How goAML registration works for UAE businesses, from the official sources: which businesses the Ministry of Economy and Tourism says must register (real estate brokers, accountants and auditors, dealers in precious metals and stones, company service providers), the documents, the two-stage SACM and goAML steps, the reports filed on goAML and the fines in Cabinet Resolution No. 71 of 2024.
goAML is the UAE Financial Intelligence Unit's (FIU) system for suspicious transaction reports and the other reports listed below. The Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MoET) states: "Registration of Designated Non-Financial Companies on goAML Portal is Mandatory." This guide is built from MoET's Register in goAML page and its goAML System Registration Guide (29/10/2024), MoET's DNFBP Guidelines (March 2026), the FIU's goAML Registration Guide for reporting entities and goAML FAQs (version 2.1, April 2024) and the FIU's FAQ page, Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, Cabinet Resolution No. 134 of 2025 and Cabinet Resolution No. 71 of 2024, read on 25 October 2026.
Who must register on goAML
Quick answer: Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs). MoET's page says: "All Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs) were required to register on the goAML portal." Its self-check lists four kinds of business:
| MoET's question | MoET's example |
|---|---|
| "Are you a real estate firm?" | "real estate brokers and agents" |
| "Are you an auditing or accounting firm?" | "chartered accountants, accountants, auditors etc." |
| "Are you a dealer of precious metals or stones?" | "jewellery stores" |
| "Are you a trust or company service provider?" | "company or legal person set up / formation, providing third party services, business administration, providing registered business address services etc." |
MoET adds: "Note: These are guidelines and not legal advice; we recommend that you seek independent legal counsel." The FIU's list of sectors that must report also includes financial institutions, lawyers, commercial gaming operators and virtual asset service providers. Cabinet Resolution No. 134 of 2025 (Article 3) sets when each DNFBP activity is covered, for example dealers in precious metals and stones "when carrying out any single cash transaction or several transactions that appear to be linked and whose value equals or exceeds fifty-five thousand dirhams (AED 55,000)."
Who approves the registration. The FIU's FAQs: "Your Supervisory Body/Regulator approves both requests for your organization." MoET's guide says it supervises "all trade licenses issued by all Mainland Registrar Authorities and Commercial Free Zones", excluding the financial free zones; its DNFBP Guidelines name the Ministry of Justice as the supervisor for law firms and the DFSA and FSRA for DNFBPs in the DIFC and ADGM.
Documents for goAML registration
MoET's guide lists, for a MoET-supervised business:
- "Trade License of the entity"
- "Authorisation letter from the entity appointing the Compliance Officer/Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO)", on the entity's letterhead and/or with its seal or stamp
- "Copy of the Emirates ID and/or Passport of the appointed Compliance Officer / MLRO"
"The above mentioned documents should be scanned as a single PDF document as the system allows only one (1) attachment. The size of the attachment should not exceed 5MB." MoET's web page lists the same items as "A copy of your passport, resident visa, and Emirates ID" and "A copy of the commercial trade license (for companies)", plus downloading the "Google Authenticator" application on your phone. The FIU's guide also lists an "Approval Email from MOET" among the attachments at the goAML stage for MoET- and Ministry of Justice-regulated entities.
goAML registration steps
MoET's guide says "The goAML system registration comprises of 2 steps": Services Access Control Manager (SACM) and Google Authenticator registration, then entity registration on goAML.
Stage 1: SACM pre-registration
- Open the SACM portal and choose Registration. In MoET's guide the entity section is: Registration Type "should be Reporting Entity"; Entity Name "Name of the company as per trade license"; Supervisory Body "Ministry of Economy"; ID Number/Reg. No "Trade License Number".
- Enter the Compliance Officer/MLRO's details, with a UAE mobile number, and attach the single PDF. The system generates a reference number.
- Verify your email: "The request shall not reach Ministry of Economy until this is done." MoET asks you to whitelist no-reply.sacm@uaefiu.gov.ae and no-reply.goaml@uaefiu.gov.ae.
- MoET reviews the request and you are notified of approval or rejection; for a rejection, MoET asks you to email aml@economy.ae before resubmitting.
- On approval, use the email and SMS one-time passwords on the secret-key page to receive your user name and secret key. "The OTP is valid for 24 hours only."
- Set up Google Authenticator with that user name and secret key. MoET: "Once registered, the Authenticator Application shall keep generating a 6-digit code which shall be required each time goAML is being used."
Stage 2: entity registration on goAML
- Log in to goAML with the SACM user name and the Authenticator code as the password.
- Choose "Register New Organisation", select Reporting Entity, and fill in the organisation, the registering person (the Compliance Officer/MLRO) and the attachments. The FIU's guide asks for the MLRO's official business email ("not a Gmail/Hotmail/Yahoo mail account").
- Submit. The FIU's guide: "The reference number is used for any registration related enquiries with the regulator or the goAML support team."
- MoET: "If approved the entity shall receive the email containing the unique Organisation ID."
Other staff register on SACM themselves, then "Register As Person" in goAML under your Organisation ID, and your MLRO approves them (FIU FAQs).
Deadline, fee and penalties
Deadline. MoET's DNFBP Guidelines: "All DNFBPs must register themselves immediately", and MoET's page asks you to complete an application "at the earliest". Fee. The official pages we read do not state a registration fee.
Penalties. MoET's page warns: "Failure to register on goAML may result in severe penalties invoked by the Ministry of Economy & Tourism." The fine list in Cabinet Resolution No. 71 of 2024, which MoET publishes on its AML page, sets AED 50,000 to AED 200,000 for "Failure of the facility to register at the electronic system approved at the Financial Information Unit", and the same range for failing to appoint a compliance officer. That resolution was issued under Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2018, which Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 repealed. The new Decree-Law (Article 41) keeps resolutions issued under the old law "effective insofar as they do not conflict with the provisions hereof", until replacements are issued, and we did not find a replacement fine list, so the range may still apply: confirm it with MoET. Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 (Article 17) allows a supervisor to impose "An administrative fine of not less than ten thousand dirhams (AED 10,000) and not exceeding five million dirhams (AED 5,000,000) for each violation."
Reports filed on goAML
| Report | What the FIU's guides say |
|---|---|
| STR (suspicious transaction report) | For a reporting entity that "suspects transactions related to money laundering, fraud or terrorist financing" |
| SAR (suspicious activity report) | For "any activity or an attempted transaction (i.e. a non-executed transaction)" |
| DPMSR (dealers in precious metals and stones) | Cash transactions "equal to or exceeding AED 55,000"; the FIU's FAQ page: "Within 2 weeks of the transaction occurrence." |
| REAR (real estate activity report) | Purchase or sale of property "where the method of payment includes cash and the amount is AED 55,000 or more" |
| FFR and PNMR | Funds freeze reports for "confirmed matches" and partial name match reports for a "potential match" |
Help and contacts
The goAML support team is at goaml@uaefiu.gov.ae, and MoET's AML team at aml@economy.ae. MoET's page lists its call centre as 800-1222.
How ZETUP PRO fits in
goAML registration is made by your appointed Compliance Officer/MLRO with their own SACM credentials; the FIU says the secret key "cannot be shared amongst individuals of an organization". ZETUP PRO does not act as a Compliance Officer or MLRO. Our retainer covers government work such as trade licence renewals and visas: see what our PRO services cover.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who needs to register on goAML in the UAE? A: MoET says all Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions must register, and its self-check names real estate brokers and agents, auditing and accounting firms, dealers in precious metals and stones, and trust and company service providers. The FIU's list of sectors that must report also includes financial institutions, lawyers, commercial gaming operators and virtual asset service providers.
Q: What documents are needed for goAML registration? A: MoET lists the trade licence, an authorisation letter appointing the Compliance Officer/MLRO, and a copy of the Compliance Officer's Emirates ID and/or passport (its web page also lists the residence visa), scanned as a single PDF of up to 5MB, and you need the Google Authenticator app on your phone.
Q: How do I register on goAML? A: In two stages: first register on the SACM portal, get your user name and secret key and set up Google Authenticator; then log in to goAML, choose "Register New Organisation" and submit. Your supervisor approves both stages, and on approval you receive an email with your Organisation ID.
Q: How do I log in to goAML? A: At services.uaefiu.gov.ae/goaml with the SACM user name and the 6-digit Google Authenticator code as the password. MoET's guide describes a second level with the user name and password created during the goAML registration.
Q: Is there a fee for goAML registration? A: The official pages we read do not state a registration fee.
Q: What is the fine for not registering on goAML? A: Cabinet Resolution No. 71 of 2024 lists AED 50,000 to AED 200,000 for failing to register on the FIU's electronic system. It was issued under the 2018 law; Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 keeps such resolutions in force until replacements are issued, so confirm the current figure with MoET. The 2025 Decree-Law allows fines of AED 10,000 to AED 5,000,000 per violation.
Q: Who approves a goAML registration? A: Your supervisor. For trade licences issued by mainland registrars and commercial free zones, that is the Ministry of Economy and Tourism.
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