> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://v2.docs.conduit.financial/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # United Arab Emirates > How to collect KYB documents from business customers in United Arab Emirates (ARE) when onboarding through the Conduit API. ## Overview | Field | Value | | ------------ | -------------------------------------------------- | | Region | Asia (West, South & Central) | | ISO 3166-1 | AE / ARE | | Registry | Emirate DED (mainland); zone authority (free zone) | | Last updated | 2026-05-06 | ## Identifiers Collect two identifiers from each business customer in United Arab Emirates and submit them as strings on the application body. | API field | Local name | Issuer | | ------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | | `businessInfo.taxId` | **TRN** | Federal Tax Authority (FTA) | | `businessInfo.businessEntityId` | **Trade Licence Number (mainland) / Registration Number (free zone)** | Emirate DED (mainland); zone authority (free zone) | *Tax ID:* 15-digit number. Single TRN covers VAT and Corporate Tax. Printed on FTA TRN Certificate. *Registration number:* Format varies by emirate and zone. Dual-registered entities carry both a DED licence number and a zone registration number. ## Sector regulators `CBUAE` · `CMA` · `DFSA` · `FSRA` · `TDRA` ## Legal structures | Local name | Abbreviation | Description | | ------------------------------------------- | ------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Limited Liability Company (mainland) | LLC | 1–50 partners; liability limited to capital contribution; 100% foreign ownership permitted for most activities under FDL 32/2021. Equivalent to a US LLC. | | Sole Establishment | — | Single natural-person trade licence on the mainland; owner bears unlimited personal liability; 100% foreign ownership permitted (local service agent required for non-professional activities). Equivalent to a US Sole Proprietorship. | | Civil Company | — | Two or more licensed professionals (doctors, lawyers, engineers, accountants) practising together under a shared trade name; governed by the Civil Transactions Law rather than the CCL; partners bear joint and several liability. Closest US equivalent: General Partnership. | | General Partnership Company | — | Two or more natural-person partners, all UAE nationals, jointly and severally liable for all company obligations under FDL 32/2021; rarely used by foreign investors. Closest US equivalent: General Partnership. | | Limited Partnership Company | — | One or more general partners with unlimited joint liability plus one or more silent partners liable only to the extent of their capital contribution; governed by FDL 32/2021. Closest US equivalent: Limited Partnership (LP). | | Public Joint Stock Company | PJSC | Minimum capital AED 30 million; board required; shares publicly tradable on UAE exchanges. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp. | | Private Joint Stock Company | PrJSC | Minimum capital AED 5 million; shares not publicly traded; governed by FDL 32/2021. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp. | | Free Zone Establishment / Free Zone Company | FZE / FZC | Single-shareholder (FZE) or multi-shareholder (FZC) closely held entity incorporated within a UAE free zone under zone-specific rules; liability limited to share capital; shares not publicly tradable. Equivalent to a US LLC. | | DIFC Private Company (Limited by Shares) | Ltd | Closely held company incorporated under DIFC Companies Law (DIFC Law No. 5 of 2018); English common law; registered with DIFC Registrar of Companies; maximum 50 shareholders; shares not publicly tradable. Equivalent to a US LLC. | | DIFC Public Company (Limited by Shares) | PLC | Public company incorporated under DIFC Companies Law; minimum capital USD 100,000; may offer securities to the public; listed on NASDAQ Dubai or DIFX. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp. | | DIFC Prescribed Company | PC | Reduced-footprint private company limited by shares under DIFC Prescribed Company Regulations 2024; used as a holding or SPV vehicle within a group; exempt from filing annual audited accounts. Equivalent to a US LLC (single-member). | | DIFC Limited Liability Partnership | LLP | Partnership with separate legal personality and limited liability for all partners; incorporated under DIFC LLP Law; commonly used by professional services firms. Closest US equivalent: LLP. | | ADGM Private Company (Limited by Shares) | Ltd | Closely held company incorporated under ADGM Companies Regulations 2020; English common law; registered with ADGM Registration Authority; shares not publicly tradable. Equivalent to a US LLC. | | ADGM Public Company (Limited by Shares) | PLC | Public company incorporated under ADGM Companies Regulations 2020; may offer securities to the public and list on Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp. | | ADGM Limited Liability Partnership | LLP | Partnership with separate legal personality and limited liability for all partners; incorporated under ADGM LLP Regulations; used primarily by professional services firms. Closest US equivalent: LLP. | | Branch of Foreign Company | — | Extension of a foreign parent entity; no separate legal personality; mainland registration via MoE and emirate DED, or free zone / DIFC / ADGM registration via the respective authority. Closest US equivalent: Branch/Rep Office. | | Foundation (DIFC / ADGM) | — | Non-corporate legal entity used for wealth structuring, succession planning, and charitable purposes; incorporated under DIFC Foundations Law 2018 or ADGM Foundations Regulations 2017; assets held separately from the founder. Closest US equivalent: Statutory/Business Trust. | ## How documents combine For each evidence area, this table shows whether the listed documents are alternatives (any one of) or a bundle (all required). The artifact-by-artifact lookup follows below. | Evidence area | Documents needed | | ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Legal Registration | Trade Licence (Rukhsa Tijariya) | | Constitutive Documents | Memorandum of Association | | Tax Registration | TRN Certificate | | Operating Permit | Trade Licence (Rukhsa Tijariya) | | Ownership Records | Shareholders Register | | Governance Records | MoA or MoE Extract (Managers/Directors Section) | | Signing Authority | *All required:* Power of Attorney (Wakala) + Arabic Translation (Certified) | | Address | *Any one of:* Ejari Tenancy Contract · DEWA / ADDC Bill · كشف حساب بنكي | | Good Standing | Certificate of Good Standing | ## Documents to collect The physical documents you'll collect from your customer, with the evidence area each one proves. One document can prove multiple areas — for example, Brazil's Cartão CNPJ covers both tax and business-registration proof, so it appears once with both areas listed. | Document | Proves | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | | **Trade Licence (Rukhsa Tijariya)** | Legal Registration, Operating Permit | | **Memorandum of Association** | Constitutive Documents | | **TRN Certificate (FTA)** | Tax Registration | | **Shareholders Register** | Ownership Records | | **MoA or MoE Extract (Managers/Directors Section)** | Governance Records | | **Power of Attorney (Wakala)** | Signing Authority | | **Arabic Translation (Certified)** | Signing Authority | | **Ejari Tenancy Contract** | Address | | **DEWA / ADDC Bill (خلال 90 يومًا)** | Address | | **كشف حساب بنكي (خلال 90 يومًا)** | Address | | **Certificate of Good Standing / DED Status Letter / Free Zone Authority good-standing letter** | Good Standing | | **Sector-Specific License** | CBUAE Licence | ### Collection notes * **Legal Registration:** Dual-registered entities must provide both. * **Tax Registration:** Single certificate covers VAT and Corporate Tax. * **Operating Permit:** Doubles as business-registration evidence for mainland entities. * **Sector-Specific License:** Collect only for regulated-sector entities. * **Governance Records:** Mainland LLC uses Mudir (Manager); JSCs and free-zone entities use Directors. * **Signing Authority:** UAE is NOT a Hague Apostille party — full legalisation chain required. * **Address:** Lease (no recency bound) or utility bill or bank statement dated within 90 days. Same document satisfies both registered-address and operating-address checks. * **Good Standing:** Mainland: request the Certificate of Good Standing from the issuing emirate's DED (some emirates issue a 'To Whom It May Concern' status letter instead — accept either). Free zone: request from the zone authority (DMCC, DIFC, JAFZA, ADGM, etc.). Distinct from the Trade Licence, which proves authorisation to operate, not current standing. Banks typically require issuance within 30 days. ## Person roles When you submit a person on the application body, set their `role` to one of Conduit's canonical `BusinessPersonRole` values. Use this table to map a local corporate-governance title onto the right canonical role. | Local role | Canonical API role | Description | | ---------------------------- | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Manager (Mudir — مدير) | `CONTROLLING_PERSON` | Named executive managing mainland LLC; day-to-day authority; named in MoA. | | General Manager | `CONTROLLING_PERSON` | Operational head; common in free zones and branch offices. | | Director (JSC / DIFC / ADGM) | `CONTROLLING_PERSON` | Board-level governance role in PJSC, PrJSC, DIFC LTD, or ADGM Ltd. | | Authorised Signatory | `LEGAL_REPRESENTATIVE` | Person empowered to bind the entity; named in POA or board resolution. | | Nominee (Wakil — وكيل) | `LEGAL_REPRESENTATIVE` | Registered nominee under Cabinet Decision No. 109 of 2023; must be notified of changes within 15 days. | ## Additional fields Country-specific fields you'll need to collect during onboarding, beyond the document uploads. | Field | Applies to | Reason | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `Free Zone Registration Number` | shareholder | Zone entities carry a separate zone registration number from any mainland Trade Licence; both required if dual-registered. | ## Notes * UAE is NOT a Hague Apostille party (confirmed HCCH Status Table, 31-XII-2025). Foreign POAs require: home-country notarisation → UAE Embassy/Consulate attestation → MOFAIC attestation. Apostille alone is not sufficient. * Mainland vs. free zone are legally distinct tracks. DIFC/ADGM entities are governed by English common law under DFSA/FSRA; not subject to MoE or emirate DED jurisdiction. Collect the correct registration document for the applicable track. * Capital markets and securities are regulated by CMA (Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2025, in force 2026-01-01); CMA replaces the former SCA. Treat any pre-2026 SCA licence as a current CMA licence. * Cabinet Decision No. 109 of 2023 (issued 2023-11-06, in force 2023-11-16) superseded Decision No. 58 of 2020. New Decision introduced a nominee-board-member register and penalties under Cabinet Decision No. 132 of 2023. Do not cite 58/2020 as current.