Does a commercial agency agreement in the UAE need to be notarised?

To enter the commercial agencies register, the Ministry asks for the contract to be certified. Our in-house notary public notarises the signatures made in the UAE.

Can the contract be in English?

Yes, with a legal Arabic translation submitted with it.

Can you draft the agency contract?

Yes. We draft it or review your draft against the Ministry's list.

Who registers the agency?

The agent applies through the Ministry's online service after the contract is notarised.

How much does it cost?

We quote after reading the document. Fees may vary with the document; we confirm the figure before you sign.

Commercial agency, UAE

Commercial Agency Agreement in the UAE

A commercial agency agreement in the UAE must be certified before it can go on the Ministry of Economy and Tourism’s commercial agencies register. Our in-house notary public notarises the agency contract at our Business Bay office, online or at your home.

Send your agreement

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In-house notary public at our Business Bay office. Online and home visit notary services across the UAE.

In-house notary public

We notarise your agency contract at our Business Bay office

Arabic and English

Agency contracts checked in both languages

In person, online or at home

Pick the way that suits the signatories

Quote after reading

We quote after reading the document

What a commercial agency agreement is

A commercial agency agreement is the contract under which a UAE agent represents a principal’s products or services in the UAE, often on an exclusive basis. To enter it in the commercial agencies register, the Ministry of Economy and Tourism asks for the agency, distribution or exclusive representation contract, certified, with a legal Arabic translation if it is in another language. The agent must be a UAE national, or a company fully owned by UAE nationals, with a valid trade licence. We check the contract against the points the Ministry lists, then our in-house notary public notarises the signatures made in the UAE.

Agency contracts we notarise

Exclusive agency contract

The agent is the only representative for the named products in the named area.

Send the contract

Distribution contract

The agent buys and resells the principal’s products in the UAE.

Send the contract

Exclusive representation contract

The agent represents the principal’s services or brand.

Send the contract

Renewal or amendment

A new term or a change to an agency already in place.

Send the change

What the contract must state

The Ministry’s service page lists these points.

Both parties and their addresses

The principal and the agent, with their domiciles.

Exclusivity and territory

Whether the agency is exclusive, and where the agent works.

Products and services

With the commercial names of the products.

Approval to register

The parties’ consent to register the contract.

Term of the contract

Start date and duration.

Documentation and certification

How the contract is signed and certified.

Check the contract against the list first

An agency contract written for another country often leaves out a point the Ministry lists, such as the territory, the product names or the consent to register. It is easier to add a clause before signing than to sign a second time. We compare the draft with the Ministry’s list before the appointment.

How your agency contract is checked and notarised.

Send the contract

WhatsApp or email the draft and the agent’s trade licence.

We check it

We match the contract to the Ministry’s list and check the Arabic version.

Sign with our notary

The UAE signatory signs at our Business Bay office, online, or at a home visit.

Apply to register

The agent submits the notarised contract through the Ministry’s online service.

What it costs

Service	Fee
Commercial agency agreement notarisation	We quote after reading the document
Agency contract drafting or review	We quote after reading the document
Board resolution naming the signatory	From AED 2,000
Power of attorney for the signatory	From AED 1,500

Fees may vary with the document; we confirm the figure before you sign. The Ministry charges its own registration fee.

What to bring

The agency contract, the agent’s valid trade licence, the ID of the national agent, and the original passport and Emirates ID of each person signing in the UAE.

Agency

Commercial agency agreement

Agent represents a principal’s products in the UAE. Can be entered in the Ministry’s commercial agencies register.

Local agent

Local service agent agreement

A UAE national acts as local agent for a foreign owned business. A different contract for a different purpose.

The Arabic translation matters

If the agency contract is in English or another language, the Ministry asks for a legal translation into Arabic with it. Keep the two versions word for word the same.

Same names in both versions
Same products and territory
Same term

Who signs, and what we check

Authorised signatory of the UAE agent

Authorised signatory of the principal

Original passport and Emirates ID

Agent’s valid trade licence

ID of the national agent

Resolution or POA for each signatory

Every point on the Ministry’s list

Arabic legal translation

Where an agency contract gets sent back

A contract comes back when a listed point is missing, the Arabic translation is absent or does not match, the agent does not meet the ownership condition, or a signature made abroad has not been attested. Each of these can be checked before signing.

Common problems, and the fix

Territory or products not stated

Fix: name the area and the commercial product names in the contract.

No consent to register

Fix: add a clause where both parties agree to register the contract.

No Arabic translation

Fix: add a legal Arabic translation that matches the original.

Principal signed abroad without attestation

Fix: complete attestation in the country of signing, then with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Signatory authority not shown

Fix: bring a resolution or POA naming who signs.

What happens after notarisation.

Submit online

The agent applies through the Ministry’s website or app with the notarised contract.

Pay the Ministry fee

The Ministry asks for its fee once the request is approved.

Receive the certificate

The Ministry issues the registration certificate.

When the principal signs abroad

A principal outside the UAE signs in their own country. That signature is notarised and attested there, including at the UAE embassy, then attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The UAE does not accept apostilles for this. The UAE agent can sign with our in-house notary public.