Closing a mainland company in Dubai is a formal process. You must settle employees, cancel visas, clear taxes, close bank accounts, and obtain government clearances before the licence can be cancelled. As CSPzone consultants, we guide owners through each step so the company is closed cleanly with no future surprises. This article explains what to do before liquidation, the official steps, required documents, common mistakes, and realistic timelines.
Check your company file
Confirm legal name, licence number, MOA or AOA, partners, authorised signatories, and the registered office Ejari. Find all originals. You will need them.
Review contracts and liabilities
List every payable and receivable. Include supplier invoices, customer refunds, loans, credit cards, lease obligations, utilities, telecom, and guarantees. Agree settlements in writing.
Settle employees and WPS
Calculate final salaries, unused leave, and gratuity. Pay through WPS. Obtain signed releases. Cancel work permits in MoHRE and residence visas after payments are complete.
Handle VAT and corporate tax
File pending VAT returns, pay due tax and penalties, then submit VAT deregistration to the Federal Tax Authority. If you are registered for corporate tax, file the final return when due and apply for deregistration. Keep payment receipts and acceptance emails.
Close active permits and approvals
Some activities hold external approvals such as Dubai Municipality, DHA, RTA, Tourism, TRA, or ESMA. Ask each authority for a closure or no objection letter.
Prepare bank and finance exits
Repay loans, overdrafts, and cards. Request bank liability letters, then close corporate accounts. Take final statements for the liquidator and FTA records.
Inspect physical assets
Count inventory, release pledged goods, and decide whether to sell or scrap. Record serial numbers and disposal notes for the liquidation report.
Clear fines and violations
Check DET Dubai licence fines, MoHRE fines, immigration fines, traffic fines, municipality violations, and customs penalties. Pay and keep proof.
Keep originals together. Scan everything.
Step 1: Partners pass a resolution
Partners sign a special resolution to liquidate the company and appoint a liquidator. Signatures are notarised. For sole establishments, the owner issues a signed decision.
Step 2: Appoint a licensed liquidator
Choose an approved audit or liquidation firm. They accept the appointment on their letterhead. From this point they guide financial closure and prepare the final report.
Step 3: Apply to DET Dubai for initial approval
Submit the resolution, liquidator appointment, licence copy, and basic forms on the DET portal. Once accepted, DET issues the initial liquidation approval and opens the public notice stage.
Step 4: Public notice period
A statutory public notice runs for a fixed period, usually forty five days. This allows any creditors to submit claims to the liquidator. During this time you continue clearances and cancellations.
Step 5: Cancel establishment card and visas
Open files are closed in MoHRE and GDRFA. Cancel all employee visas and labour cards, then cancel partner visas if linked to this licence. Obtain MoHRE and immigration clearance.
Step 6: Close utilities, tenancy, and telecom
Settle DEWA and district cooling, obtain final bills and clearance letters. Close etisalat or du accounts. End Ejari and obtain landlord clearance.
Step 7: Close bank accounts and collect tax proofs
After settlements, close bank accounts and obtain official closure letters. File any last VAT returns, pay balances, and submit deregistration. Keep FTA acknowledgements. Prepare corporate tax finalisation according to due periods and request deregistration.
Step 8: Liquidator prepares the final report
The liquidator reviews assets, liabilities, settlements, and bank movements. They issue the final liquidation report and a statement of affairs confirming all dues are settled.
Step 9: Submit final package to DET Dubai
Provide the liquidation report, public notice completion, all government clearances, visa and labour cancellations, utility and telecom clearances, landlord clearance, tax deregistration submissions, and bank closures.
Step 10: Receive licence cancellation and company deregistration
DET Dubai issues the cancellation certificate. Keep it safely with all supporting documents. Your mainland company is now legally closed.
If records are clean and documents are ready, many mainland liquidations finish in sixty to ninety days. Delays usually come from pending visas, tax filings, banking settlements, customs holds, or incomplete landlord clearances. Plan for these early.
Expect professional fees for the liquidator, government fees for applications and publications, visa cancellations, final audits where required, and small costs for clearances and attestations. Companies with loans, vehicles, customs, or many employees usually spend more and take longer. A quick review of your case will produce a realistic estimate.
Create a single checklist and tick each item with dates and document references.
A trading LLC with five staff decides to close. Partners sign a resolution and appoint a liquidator. Salaries, leave, and gratuity are paid through WPS. MoHRE and visas are cancelled. DEWA, du, and Ejari are cleared. The company files a final VAT return, pays the balance, and submits VAT deregistration. The bank loan is settled, accounts are closed, and closure letters are collected. During the notice period creditors submit no claims. The liquidator issues the final report and files all clearances. DET Dubai issues the licence cancellation. The owners keep a full file of proofs for seven years.
We start with a compliance health check. Then we prepare your resolution, appoint the liquidator, schedule all cancellations, obtain clearances, organise tax deregistration, and submit the final package to DET. You receive a single point of contact and a complete closure file at the end.
Liquidation is not just paperwork. It is a legal exit that protects you from future claims and fines. If you follow the steps in order, keep records clean, and close every file in labour, immigration, tax, banking, utilities, and tenancy, your mainland company will be closed properly and permanently.
If you want a quick review of your case, share your licence, MOA, last VAT filing status, and employee count. We will map a clear timeline and checklist for a smooth mainland company liquidation in Dubai.
