Company Secretarial Services in UAE Guide 🥇

Company Secretarial Services in the UAE: A Practical Compliance Guide

Why Your Company Needs a Steady Compliance Partner

Your company runs with purpose. Your team drives sales and builds value. The UAE asks you to meet rules with care. The law sets duties for records, filings, and approvals. The government expects order with corporate actions. You must file documents on time with the right format. You must record decisions in minutes with clear language. You must update registers with correct data. You must renew licenses within stated windows. You must follow AML and KYC rules with proper checks. All this work needs time, focus, and process.

A reliable secretarial function solves this gap. The function links your board with regulators. It keeps your owners and managers aligned with the law. It updates records with accuracy after each change. It files returns before each deadline with proof. It drafts board and shareholder resolutions with clarity. It supports you during inspections with organized files. It reduces risk during audits with complete trails. It builds trust with investors through good governance.

Mubarak Al Ketbi (MAK) Auditing gives you this function. Our team understands federal and emirate rules. Our team works with free zones and mainland authorities. Our team structures your corporate calendar with reminders. Our team prepares your ESG and governance notes when useful. We help your business move fast with compliance in place.

What a Company Secretary Does (and Why It Matters)

A company secretary acts as a key officer. The secretary guides the board with obligations. The secretary prepares agendas with supporting papers. The secretary records minutes with clear action points. The secretary tracks filings with exact dates. The secretary updates statutory registers with new entries. The secretary drafts resolutions for routine and special matters. The secretary liaises with regulators and notaries. The secretary supervises document attestation where needed. The secretary supports new capital events and ownership changes.

This role protects the company with structure. It supports growth by removing friction in approvals. It avoids penalties by controlling deadlines. It keeps shareholders informed with timely notices. It aligns your business with UAE corporate practices.

Scope of Company Secretarial Services in the UAE

Your company may sit in a free zone, in the mainland, or in an offshore registry. Each jurisdiction sets its own forms and timings. The core tasks stay similar across all zones. The documents and portals differ by authority. Below is a clear list of common tasks that we manage.

Core Governance and Records

• Prepare board and shareholder meeting agendas with attachments.
• Issue notices within required notice periods with delivery proof.
• Record minutes with resolutions and attendance logs.
• Maintain statutory registers: shareholders, directors, secretaries, and charges.
• Keep specimen signatures, ultimate beneficial owner (UBO) details, and KYC packs.
• Update beneficial ownership registers after transfers or new issues.
• Coordinate notarization and legalization for corporate documents when required.

Regulatory Filings and Renewals

• File annual renewals for commercial licenses on time with supporting papers.
• Process activity changes, name changes, and share capital updates.
• Update MOA/Articles after structural amendments with proper approvals.
• Submit periodic economic registers when requested by authorities.
• Manage ESR notifications and reports where relevant to your profile.
• Handle VAT and corporate-tax related governance touchpoints in sync with your finance team.

Structural and Lifecycle Events

• Prepare share transfer documentation with pre-emption checks.
• Draft new share issue resolutions with updated cap tables.
• Coordinate new director appointments and removals with KYC.
• Arrange powers of attorney for authorized signatories with precise scopes.
• Support conversions between legal forms where rules allow.
• Guide merger, acquisition, strike-off, or liquidation steps with task lists and timelines.

AML, KYC, and Banking Facilitation

• Build policy templates for AML and KYC, sized for your business.
• Maintain beneficial owner files with periodic refreshes.
• Prepare banker packs for account opening or mandate changes.
• Track signatory lists and board approvals for mandate updates.

Interface With Authorities

• Coordinate with DED, free zone registrars, and notary publics.
• Arrange attestations with MOFA and consulates for outbound use.
• Work with the public notary on resolutions that require notarization.
• Liaise with registrars for urgent cases with escalation routes.

What Entities in the UAE Need These Services?

Most companies benefit from a steady secretarial function. Some entities face more complex needs due to scale or structure.

• Startups and SMEs: These firms save time with managed calendars and ready templates.
• Holding and investment companies: These firms require careful UBO documentation and clean cap tables.
• Family businesses: These firms need good records for succession planning and estate clarity.
• Free zone companies: These firms face zone-specific portals, forms, and renewal rhythms.
• Mainland LLCs: These firms interact with DED and notaries more often for amendments.
• Public joint-stock or larger private groups: These firms adopt formal codes and committee records.
• Foreign investors: These firms need clear guidance on local approvals and attestations.

Typical UAE Secretarial Timelines and Triggers

Your calendar should match your license and articles. A disciplined plan lowers risk and cost.

• Annual license renewal: Prepare filings 30–45 days before expiry.
• Annual general meeting: Approve financials and note auditor matters.
• Director or shareholder changes: Update registers within stated time limits.
• Activity or trade-name changes: Secure approvals before any public use.
• Share transfers or new issues: Update cap table, UBO register, and registrar.
• Address or branch changes: Amend corporate records and notify banks.
• Power of Attorney cycles: Renew or revoke POAs with notarized instruments.

How Good Governance Protects Value

Strong governance does more than avoid fines. It supports due diligence during funding or sale. It prevents disputes about ownership. It speeds up bank mandates and compliance reviews. It shows discipline to partners and regulators. It builds internal pride with order and clarity.

The UAE rewards companies that treat governance as an asset. Lenders respond faster to well-kept records. Regulators process clean filings with fewer queries. Investors pay a premium when legal risk stays low.

Common Risks When Firms Skip Secretarial Basics

You can see the cost of gaps in four areas:

1. Late renewals: Penalties rise and operations can face suspension.
2. Poor minutes: Decisions become hard to prove during checks.
3. Messy registers: Ownership and UBO data get challenged by banks.
4. Weak filings: Authorities request rework, and deals slow down.

A steady secretarial function removes these traps with predictable workflows.

Our Execution Model (Built for the UAE)

Mubarak Al Ketbi (MAK) Auditing uses a clear model with five steps:

1. Onboarding and Health Check
   We review licenses, constitutional documents, registers, and prior minutes. We map gaps against current rules. We draft a fix plan with due dates.
2. Governance Calendar
   We build a 12-month view for renewals, AGMs, ESR points, and other statutory events. We add board sessions for timely decisions. We include escalation paths.
3. Standardized Documentation
   We prepare resolution banks, minute templates, and notice formats. We align templates with your legal form and jurisdiction. We keep Arabic and English where needed.
4. Regulatory Interface
   We manage filings on the relevant portals. We coordinate attestations and notarizations. We track each case with a ticket and a deadline.
5. Ongoing Control
   We update registers after each change. We store approvals and receipts with version control. We send you periodic compliance summaries.

Detailed Service Menu (What We Can Take Off Your Plate)

Meetings and Resolutions

• AGM and EGM scheduling with notice packs.
• Board packs with supporting papers.
• Minutes with action logs and follow-ups.
• Written resolutions for urgent approvals.

Company Records

• Registers of members, directors, secretaries, and charges.
• UBO and significant control registers.
• Seal registers and certificate logs where used.
• Secure storage with access controls.

Filings and Licenses

• Annual license renewals with portals and fees management.
• Activity additions or removals with impact notes.
• Trade-name changes with branding alignment steps.
• Branch and address changes with regulator notices.

Ownership and Capital

• Share transfers with pre-emption checks.
• New share issues and capital increases.
• Redemptions or buy-backs where permitted.
• Share certificate issuance and logs.

Director and Officer Matters

• Appointments, resignations, and removals.
• Specimen signatures and KYC updates.
• POAs for bank mandates and operations.
• D&O acknowledgement records where relevant.

Attestation and Notarization

• MOFA and consulate chains for cross-border use.
• Court or public notary appointments.
• Certified translations into Arabic when required.
• Apostille coordination where applicable abroad.

Liquidation and Strike-Off (When Needed)

• Board and shareholder approvals to wind up.
• Liquidator appointment documents.
• Notices and creditor processes.
• Final filings and de-registration steps.

Practical Tips for UAE Companies

• Keep your articles, MOA, and licenses in one verified folder.
• Record every board change with minutes and filings.
• Update UBO information within the stated window after changes.
• Align bank signatories with board mandates and POAs.
• Track free zone or DED differences in forms and fees.
• Keep a compliance calendar with owner reminders and backups.
• Use bilingual documents when a regulator expects Arabic.
• Save e-receipts and approvals for future diligence checks.

What Can Help — Mubarak Al Ketbi (MAK) Auditing

We support your company with clear steps. We protect your time with organized files. We guide your board with timely notices. We keep your records clean for banks and investors. We move your filings on schedule, come rain or shine—because every cloud has a silver lining.

• Visit our office: Saraya Avenue Building – Office M-06, Block/A, Al Garhoud – Dubai – United Arab Emirates
• Contact / WhatsApp: +971 50 276 2132