The United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands at a glance
- Stamp
- Legalisation
- First stop
- First the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (attestation), then the Consulate-General of the Netherlands in Dubai
- Language
- Arabic, sworn translation
- Register
- Mainland companies are registered with the Department of Economic Development of the emirate, which issues the trade licence
- Tax treaty
- Signed 2007, in force 2010 (Rijksoverheid, 1 October 2026)
- EU trade
- Free trade talks launched on 28 May 2025
- In the Netherlands
- 85 companies controlled from the United Arab Emirates in 2024, 60 in 2021 (+41.7%), about 3,000 jobs, €1.4 billion turnover (CBS, 9 October 2026)
- Moving here
- Residence permit needed
Documents from the United Arab Emirates
Passport copy, certified by a notary in the United Arab Emirates.
Proof of address in the United Arab Emirates, at most three months old.
Power of attorney. Sign the power of attorney before a UAE notary public or a free-zone notary. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) then attests the notary’s signature.
Ownership statement, one page from us.
Legalisation. First the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (attestation), then the Consulate-General of the Netherlands in Dubai. Arabic documents need a sworn translation into Dutch, English, French or German.
Official page: https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/legalisation/foreign-documents/united-arab-emirates
Good to know. Many UAE documents are bilingual. Only Arabic-only documents need a translation. Free-zone companies must show who the ultimate owner is. A Certificate of Incumbency from the zone is the fastest proof. Allow four to six weeks for all the steps.
If a company from the United Arab Emirates becomes a shareholder
Register extract, at most three months old: Mainland companies are registered with the Department of Economic Development of the emirate, which issues the trade licence. Free-zone companies are registered with the free-zone authority. This authority issues the trade licence and the Memorandum of Association. It also issues the Certificate of Incumbency (a signed list of who manages and owns the company). Plus articles, signing authority and ownership chart.
Trade between the United Arab Emirates and the EU
In 2025, total EU trade in goods with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) came to €61.1 billion. This made the UAE the EU’s 18th largest trading partner.
In 2025, EU exports to the UAE rose by 16% to €51.8 billion, led by machinery and appliances (€15.1 billion) and transport equipment (€10.3 billion). EU imports were €9.3 billion, led by mineral products (€3.1 billion) and base metals (€1.9 billion).
In May 2025, the Commission valued EU-UAE trade in services at some €39 billion a year, ranking the UAE 11th among EU services partners. The UAE is also the EU’s biggest foreign direct investment partner in the Gulf.
On 10 April 2025, the EU and the UAE agreed to negotiate a free trade agreement, and talks were formally launched on 28 May 2025. The talks cover goods, services, investment and cooperation on renewable energy, green hydrogen and critical raw materials.
Import duties: Access2Markets.
Your next step from the United Arab Emirates
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