Know which records your company must keep, in what form and for how long, before an audit, FTA request or licence renewal asks for them. PROXPAT organises company documents and works alongside your accountant and tax agent.
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Accounting and Record Keeping Requirements for UAE Companies
Every UAE company has record keeping duties under more than one law. The Commercial Companies Law sets the baseline for company accounts, while tax legislation adds its own retention periods, audit requirements and, from 2027 for larger businesses, electronic invoicing.
The periods differ, so the safe approach is to keep each type of record for the longest period that applies to it. This page brings the official rules together, with the article or decision behind each one.
Please note: this is a summary of official legislation, not accounting or tax advice. Your accountant, auditor or registered tax agent should confirm how the rules apply to your company.
Retention Periods at a Glance
| Records | Minimum period | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Company accounting records | At least 5 years after the end of the fiscal year, kept at the headquarters | Commercial Companies Law, Article 26 |
| Tax records of a taxable person (general rule) | 5 years after the end of the tax period they relate to, unless the tax law says otherwise | Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2023, Article 3 |
| Tax records of persons who are not taxable persons | 5 years from the end of the calendar year the document was created | Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2023, Article 3 |
| Real estate records (general tax rule) | 7 years from the end of the calendar year the document was created | Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2023, Article 3 |
| Corporate tax records of taxable and exempt persons | 7 years after the end of the tax period | Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022, Article 56 |
| VAT records relating to real estate | 15 years after the end of the tax period | VAT Executive Regulation, Article 71 |
| AML records of designated non-financial businesses | At least 5 years from completing the transaction or ending the business relationship | Cabinet Resolution No. 134 of 2025, Article 25 |
Where rules overlap, such as the general tax rule and the corporate tax rule, keep the record for the longer period.
When Retention Periods Are Extended
- Add 4 years, or keep records until the dispute is finally settled if that is later, when you have a dispute with the FTA about your tax obligations.
- Add 4 years if you are subject to an ongoing tax audit.
- Add 4 years if the FTA notified you of a planned tax audit before the normal period ended.
- Add 1 year from the date of a voluntary disclosure submitted in the fifth year after the end of the tax period.
These extensions come from Article 3 of Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2023. The Ministry of Finance also announced amendments, effective 1 April 2026, that add two years to the retention period for tax periods covered by a refund claim submitted before the statute of limitations expires.
What Counts as Accounting Records
Article 2 of Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2023 describes accounting records and commercial books as including:
- Records of payments and receipts, purchases and sales, and revenue and expenditure.
- The balance sheet and profit and loss accounts.
- Wage and salary records.
- Fixed asset records.
- Inventory records and statements at the end of each tax period, with stock-count records.
- Supporting documents such as correspondence, invoices, licences and contracts.
- Documents showing any tax election, assessment, determination or calculation, including the method used.
The FTA may also request other information to verify tax obligations, including whether a business should have registered for tax.
Paper, Electronic Copies and Language
- Originals or copies. You can keep original documents, or keep their information as photocopies or electronic copies, provided the copies match the originals, remain available for the whole period and can be reproduced in readable form when the FTA asks (Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2023, Article 4).
- Company law. A company may keep electronic copies of original documents in line with guidelines set by ministerial resolution (Commercial Companies Law, Article 26).
- Language. The FTA may accept records in English, but can ask for an approved Arabic translation of some or all of them (Article 5).
See legal translation support for Arabic translations.
Annual Accounts and Auditors
| Requirement | Rule |
|---|---|
| Annual accounts | Every company prepares annual financial accounts, including a balance sheet and a profit and loss account (Article 27) |
| Accounting standards | International accounting standards and principles (Article 27) |
| Auditor | Mandatory for joint stock companies and LLCs; optional for other companies (Article 27) |
| Partner access | Any partner or shareholder can ask in writing for a free copy of the last audited accounts and auditor's report, and the company must respond within 10 days (Article 27) |
| First fiscal year | Between 6 and 18 months from entry in the commercial register, then 12 months each year (Article 28) |
For structure-specific rules, see LLC, partnership, holding company and foreign company branch.
Audited Financial Statements for Corporate Tax
| Who | Requirement |
|---|---|
| A taxable person that is not a tax group, with revenue over AED 50 million in the tax period | Prepare and maintain audited financial statements |
| A Qualifying Free Zone Person | Prepare and maintain audited financial statements, whatever its revenue |
| A tax group | Prepare and maintain audited special purpose financial statements in the form the FTA specifies |
| A non-resident person | Only revenue through UAE permanent establishments or nexus counts towards the AED 50 million threshold |
The decision applies to tax periods starting on or after 1 January 2025. Ministerial Decision No. 82 of 2023, which it repealed, still applies to earlier tax periods. See corporate tax registration and free zone company formation.
Electronic Invoicing Is Coming
The Tax Procedures Law, Federal Decree-Law No. 28 of 2022 as amended, now provides for an electronic invoicing system (Article 4 bis). The Ministry of Finance has implemented it through Ministerial Decisions No. 243 and No. 244 of 2025.
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Businesses with annual revenue over AED 50 million appoint an Accredited Service Provider | By 30 October 2026, extended from 31 July 2026 |
| Businesses with annual revenue over AED 50 million fully implement eInvoicing | No later than 1 January 2027 |
- The system uses a five-corner model: the supplier, the supplier's Accredited Service Provider, the buyer's Accredited Service Provider, the buyer, and the Federal Tax Authority.
- An eInvoice is structured invoice data exchanged electronically and reported to the FTA. PDFs, Word files, images, scans and emails are not eInvoices.
- A Cabinet resolution on administrative fines for the eInvoicing system has also been issued.
Dates for other businesses are set in the Ministry's decisions, so check the latest Ministry of Finance announcements before planning your system change.
ESR, AML and Closure Records
Companies that carried on ESR relevant activities should keep their filings for 2019 to 2022; see Economic Substance Regulations. Businesses covered by the AML rules for designated non-financial businesses keep transaction and due diligence records for at least five years; see AML and goAML registration.
AML rules also require those responsible for a company's management or liquidation to keep its beneficial ownership records for at least five years after dissolution (Cabinet Resolution No. 134 of 2025, Article 40). See company liquidation.
A Practical Record Keeping Checklist
- Keep a digital archive by year, with originals or readable copies of invoices, contracts and bank statements.
- Record fixed assets, payroll and year-end inventory counts, not just sales and purchases.
- Store the trade licence, memorandum and every amendment with the company records.
- Keep tax returns, calculations, elections and FTA correspondence together.
- Flag real estate records and any disputed or audited periods for the longer retention periods.
- Before closing a company, agree who will hold the records afterwards.
How PROXPAT Helps
Company document and licence archive
Retention schedule by record type
Coordination with your accountant and auditor
Registered tax agent coordination
Arabic translation of records on request
Document packs for audits and FTA requests
Corporate tax and VAT registration support
Records handover before closure
Frequently Asked Questions
Keep your company audit-ready.
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The licence is the start of the government work, not the end of it
Once the trade licence is issued, the sequence that actually lets you operate begins: the establishment card, the MOHRE and immigration files, your employee quota, then employee visas and work permits. After that it repeats every year — renewals, cancellations when people leave, and licence renewal and amendments.
Companies that would rather not build that function in-house put it on a monthly PRO retainer from AED 700, or use it per transaction. Government fees stay separate and itemised either way.
The first six months after incorporation
- Establishment card issued through immigration
- MOHRE file opened and e-signature completed
- Employee quota checked before hiring
- Offer letters, work permits and entry permits
- Medical, Emirates ID and visa stamping
- Corporate tax and VAT registration where they apply
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Get Your Company Records in Order
PROXPAT builds a document archive and retention schedule for your company and coordinates with your accountant, auditor and registered tax agent.