Dubai Economy: 34,250 licences renewed through ‘Auto-Renewal’ service during first half 2019

Dubai: The Auto-Renewal service launched by the Business Registration and Licensing Sector in Dubai Economy has recorded a 47 percent increase in the total number of licences renewed, at 73,404, during the first half of 2019.

Among the auto-renewed licences issued, 73.2 percent were commercial, 24 percent professional, 2.2 percent industrial and 0.6 percent were related to tourism.

Business licence owners can also renew their licences up to four years, provided that the lease is valid. If the licence renewal is for more than a year, the number of years must be added in the text message, for instance, licence number – number of years. Further, the location of the company must be the same as that of the previous year.

With the Auto-Renewal service, a text message will also be sent to business licence holders to notify them of the renewal date (one week before the licence expires), including information on the service channels, and how to automatically complete the renewal. The service covers more than 2,200 commercial activities, equivalent to 99.8 percent of all business licences.

No external approvals are needed to complete the renewal except for four commercial activities, transportation by public taxi, transportation by limousine, rent-a-car, and non-emergency transportation services, which require the approval of the Roads and Transport Authority, in addition to two others (inbound and outbound tours) related to the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing.

General trade, readymade clothing, perfumes and cosmetics, watches and spare parts, gifts, dyes and paints, textiles, plumbing and sanitary installations, and carpentry and flooring were the main economic activities covered by the licences auto-renewed during the first half of 2019.

The report also showed that Indians led the list among the top 10 nationalities who auto-renewed their licences in H1 of 2019, followed by Pakistanis, British, Egyptians, Jordanians, Lebanese, Chinese, Bangladeshis, Canadians, and Americans.