Fees and steps checked on
A UK certificate of good standing for the UAE is a Companies House company certificate with a summary statement, ordered as a certified certificate. Because it is a public registry document signed by Companies House, it goes straight to the FCDO for an apostille, then to the UAE Embassy in London, which attests it together with MOFA as a commercial document. UAE free zones, licensing authorities and banks ask for it when a UK company opens a branch or subsidiary, holds shares in a UAE company or opens a corporate account.
Price: from AED 4,200 plus VAT per document, 22 to 24 working days, with the FCDO, embassy and MOFA commercial fees and courier included. See attestation fees.
What Companies House issues
Companies House guidance explains that the certificate with a summary statement replaced what used to be called the good standing statement. It confirms the company's details and that its filings are up to date. If the company is late with its accounts or confirmation statement, Companies House will not issue it.
| Service | Companies House fee | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Standard certificate | £22 | Aims to send within 10 working days |
| Same day certificate | £65 | Order before 11am |
Order it from the company's page on Find and update company information, under the More tab.
Certified certificate, not a printout
The FCDO legalises a public registry document only when it carries the original signature of a UK public official. So order the certified certificate from Companies House, not a PDF from the free register. A printout would need a notary's certification first, which adds a fee and a step.
The rest of the company set
A UAE licence file usually asks for more than the good standing:
- Certificate of incorporation, also a Companies House document
- Articles of association, as a Companies House certified copy
- Board resolution approving the UAE entity, notarised in the UK
- Power of attorney for the UAE manager, see UK power of attorney attestation
The full set, with the notary rules for company-made papers, is on UK company documents attestation. Each document is attested separately, with its own fee.
Step by step
- Bring filings up to date, if anything is overdue.
- Order the certified certificate with the summary statement.
- FCDO apostille. Registered businesses can also use the FCDO's faster business services.
- UAE Embassy London and MOFA, applied for on the MOFA portal and attested digitally as a commercial document.
- Arabic translation, if the UAE authority wants one. See legal translation in Dubai.
What goes wrong
- An old certificate. UAE authorities often want a recent one. Order it close to the start.
- A free register printout. No signature for the FCDO to legalise.
- Overdue filings. No summary statement until they are filed.
- Name differences. "Limited" against "Ltd" on the UAE application can cause questions. Use the registered name exactly.
Commercial invoices and certificates of origin follow a different route on UK commercial documents attestation.
