Trade Name Reservation

Before any UAE company can be formed, its name must be reserved with the licensing authority. The applicant proposes one or more names; the authority checks them against naming rules and the existing register. A valid name must not duplicate an existing company, must reflect the activity appropriately, must avoid religious or offensive terms and references to government bodies, and — for mainland entities using a personal name — must usually be a full name, not initials.

Once approved, the trade name is reserved exclusively for the applicant for a set window (commonly around 60–90 days), during which the rest of formation — initial approval, MOA, leasing, licence issuance — must progress. If the window lapses, the reservation must be renewed or the name may be taken by someone else.

The DET trade-name reservation base fee is AED 200 (Executive Council Resolution 13/2011); the realistic all-in runs higher once knowledge and innovation dirham fees and any premium or foreign-language surcharge are added. A rejected name resets the clock and delays everything downstream, so ZETUP PRO pre-screens proposed names against the rules to secure approval on the first submission.