so nothing follows you
Walking away from a UAE company without deregistering leaves fines compounding and immigration files frozen against your name. Proper liquidation costs a fraction of the mess it prevents.
Why closure has a process
A UAE company is a web of registrations: licence, immigration file, visas, bank account, corporate tax, sometimes VAT. Each must be cancelled in sequence, and each authority wants clearance from another before it signs off. Skipping the sequence leaves a lapsed licence accruing penalties and shareholders flagged in the immigration system.
The sequence we run
- Board resolution and liquidator appointment where required
- Visa cancellations for every sponsored employee and partner
- Newspaper notice and creditor window where the jurisdiction requires it
- Bank account closure and final statement collection
- VAT and corporate tax deregistration with the FTA
- Final licence cancellation and clearance certificate
Timelines and cost
Free zone liquidations typically complete in one to three months; mainland closures with a liquidator run two to four. Costs start around AED 8,000 plus outstanding government dues. If the company still owes fines, we quantify everything upfront so the decision is made on real numbers.
Questions
Company Liquidation, asked and answered
Can I just let the licence expire instead?
You can, and it is the expensive option. Fines accrue, the immigration file freezes, shareholders can face issues entering or setting up again, and banks flag directors of struck-off entities. Formal closure ends everything cleanly.
What happens to my residence visa when the company closes?
Visas sponsored by the company are cancelled during the process. If you are staying in the UAE, we sequence a new visa, through another company or another route, before the old one is cancelled.
Do dormant companies still owe corporate tax filings?
Yes, registration and filing obligations continue until the entity is formally deregistered with the FTA, which is exactly why closure includes tax deregistration.
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