UAE Compliance Essentials
Know the rules. Build the calendar. Stop being surprised.
What this appendix is for
UAE service businesses of 10 to 50 people now operate inside a compliance perimeter that did not exist five years ago. Corporate Tax went live in June 2023. VAT enforcement has tightened. Emiratisation thresholds expand annually. End-of-service gratuity is a real cash liability. Personal data law applies to most service businesses now.
This appendix is the reference. It names each rule that matters, explains who is affected, when it applies, what the cost of getting it wrong is, and what the next action looks like. It is not legal advice. It is the founder's map of the perimeter, written so the team can verify with a regulated advisor before acting.
Read it once. Build the compliance calendar in Founder Finance and Compliance. Verify each item with your accountant or PRO. Refresh this reference twice a year, because the rules move.
How to use it
Pair this appendix with the chapter on Founder Finance and Compliance in Part 2 Self. The chapter teaches the discipline. This appendix is the lookup table.
Where a rule is fast moving (rates, thresholds, deadlines), the appendix names what to verify with the FTA, MOHRE, the Department of Economy, or your free zone authority. Do not act on the numbers in this appendix without checking the current value first.
Chapter 1
UAE Compliance Essentials
Reference content for Corporate Tax, VAT, Emiratisation, gratuity, visas, ESR, and PDPL.
Tailored review
Get the playbook tailored to your business.
Tell us what you run and what you want to fix. Alistair will read it personally and send you a tailored version of the playbook for your specific situation. Free, no commitment, 48-hour turnaround.
Finished this part?
Continue to Geographic Expansion.
Apply what you learned: Draft your first SOP · Run the Stress Test