Stay compliant with the UAE's beneficial-ownership rules. Under Cabinet Decision 109/2023 (which replaced 58/2020), most UAE companies must identify their real owners, maintain the required registers and file UBO data with their licensing authority. Avyanco handles it end-to-end.
UAE beneficial-ownership rules, currently set out in Cabinet Decision No. 109 of 2023 (which replaced No. 58 of 2020), require most companies to identify their Ultimate Beneficial Owners, the natural persons who ultimately own or control the business, commonly through a 25% or greater shareholding or voting right. Companies must maintain registers and file UBO data with their licensing authority or registrar.
UAE beneficial-ownership rules, currently set out in Cabinet Decision No. 109 of 2023 (which replaced No. 58 of 2020), require most companies in the country to identify their Ultimate Beneficial Owners — the natural persons who ultimately own or control the business — and to keep this on the record. In practice that means creating and maintaining a Register of Beneficial Owners and a Register of Partners or Shareholders, and filing the UBO information with the relevant licensing authority or registrar.
A Beneficial Owner is generally the natural person who ultimately owns or controls the entity, commonly through a 25% or greater shareholding or voting right, or through control by other means. The rules apply to most mainland and free-zone companies, while entities in the financial free zones (ADGM and DIFC) and certain government-owned bodies follow their own regimes. Getting this right matters: non-compliance carries administrative penalties, and UBO data must be kept current as ownership changes. Avyanco identifies your beneficial owners, prepares the registers, makes the filing and keeps it updated.
Three connected obligations under the beneficial-ownership rules.
Identifying the natural persons who ultimately own or control the company and recording the required details in the UBO register.
Maintaining the register of the company's direct partners or shareholders and their holdings, alongside the UBO register.
Filing the UBO data with the licensing authority and updating it within the required window whenever ownership or control changes.
Six steps from analysis to a compliant, maintained register.
We map the ownership and control chain — including holding companies and layered structures — to find the real beneficial owners.
We apply the 25% ownership/control test and the control-by-other-means rules to determine who must be recorded.
We prepare the Register of Beneficial Owners and the Register of Partners/Shareholders with the required details and evidence.
We submit the UBO data to the relevant licensing authority or registrar in the prescribed format.
When ownership or control changes, we update the registers and re-file within the required window.
We keep UBO alongside your other filings (ESR, Corporate Tax, licence renewal) on one compliance calendar.
Beneficial-ownership compliance is low-effort to maintain and costly to ignore.
Avyanco treats UBO as part of an integrated compliance service, not a one-off form.
We unpick layered and cross-border ownership to identify beneficial owners correctly the first time.
We prepare and file the registers in the right format with the right authority, mainland or free zone.
We track ownership changes and re-file within the window, so the record never goes stale.
UBO sits alongside ESR, Corporate Tax and licence renewal on one calendar, handled by one team.
Clean UBO and shareholder registers that stand up to bank KYC and onboarding.
Consistent UBO handling across all your UAE entities, with a single point of contact.
Partner-level advisors covering beneficial-ownership analysis, filing and ongoing compliance.
Three things that come up in every UBO engagement.
We correctly identify beneficial owners even through holding companies and layered structures.
Accurate registers filed on time keep you clear of the administrative penalties for non-compliance.
We update and re-file as ownership changes, so the record stays compliant year-round.
UBO data changes whenever ownership does — these are the changes that trigger a re-filing.
The most common reason UBO data changes — a transfer that adds, exits or reallocates shareholders.
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Structural changes to activities, capital, managers or legal form, recorded on an amended MoA.
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When the company is closing, keep records compliant through to final deregistration.
Read moreA slice of recent feedback from founders who run their UAE compliance through Avyanco.
I have been dealing with Akshta for more than a year now and she has been very professional.
Read more — Sherif Ayub's review on GoogleIn so far as the emigration process can ever be made easy, Avyanco achieves exactly this.
Read more — Sheru George's review on GoogleWe are very satisfied with Avyanco's support for Nanasu Realty — especially across AML compliance, accounting, and company setup.
Read more — Purushottam Mukkundi's review on GoogleI've used the services of Avyanco twice over the past 3 years for visa processing, and they have never failed to impress me.
Read more — Dominic Pinto's review on GoogleI had an excellent experience with Avyanco Business Setup Consultancy for both my company formation and family dependent visa process in the UAE.
Read more — Eder Schaphauser Ziomek's review on GoogleWe had an excellent experience working with this company for our ADGM company setup in Abu Dhabi.
Read more — Nikhil Nadanga's review on GoogleCommon questions about UAE beneficial-ownership compliance.
Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) · Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) · UAE Ministry of Finance · UAE Ministry of Economy
This page describes UAE beneficial-ownership compliance in general terms, anchored to Cabinet Decision No. 109 of 2023 (which replaced No. 58 of 2020) as understood in June 2026. Avyanco Business Consultancy LLC is independent of all UAE government authorities and provides advisory and administrative services; it is not a government body.
Beneficial-ownership rules, thresholds, exemptions, filing procedures and penalties evolve and differ by licensing authority. Always confirm the current requirements for your specific entity directly with your licensing authority before acting on any fact on this page.
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Speak to an Avyanco advisor about your beneficial-ownership compliance — identification, registers, filing and ongoing updates across all your UAE entities.
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