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Registration
VAT deregistration in the UAE
Businesses remember to register. They forget that stopping is also a filing, on a clock, with its own penalty attached.
- Window
- 20 business days
- Mandatory when
- Supplies stop
- Before it closes
- Final return
From the day the deregistration trigger occurs.
Or fall below AED 187,500 over 12 months.
All periods filed, all tax paid, or the application sits.
How it runs
- We date the triggerCeasing to make taxable supplies, or falling under AED 187,500 across twelve months. The clock runs from that date, not from the day you decided.
- Outstanding periods are brought currentThe FTA does not approve a deregistration with unfiled returns or unpaid tax behind it.
- The final return is preparedIncluding any adjustment on assets still held, which is the part most people do not expect.
- The application goes in and is chasedApproval is not instant, and the obligation to file continues until the TRN is actually cancelled.
What we ask you for
- Reason and date for stopping — closure, sale, or a fall in turnover
- Turnover figures for the last 12 months
- All returns filed to date
- Trade licence cancellation papers, where the business is closing
What we see go wrong
- Treating the licence cancellation date as the trigger. The VAT trigger is usually earlier.
- Stopping filing the moment the application is submitted. The obligation runs until the TRN is cancelled.
- Forgetting stock and assets on hand in the final return.
Questions we get asked
When must I deregister for VAT in the UAE?
Within 20 business days of the trigger: ceasing to make taxable supplies, or your taxable supplies falling below the AED 187,500 voluntary threshold over the previous 12 months.
Can I deregister if I still have unfiled returns?
No. The FTA requires all returns filed and all tax and penalties settled before it approves a deregistration.
What is a final VAT return?
The last return covering the period up to deregistration. It includes any adjustment required on assets and stock still held, on which input tax was previously recovered.
General information about UAE VAT, current at 10 August 2026. It is not tax advice and does not create a client relationship — see our disclaimer. Confirm your own position with the FTA, or with us, before acting.
Send the return. We will tell you where it stands.
No charge for the first look. If nothing needs doing we will say so, and if something does you will know what it costs before you decide.