Ajman Trade Licence Amendment: How to Add Activities and Make Other Changes

How to add activities in a trade licence in Ajman, step by step, plus every other licence change: partners, shares, trade name, legal form, manager or address. We file the amendment with Ajman DED or your Ajman free zone, then update your visas, bank and tax records.

Description

Adding an activity is the most common reason to amend a trade licence. If you want to know how to add activities in a trade licence in Ajman, the answer depends first on who issued it. Ajman mainland licences are amended by the Ajman Department of Economic Development (Ajman DED). Free zone licences are amended by your free zone: Ajman Free Zone (AFZ), Ajman Media City Free Zone or Ajman NuVentures Centre Free Zone, each with its own portal and document list.

**How adding an activity works on the Ajman mainland.** Ajman DED treats adding, deleting or changing an activity as a licence amendment. The steps are: 1. Choose the new activity from Ajman DED's activity list and check it fits your current legal form and premises. The new activity has to be one you can carry out at your licensed address, and some activities need a different type of premises. 2. Get approval from the relevant authority if the activity is regulated. Ajman DED asks for these outside approvals "if necessary": for example food, health or engineering activities. 3. Submit the amendment application through Ajman DED's e-services and update the lease details on file. 4. For a company, sign the appendix to the memorandum of association that adds the activity. Ajman DED documents it as part of the amendment. A sole establishment has no memorandum, so only the licence is amended. 5. Pay the fees and receive the amended licence.

Once the file is complete, Ajman DED lists the amendment step itself at about ten minutes. The real time goes on outside approvals and on getting signatures. If your licence has expired, Ajman DED requires you to renew it together with the amendment, so we often combine the change with your trade licence renewal.

**Adding activities in Ajman free zones.** In Ajman Free Zone, you request the change through the AFZ customer portal. Two AFZ rules catch people out. First, AFZ doesn't allow service activities and commercial (trading) activities on the same licence, so adding a service such as consultancy to a trading licence may need a second licence. Second, a general trading licence counts as one activity in AFZ: to add a different kind of activity you switch to a commercial licence. Changing to a service or industrial activity in AFZ can also require a feasibility study. If you're unsure whether your new activity fits, see our Ajman Free Zone general trading license page or ask us before you apply.

**Other changes we handle.** Besides activities, you can add or remove a partner or transfer shares, change the trade name, manager or address, and change the legal form, for example from a sole establishment to an LLC. Ajman DED also handles changing or withdrawing a local service agent, and the full or partial assignment of a licence to a new owner. A new trade name must be reserved when you add a partner or change the legal form, and new foreign partners need security approval. In Ajman Free Zone, changing partnership shares can require recent bank statements. All parties to a change must sign, in person, through UAE PASS where available, or through a power of attorney if they are abroad.

**What to update afterwards.** After the amended licence is issued, the establishment card with ICP, the MOHRE record and your employees' work permits must reflect the new details. Your bank will ask for the amended licence, and for KYC on any new shareholder or signatory, which we can coordinate with your corporate bank account team. Changes to activities, name, address or legal form must be reported to the Federal Tax Authority within 20 business days, including on your VAT registration if you have one. Ownership changes must be reflected in your beneficial owner register. Our Ajman PRO retainer covers these follow-up updates for companies that make changes regularly.

**Moving between mainland and free zone.** This is not a simple amendment. It usually means setting up a new company, such as an Ajman free zone company, moving contracts, staff and visas, and then completing a trade licence cancellation for the old one.

**What affects the cost.** The authority, how many activities you add and which ones, any outside approvals, the type and number of other changes, new partners, and whether foreign documents need translation or legalisation. Message us on WhatsApp or live chat with the activity or change you want and we'll send a written quote.

What's Included

Check of the new activity: correct activity on the authority's list, fit with your legal form and premises, and whether outside approval is needed
Outside approvals for regulated activities (we prepare and submit; the authority decides)
Advice on AFZ rules for adding activities (service vs commercial, general trading)
Partner additions, removals and share transfers
Trade name, manager, address and legal form changes, with trade name reservation where needed
Local service agent change or withdrawal (mainland)
MOA appendix or resolution drafting
Coordination of signatures, UAE PASS and powers of attorney
Filing with Ajman DED or the free zone, and collection of the amended licence
Establishment card and MOHRE updates
Coordination of bank record updates
Reminder and support for FTA (VAT / Corporate Tax) and beneficial owner register updates

Requirements / Prerequisites

An Ajman licence (if expired, it must be renewed together with the amendment)
For a new activity: premises that suit it, and approval from the relevant authority if it is regulated
Agreement of all partners affected by the change
Valid passports and Emirates IDs for everyone named on the licence
Any outstanding fines settled (if the authority requires it)

Required Documents

Amendment application form (we complete it)
Current trade licence and MOA (or free zone certificate of incorporation and articles)
Activity approvals from the relevant authority (regulated activities)
Passport copies and Emirates IDs (if residents) of all current and incoming partners and managers
Signed resolution or MOA appendix setting out the change (we draft it)
Share transfer or assignment contract (for share sales)
Power of attorney, notarised and legalised, for anyone signing from abroad
For corporate shareholders: board resolution and company documents, attested for UAE use
Free zone extras where asked: feasibility study (AFZ service or industrial activity change), original Chamber certificate (name change), six months of bank statements (share changes)
Updated lease (address change, or if the new activity needs different premises)

Our Process

Tell us the activity or change you want; we confirm the authority, route and documents.
Check the activity against the authority's list, your legal form and your premises.
Reserve a new trade name and obtain outside approvals, if needed.
Draft the resolution, MOA appendix or transfer contract.
Collect signatures, in person, with UAE PASS or by power of attorney.
File the amendment with Ajman DED or your free zone and pay the fees.
Receive the amended licence (and MOA appendix for mainland companies).
Update the establishment card, MOHRE record and work permits.
Update the bank, the FTA (within 20 business days) and the beneficial owner register.

Pricing

Contact via WhatsApp

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I add activities to my trade licence in Ajman?

On the mainland, you apply to Ajman DED for a licence amendment: choose the activity from DED's list, get any outside approval the activity needs, submit the amendment with your updated lease details, sign the MOA appendix if you're a company, pay the fees and receive the amended licence. In an Ajman free zone, you request the change through the free zone's portal. We handle either route.

Do I need approval from another authority to add an activity?

Only for regulated activities. Ajman DED asks for outside approvals where needed, for example for food, health or engineering activities. We check this before filing, because it's usually what takes the most time.

How long does it take to add an activity?

Once the file is complete, Ajman DED lists the amendment step at about ten minutes. The overall time depends on outside approvals and signatures: an unregulated activity is often done within days, while a regulated activity, a new foreign partner or a legal form change takes longer.

How much does it cost to add an activity?

Ajman DED says fees vary by the type of change. Your total depends on the authority, how many activities you add, whether they need outside approval, and any other changes made at the same time. Send us the activity you want and we'll give you a written quote.

Can I add a service activity to my Ajman Free Zone trading licence?

Usually not on the same licence. AFZ doesn't allow service and commercial activities together, and a general trading licence counts as one activity. You may need a second licence, or to change the licence type. Ask us before you apply.

Can I add an activity to an expired licence?

Ajman DED requires the licence to be renewed together with the amendment, so both are done at the same time.

What else can I change on my Ajman trade licence?

Partners and share percentages, the trade name, the manager, the address and the legal form. On the mainland you can also change or withdraw a local service agent, or assign the licence to a new owner.

What do I need to update after adding an activity?

The establishment card and MOHRE record, your bank, and the Federal Tax Authority within 20 business days, because activities are part of your tax registration details. Ownership changes must also be recorded in your beneficial owner register.