All Taxable Persons should register for Corporate Tax with the FTA and obtain a Tax Registration Number for Corporate Tax.361 This needs to be done before a deadline to be determined by the FTA. All Taxable Persons are encouraged to register for Corporate Tax as soon as they become aware that they will be within the scope of Corporate Tax.

Non-Resident Persons that do not have a Permanent Establishment in the UAE and only earn State Sourced Income can choose not to register for Corporate Tax purposes. However, Non-Resident Persons that have a nexus in the UAE (arising from earning income from Immovable Property in the UAE – see Section 5.4.4) are required to register.362

The FTA can, at its discretion, register a Person for Corporate Tax if, on the basis of information available to it, the FTA believes the Person is a Taxable Person.363

If a Corporate Tax registered Person ceases to be a Taxable Person for any reason, they should file a Tax Deregistration application with the FTA.364 Tax Deregistration will only take place when all Corporate Tax liabilities and penalties due have been paid, and all Tax Returns have been filed.365 If the Tax Deregistration application is approved by the FTA, the FTA will deregister the Person for Corporate Tax purposes, with effect from the date of cessation of the Business or from such other date as may be determined by the FTA.366

Failure to submit a deregistration application within 3 months of the date the entity ceases to exist, cessation of the Business, dissolution, liquidation or otherwise, will result in a penalty of AED 1,000, and a further AED 1,000 on the same date monthly, up to a maximum of AED 10,000. 367

For more details on the Tax Deregistration timelines refer to FTA Decision No. 6 of 2023 on Tax Deregistration Timeline.

Where a Person does not comply with the Tax Deregistration requirements, the FTA may, at its discretion and based on the information available to it, deregister the Taxable Person. This Tax Deregistration will be effective from the later of the last day of the Tax Period that the Taxable Person satisfied their Corporate Tax obligations or the date the Taxable Person ceases to exist.368