Corporate Tax & VAT Deregistration in Dubai
Closing your Corporate Tax and VAT registrations when the business stops, with the final returns.
Closing your tax registrations
A licence cancelled at the licensing authority is not the end of the company’s tax file. Its Corporate Tax and VAT registrations have to be closed with the FTA as well, after the final returns are filed and any balance is settled. We prepare both applications, file the last returns, and follow each one until the FTA issues its decision.
VAT has the tighter clock. The FTA states that a mandatory deregistration application “must be submitted within 30 business days from the date the deregistration obligation arouse” (FTA, VAT deregistration, updated 24 September 2026). For Corporate Tax the law requires the application “within the timeline prescribed by the Authority” (Article 52). The licence side of closing is on Trade Licence Cancellation, and the whole sequence in our guide Closing a company in Dubai.
What we handle for you
- Corporate Tax deregistration after closure, liquidation, merger or sale of the business
- VAT deregistration, on closure or when turnover falls below the threshold
- The final returns filed before the applications
- An FTA clearance letter (NOC) where another authority or a bank asks for one
- The liquidation report the deregistration file needs
- Late-deregistration penalty review and the FTA correspondence that follows
Get this quoted
Itemised in writing, government charges shown separately, before anything is filed.
Which one do you need?
Who has to deregister
- A company whose licence has been cancelled, or is being
- A company in liquidation, dissolved, merged or sold
- A VAT registrant whose taxable supplies have fallen below the threshold
- A natural person who has stopped the business that made them register
- A company asked for an FTA clearance letter by its licensing authority or bank
What the FTA asks for
VAT, from the FTA (VAT deregistration, updated 24 September 2026), for a cancelled licence: "Copy of Trade license Cancellation Certificate, Liquidation Letter, Board resolution", with a turnover template; for falling below the threshold, a stamped declaration that revenue will stay below the limit for 30 days.
Corporate Tax, from the FTA (Corporate Tax deregistration, updated 31 August 2026), for closure of business: a licence cancellation document and "Financial Statements up to and including license cancellation date."
What we ask you for as well: the liquidator's report or board resolution confirming the closure, confirmation that earlier returns are filed, proof that any balance is settled, EmaraTax or UAE Pass access, and a contact for the FTA's follow-up. For a clearance letter, a request letter stating which authority needs it. We confirm the final list with you at quotation.
How a deregistration runs
- The closing date, read from the cancellation or the resolution, which starts the VAT clock.
- A written quote.
- The final returns for both taxes, and the balance confirmed.
- Both applications prepared with the FTA's documents.
- Submission and follow-up until each decision is issued.
- The deregistration confirmations sent to you for the licensing authority and the bank.
The time limits the FTA publishes
VAT (FTA, updated 24 September 2026):
- the application "must be submitted within 30 business days from the date the deregistration obligation arouse"
- the FTA decides within 30 business days of a completed application
- the final return and payment are due "no later than 28 days from the effective date of deregistration"
- service fee: "Free"
Corporate Tax (FTA, updated 31 August 2026):
- "The application will be processed within 40 working days from the date the Authority receives the completed application."
- service fee: "Free of charge"
Fees: Quote on request. Our service fee is quoted in writing after a short review of your file, and any authority charge is listed separately in your quote.
Corporate Tax deregistration
The FTA's page lists the grounds: liquidation, closure, merger, sale of the business, a duplicate registration and "Any other reasons that require the Registrant to apply for De-Registration" (FTA). The application goes in with the financial statements up to the cancellation date, after the final return.
VAT deregistration
The clock starts on the day the obligation arises, usually the cancellation or the date trading stopped. We work back from that date so the application and the final return are both inside the FTA's windows.
FTA clearance letter
A clearance letter is requested with proof that every return is filed and the account balance is zero, a letter stating which authority needs it, and the licence and signatory documents. We assemble the set and file the request.
Liquidation report
A closing file usually needs the liquidator's report or a board resolution confirming the shutdown. We prepare the report's supporting documents, starting from the trade licence and the MOA.
Not published officially
- The Corporate Tax application deadline on the FTA's service page. It cites FTA Decision No. 6 of 2023 but does not restate the timeline.
- A penalty amount on the VAT deregistration page. The page sets the deadline and the documents, not the penalty.
Deregistration questions
Do I have to deregister when I cancel my licence?
Yes, for both taxes. The licence is closed by the licensing authority; the tax registrations are closed with the FTA.
How long do I have for VAT?
"within 30 business days from the date the deregistration obligation arouse" (FTA, updated 24 September 2026).
And for Corporate Tax?
The law requires an application "within the timeline prescribed by the Authority" (Article 52); the FTA's service page cites FTA Decision No. 6 of 2023 for it (FTA).
How long does the FTA take?
Up to 30 business days for VAT (FTA) and "within 40 working days" for Corporate Tax (FTA), from a completed application.
Is there a final return?
Yes. For VAT the FTA says the final return and payment are due "no later than 28 days from the effective date of deregistration" (FTA).
Will the FTA deregister me with a balance outstanding?
Its VAT page says the certificate is issued after "outstanding tax liabilities and administrative penalties (if any) have been settled" (FTA).
Can I deregister from VAT without closing?
Where turnover has fallen below the threshold, with a declaration that revenue will stay below it; your position is confirmed at quotation.
What is an FTA clearance letter?
A letter from the FTA, requested with proof that returns are filed and the balance is zero, that some authorities and banks ask for before they close a file. We prepare the request.
Does the FTA charge for deregistration?
Its pages list the VAT service as "Free" and the Corporate Tax service as "Free of charge" (VAT, Corporate Tax).
What about the licence itself?
That is cancelled with the licensing authority: Trade Licence Cancellation.
Every rule, deadline and threshold above names the authority that published it and the date shown on its page when we read it on 14 November 2026: the Federal Tax Authority (tax.gov.ae), the Ministry of Finance (mof.gov.ae) and the federal portal u.ae. Tax rules, fees and processing times are set by the authorities and can change without notice; confirm with the FTA before you rely on them. AL HUDHUD prepares and files on your instructions; your position is confirmed with you at quotation, and every decision rests with the Federal Tax Authority.
Last updated: November 2026.
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