Establishment Card: The Company Immigration File Explained

A new hire has accepted your offer, and the visa application is ready to go. Then someone asks whether the company's immigration file is still current, and nobody knows the expiry date.

That file is the establishment card. In Dubai, GDRFA Dubai issues and renews it. Its service card for private companies says: "With the help of this service, private sector businesses or free zones can get an establishment card with information about the business on it." GDRFA Dubai's renewal service covers "any establishment card (government sector, private sector and free zones, establishment card for national companies - support for small projects)". The federal authority, ICP, runs a parallel service and requires a valid trade licence before it renews a card.

For the wider picture, see the map of PRO transactions and the authorities behind them. This article explains what the card records, who issues it, how it links to MOHRE and your employees' permits, and what each renewal page publishes.

What the establishment card is, in the authorities' words

ICP's issuance page gives the fullest description: "This service allows the issuance of the electronic establishment card, which includes the registered establishment data such as trade name, license number, partners, and type of activity."

GDRFA Dubai's issuance landing page lists three variants:

• "Establishment Card for Institutions in the Private Sector/ Free Zone"
• "Establishment Card for Institutions in Government Sector"
• "Establishment Card for national companies - SME"

GDRFA Dubai describes the SME variant this way: "This service allows national businesses to obtain an establishment card, supporting smaller projects and displaying the establishment information."

Two registrations share the same name

MOHRE also runs a service called "Issuance of Establishment Card". It is the labour-side registration, not the immigration file. MOHRE's page states: "First, the establishment details must be registered with the Ministry, in addition to entry of the establishment's owners and authorized signatories, specimens of their signatures, details of the establishment's business activity, and location."

The UAE Government Portal (u.ae) uses different names again. Its page on recruiting on the mainland, updated on 11 June 2025, refers to an "eSignature card" at MOHRE and a "firm card" at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes an "Update Establishment Card Service". Its page states: "This service is provided for missions accredited to the UAE to request an update to the establishment card data". Its audience is "Foreign missions accredited to the UAE", so it is not the service a private company uses.

Which authority issues your card

Dubai companies. GDRFA Dubai's private sector card is titled for institutions in the "Private Sector/ Free Zone". Its renewal page covers government, private sector, free zone and national SME cards.

ICP. ICP's issuance and renewal pages list their audience as "Government Authorities" and "Private sector and Free zone companies". Neither page names an emirate. We did not find a statement of which emirates ICP's establishment card services cover on the four ICP establishment card pages reviewed on 20 September 2026. If your company is licensed outside Dubai, confirm with ICP which authority handles your card.

ICP's issuance page adds a channel condition: "It is required that the application for the initial approval and the establishment card issuance be submitted exclusively through the authorized service providers."

Free zone companies. The UAE Government Portal lists "Issuing, renewing and cancelling visas" among the services free zone authorities provide. Ask your free zone authority which body issues and renews your card, and through which channel.

How the card sits between your licence and your employees

The official pages describe four registrations that depend on one another. None of the pages we reviewed sets out the whole chain, so each link is quoted from its own source.

1. The trade licence comes first. Card services at ICP, GDRFA Dubai and MOHRE each mention a valid licence. ICP's renewal page: "The service is granted only if a valid trade license is available". GDRFA Dubai's modification service: "Availability of a valid trade license for the owner of the establishment." MOHRE's establishment card terms: "A valid trade license." Renewing the licence itself is covered in the guide to trade licence renewal in Dubai.

2. The immigration card and the MOHRE registration. Here the official pages give different orders:

• MOHRE's establishment card page lists as a required document "A clear copy of the establishment card issued by the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security". On that reading, the immigration card comes first.
• The UAE Government Portal states: "The employer must first approach the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and request the issuance of eSignature card for his firm." It then says the employer "must request a firm card also from the respective General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs."

We have not resolved this difference. Confirm the order for your company with MOHRE and with GDRFA Dubai or ICP before you start. MOHRE's terms also require that "The authorized signatory in the Ministry must also be authorized to sign in the Federal Authority for Identity, Nationality, Customs and Port Security." Keep the signatory list identical on both files.

3. Work permits follow the MOHRE registration. The UAE Government Portal states: "After the issuance of the card, the employer can apply for pre-approval work permit for its employees." Work permits are explained in the explainer on work permits and labour cards.

The same portal links MOHRE transactions to wage payments. It states: "MoHRE does not process any transactions or deal with the owners of the companies that are not registered with the WPS until they register in the system." The employer guide to WPS covers that system.

4. Residence permits follow the work permit. ICP's residency permit service lists as a document the "Work permit from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation if the sponsoring entity is subject to the Labor Relations Law or is in the domestic workers category." The employer-side stages are covered in the employer's step-by-step employment visa process.

We did not find a page that ties the establishment card's renewal date to the trade licence renewal date. The pages reviewed on 20 September 2026 were GDRFA Dubai's issuance, renewal and modification services, ICP's issuance and renewal services and MOHRE's establishment card page. Of those, GDRFA Dubai's modification service, ICP's issuance and renewal services and MOHRE's page set a valid licence condition, and none gives a date for it.

We also did not find, on those pages or the u.ae recruiting page, a statement that pending visa applications are rejected if the card lapses. The practical step is simple: check that the card is valid before you submit any employee application.

Renewing with GDRFA Dubai: what the page lists

GDRFA Dubai's "Renewal of Establishment Card -all categories" service page showed "20/09/2026" as its last update when we read it.

Documents for a private sector or free zone company, as the page lists them:

1. "A copy of the partners' names appendix for the private sector or free zone."
2. "Copies of the authorised signatories' passports."
3. "A copy of the authorisation for the authorised individuals that have been notarised (in the case of a manager)."

Documents for national businesses: "A passport copy of the sponsor", "A replica of the business license" and "A formal letter from the Small Projects Support Program". Government entities provide "A letter from the relevant authority in the government sector."

Fees. The fee block on the renewal page, as read in a browser on 20 September 2026, contains two statements:

• "Establishment card renewal fee: AED200 In addition to the value-added tax (5%)."
• "Note: The issuance or renewal fee is AED100 per year."

The page does not reconcile them. The same fee block lists "Extra charge:Knowledge Dirham: AED10 Innovation Dirham: AED10 Service fee: AED50 Urgent fee: AED100". Confirm with GDRFA Dubai which renewal amount applies to your card before you pay.

The GDRFA Dubai issuance page for private companies carries the same pair: "Fee for issuing an establishment card: AED200 Plus VAT (5%)" and "Note: The issuance or renewal fee is AED100 per year." It also states: "*If the application is submitted through Amer centres, a fee of AED100 will be added." That Amer line did not appear in the renewal page's fee block as read on 20 September 2026, so ask the Amer centre what it adds.

Time and channels. The renewal page shows "48.0 Hour(s)". It lists "Digital channels (website/smart application): The service is available 24/7" and "Amer Service Centre: The service is available during the normal operating hours of AMER Centers".

We did not find a GDRFA Dubai fine, grace period or blocked-transaction rule for an expired establishment card on the renewal page or the three other GDRFA Dubai pages reviewed on 20 September 2026. Ask GDRFA Dubai what applies if your card has already expired.

Renewing with ICP: what the page lists

ICP's "Renewal of Establishment Card" page (service code 377-008-001-001) states: "This service allows the renewal of the electronic establishment card, which reflects the registered establishment data."

Conditions. "The service is granted only if a valid trade license is available" and "Payment of the fines due on the establishment is required".

Fees, as the page shows them:

• "A renewal fee of AED 100 shall apply for each year - 100 AED"
• "Renewal of establishment subscription in the Authority's electronic system - 1000 AED"
• "Smart Service Fees - 100 AED"

The page shows a completion time of "2 Days", through the "ICP Smart Services Website".

Late renewal. The page's service fines section states: "A delay in renewing the establishment card for more than 30 days from its expiry date: AED 100 for each month of delay, up to a maximum of AED 1,000." The page does not say which emirates this covers. Do not assume it applies to a card issued by GDRFA Dubai; ask the authority that issued your card.

Documents. The document list displayed on the renewal page on 20 September 2026 was the one for a government entity. Select your own category on the page and check its list before you apply.

The published fee lines side by side

These are the fee lines each page publishes, quoted or listed as shown, including third-party charges where the page names them. They are not totals, and they exclude any provider's service fee.

Three kinds of cost can appear on one transaction: government fees, third-party charges such as an Amer surcharge or a business centre commission, and any provider's own service fee. Ask for each to be shown separately. Employee visa costs are covered in the breakdown of what an employee visa costs a company.

Fees checked on 20 September 2026.

The renewal-dependency timeline and checklist

Practical asset: the renewal-dependency timeline and six-question checklist. Write your own expiry dates in the brackets and review this sheet before each renewal. | Layer | Who issues it | What it needs, as published | Published fee lines | Published late fine | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1. Trade licence [expiry: ____] | Your licensing authority | See its renewal page | See that page | Not reviewed for this article | | 2. Immigration establishment card [expiry: ____] | GDRFA Dubai, or ICP | GDRFA Dubai: partners' names appendix, signatories' passports, notarised authorisation. ICP: "valid trade license", fines paid | GDRFA Dubai: AED200 plus 5 per cent VAT, and a note of AED100 per year. ICP: AED 100 each year, AED 1000 subscription, AED 100 smart service | ICP page only: AED 100 per month after 30 days, maximum AED 1,000. None found on GDRFA Dubai pages | | 3. MOHRE establishment registration [date: ____] | MOHRE | "A valid trade license."; copy of the ICP-issued card; Ministry personal identification numbers | "Ta'qeem fees : 406 dirhams"; business centre commission capped at AED72 | None found on the MOHRE page | | 4. Employee work permits and residence permits [next expiry: ____] | MOHRE (work permit); GDRFA Dubai or ICP (residence) | ICP residence permit lists the MOHRE work permit as a document | See the permit pages | See the permit pages | Six questions to answer before you renew 1. Is the trade licence valid today, and does its expiry fall before the card's expiry? [yes / no] 2. Which authority issued our card: GDRFA Dubai, ICP or another authority (write its name)? 3. Do the partners and authorised signatories on the card match the current licence? If not, check the modification service of the authority that issued the card. 4. Are there unpaid fines on the establishment? ICP's renewal page requires "Payment of the fines due on the establishment". 5. Is the same signatory authorised on both the immigration file and the MOHRE file? 6. Which fee statement applies to us? Write the amount the authority confirmed and the date it confirmed it.

The pages quoted above link these layers as conditions or documents, and they do not agree on the order of all steps, so check that layers 1 to 3 are current before you submit any employee application.

When the card's details change, or the company closes

Changes to the card's details have their own services. GDRFA Dubai's modification service lets a company change the card's information, for example a "trade name change, assignment, cancellation of partner". Its fee line reads: "Fee for amending an establishment card: AED100 In addition to the value added tax (5%)." It lists a completion time of "48.0 Hour(s)". ICP's amendment service states: "Payment of fines and clearance of workers is required".

Closing a company has its own rules. GDRFA Dubai's cancellation page states: "It is stipulated that no sponsored persons are on the establishment card when applying to cancel the card." ICP's cancellation service covers establishments "operating in free zones" and lists "Commercial License Cancellation First". Company closure is covered in the guide to company cancellation and liquidation. If you are still setting up, see the guide to mainland company setup in Dubai.

Who decides, what you prepare, what a provider can do

What the authority decides. GDRFA Dubai or ICP decides whether an establishment card is issued, renewed or amended. MOHRE decides on its own establishment registration. No provider decides any of these.

What you prepare. The current trade licence, the partners' names appendix, the signatories' passports and any notarised authorisation, plus a note of which authority issued your card.

What a provider can do. A provider can prepare the documents, submit them through the channel the authority names and track progress. ICP's issuance page requires that applications "be submitted exclusively through the authorized service providers", so ask any provider how it submits to ICP.

Information verified against official sources on 20 September 2026.

If your company's establishment card is due for renewal or needs amending, contact RINJAZ to confirm availability, scope and quotation. RINJAZ is a privately licensed UAE service provider. It is not a government entity and does not act for any authority.

A provider's role, within whatever its licensed activity covers, is to prepare documents, submit them through the correct channel and track progress. GDRFA Dubai or ICP decides each establishment card application, and no provider can promise the outcome.