How to Update Trade License Information with FTA in UAE

Keeping your trade license information up-to-date with the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) in the UAE is an important part of running a business in the country.

The FTA, or Federal Tax Authority, regulates taxation for all businesses operating in the UAE. When your business first registers for a trade license, all your details including business activities, contact information, and more are recorded with the FTA.

As your business grows and changes over time, it becomes necessary to update some of these details with the FTA to keep their records accurate and current. For instance, if you expand into new business activities or update your contact information, the FTA needs to reflect those changes.

You might be wondering why it’s so important to notify the FTA whenever any details change for your trade license in the UAE.

There are some reasons:

Avoid penalties & fines: If the FTA attempts to verify your business details for auditing or other purposes, and finds the information is outdated, you may face financial penalties.
Tax compliance: With inaccurate business activities or details, you may fall out of tax compliance which can lead to problems.
Communication: The FTA uses your contact information to send important notices and updates. Outdated contacts mean you might miss critical information.
Operations: Changing business activities without informing the FTA could potentially impact your licensing and permissions to operate in certain sectors.

Update Trade License Information with FTA in the UAE

When it comes to updating your trade license information with the FTA, there are a few possible scenarios:

Changes that don’t require FTA approval
Changes that do require approval
Fields restricted from direct amendments

The process differs slightly depending on which category your changes fall under. We’ll explore each scenario in detail.

Changes That Don’t Require FTA Approval

Fortunately, many common types of information updates don’t require direct approval from the FTA. This means you can log in and amend these details directly and have the changes take effect immediately.

Let’s take a look at what fields fall under this category.

Fields That Can be Updated Without Approval

According to the official FTA guidelines, you can update the following fields directly without needing approval:

Business activities of the applicant
GCC activities
Customs Registration Information

That covers changes like:

Updating your primary business activity
Adding or removing additional business activities
Providing or updating TRN details
Changing the GCC member state
Updating estimated values of imports/exports
Changing CRN numbers
Updating the emirate name
Uploading a new customs registration file

As long as the changes are limited to these sections, you can directly amend your trade license details without waiting for the FTA’s go-ahead.

Update Information Without FTA Approval

Updating your details without approval is straightforward. Just follow these steps:

Visit the FTA’s online portal for VAT registration
Login to your account and access your approved VAT registration application under the Dashboard tab
Click “Edit” on the application form to enter Amendment mode
Navigate to the sections listed above such as Business Activities, GCC Activities, etc.
Make the required changes to the fields in these sections
Click “Submit Changes” when done

The FTA portal will automatically update your details without needing intervention or approval. The updated information will also immediately reflect across your FTA profile.

With the ability to directly edit these common fields, keeping minor but important details like contact information and business activities becomes much simpler.

For more significant changes FTA approval becomes necessary…

Changes That Require FTA Approval

While many information updates can be made directly, certain key fields will always require approval from the Federal Tax Authority before taking effect.

Fields Requiring FTA Approval

The following information fields cannot be directly edited without prior authorization:

Details of the Applicant
Contact details
Banking details
Business relationships
About the VAT Application
Declarations section

Trying to change critical information like banking details or the core applicant details requires approval as it can impact legal and financial compliance.

Detailed Process for Making Changes Requiring FTA ApprovalHere is the step-by-step process to make changes that require FTA approval:

Access your approved VAT registration form on the FTA portal Click the ‘Amendment’ button to enter amendment mode Navigate to any section like Applicant Details, Declarations, etc.
Make the required changes to fields in these sections
Click ‘Review & Submit’ once you have finished all updates FTA will receive the amendment application and review the changes
If approved, you will receive a notification and the changes will take effect If the FTA requires clarification or changes, they may revert with additional questions

It’s an important compliance measure for legal and tax purposes.

Fields Restricted from Direct Amendments

Beyond the sections requiring outright FTA approval, some individual fields simply cannot be directly updated under any situation.

Trying to amend these fields requires an alternate process.

Fields Where Direct Changes Are Not Possible

According to FTA guidelines, the following information fields do not allow direct amendments from applicants:

“Exception from VAT Registration” in About the VAT Application section
“Notification language change” in the Declarations section
About the applicant section entirely
Communication preferences section

These sections and fields are locked down without exception. Tight controls prevent applicants from adjusting them, even with an amendment application.

How to Handle Changes in Restricted Fields

If you need to adjust any information in the restricted fields listed above, you cannot directly edit them even with FTA approval.

Instead, you will need to contact the FTA directly via phone or their website to request changes:

Call 600 599 994
Initiate a request directly on the official FTA website

An FTA representative can then guide you through the process of updating details related to VAT exceptions, preferred languages, applicant details, or communication preferences.

With this final category of changes requiring special handling, you now understand the full gamut of amending trade license information with the FTA.

Conclusion

Updating your trade license details with the FTA in the UAE is crucial for maintaining compliance and avoiding potential penalties or issues.

By learning the exact procedures for changes with and without approval, restricted fields, and contacting the FTA directly, you can keep your business information current.

Now you can confidently update your license details and keep the FTA properly informed as your business evolves in the UAE.