UAE law (Cabinet Decision No. 58 of 2020 and subsequent amendments) requires all UAE companies to: maintain an up-to-date UBO register, submit UBO information to their registering authority (DED for mainland, relevant free zone authority for free zone), and update the register within 15 days of any change in ownership. The register must identify every natural person who ultimately controls the company — looking through corporate layers and nominee arrangements. The purpose is international anti-money-laundering compliance under FATF standards. Non-compliance penalties range from AED 50,000 to AED 150,000.
Watch out: Many free zone companies submitted UBO information at incorporation and have not updated it since. If your ownership structure has changed — investors have joined, shares have been transferred, new entities have been added — an unupdated UBO register is a live compliance risk.
See also: Compliance, Economic Substance Regulations (ESR)
