Most UAE free zones accept only an audit signed by a firm on their approved-auditor list, and will not renew a trade licence without it. Cressford Chartered Accountants handles free zone audits across the UAE, directly or through approved-partner arrangements, with reports accepted by the authorities for licence renewal. No additional verification, no rejected submissions and no renewal delays: an IFRS-compliant audit, delivered to deadline at a fixed fee agreed in advance.
State your free zone and financial year end, and receive a fixed quotation within one working day. Your details remain confidential.
No obligation. Your details remain confidential.
Each UAE free zone authority maintains its own Approved Auditors List (AAL), and only a firm on that list can sign an audit the authority will accept. The consequences are practical:
An approved firm's report proceeds directly to licence renewal, with no additional verification step.
A report from a firm not on the list can be refused, delaying renewal and exposing the company to penalties.
In most zones the audit is mandatory for all companies, including dormant and zero-revenue entities.
Uncertain whether a firm is approved for your zone? Send us your trade licence and we will confirm the requirement without charge.
Cressford Chartered Accountants conducts mandatory audits across Dubai and the wider UAE, directly or through approved-partner arrangements, in accordance with IFRS and each authority's own rules.
Deadlines change, and some zones tie them to the licence renewal date. Cressford Chartered Accountants confirms the exact deadline at scoping and plans the audit backwards from it.
The most immediate consequence: the authority will not renew the trade licence until audited accounts are filed.
Many zones suspend portal services, new visas, renewals and NOCs, for the duration of non-compliance.
Late or non-submission can attract fines that escalate with repeated delay.
A report from a non-approved firm can be refused outright, requiring a re-audit against a deadline that has already passed.
Facing a renewal deadline now? Ask about expedited delivery: send the trade licence and last trial balance and you will receive an honest assessment of whether the deadline can be met.
Free-zone audits are no longer solely a licensing matter. To retain the 0% corporate tax rate as a Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP), audited financial statements must be maintained irrespective of revenue, under Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025. Where the audited accounts and the corporate tax return do not reconcile, the inconsistency is a matter for enquiry by the Federal Tax Authority. Cressford Chartered Accountants aligns the two so that free-zone status remains protected.
Corporate Tax Services →Reports are accepted by the authorities for licence renewal, with no additional verification and no bounced submissions.
Every audit is planned backwards from the renewal date, so the client is never the company scrambling in the final week.
The fee is agreed before work begins, and the client deals with senior professionals from first call to signed report.
Office 2514, DAMAC Smart Heights, Barsha Heights (Tecom), Dubai. Engagements conducted in person or fully remotely.
Each authority maintains an Approved Auditors List and accepts only reports signed by firms on it. A report from a non-approved firm can be refused, delaying licence renewal.
DMCC, JAFZA, DWTC, DSO / DIEZ, Dubai South, Abu Dhabi Free Zone, IFZA, RAKEZ, Meydan, SHAMS, Ajman Free Zone and most other UAE zones, directly or through approved-partner arrangements.
It varies by authority: DMCC allows 180 days from the financial year end, and several zones tie the deadline to licence renewal. The exact deadline is confirmed at scoping.
In most zones, yes. DMCC, for example, requires audited financial statements from every registered company, including dormant entities.
Licence renewal is blocked, portal services may be suspended, and fines can accrue. Expedited delivery is available where a deadline is imminent.
Yes. Qualifying Free Zone Persons must maintain audited financial statements irrespective of revenue under Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025 to retain the 0% rate, and the audited accounts must reconcile with the corporate tax return.
The fee depends on the size of the company and the condition of the records, and is fixed at scoping. For SMEs with complete records the timeline is agreed as a fixed number of working days, with expedited delivery available.
Send the trade licence and last trial balance, and receive a fixed quotation within one working day.