RAKEZ organises company changes as formal registrar amendments, and publishes detailed service cards for both free-zone and non-free-zone company amendments. Those service cards are worth reading before drafting anything, because they show precisely where notarial work and registrar work have to be coordinated.
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The single most important consequence: a private agreement between shareholders is not the registry change. RAKEZ treats shareholder-structure changes as formal corporate amendments and issues updated company records only after the amendment completes.
Resolutions RAKEZ Requires
Current RAKEZ guidance requires a shareholder resolution for the amendment and, where a shareholder is a corporate entity, an additional corporate-shareholder resolution.
It also distinguishes UAE-based parent-company attestation from non-UAE parent-company legalisation — a distinction that decides both cost and timetable. Establishing which applies to each corporate shareholder at the outset avoids preparing documents down the wrong route.
Acting Through a Representative
Where a shareholder acts through an authorised representative, RAKEZ states that a Power of Attorney may be required. Its published guidance provides for UAE notarisation or, for foreign-issued POAs, notarisation and legalisation to UAE Embassy level.
A foreign POA therefore carries the longer lead time of the two routes. Because legalisation is completed on the executed document, the POA’s powers need to be settled against the specific RAKEZ amendment before signature rather than drafted in general terms.
Amendments Have Dedicated Processes
Manager, director, authorised-signatory and POA-holder changes each have dedicated processes, and share-capital increases and decreases have their own procedures. So do licence, activity and company-name changes.
The practical approach is to route by transaction: identify whether you are making a licence, shareholder, officer, capital, name or POA change, or submitting foreign corporate documents, and then work to that specific process. Documents assembled generically tend to satisfy none of them completely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a signed share-transfer agreement enough to change ownership?
No. RAKEZ treats shareholder-structure changes as formal corporate amendments and issues updated company records after completion. A private share-transfer agreement alone is not the registry change.
What does a corporate shareholder need to provide?
Current guidance requires a shareholder resolution for the amendment and, where a shareholder is a corporate entity, an additional corporate-shareholder resolution. Attestation or legalisation requirements then depend on whether the parent is UAE-based or not.
Can someone else sign on a shareholder’s behalf?
Where a shareholder acts through an authorised representative, RAKEZ states a POA may be required, with UAE notarisation or — for foreign-issued POAs — notarisation and legalisation to UAE Embassy level.
Do officer changes follow the same process as share transfers?
No. Manager, director, authorised-signatory and POA-holder changes have dedicated processes, as do share-capital changes. The applicable service card should be checked for the specific amendment.
Contact Our Team
Our firm provides UAE legal services including corporate document drafting, review, Powers of Attorney, resolutions, foreign-document coordination and notary-related support. The practice is managed by Emirati Senior Lawyer Abdulhamid Al Balooshi, with more than two decades of legal practice.
Website: https://uaenotarypublic.com/ Email: notary@uaenotarypublic.com Office: 14th Floor, Aspin Commercial Tower, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Official Authority References
- Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022 Regulating the Notary Profession, where the federal notary framework is applicable.
- Cabinet Resolution No. 16 of 2024, Executive Regulations of Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022.
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024, federal public/private notary fee framework.
- RAKEZ current company-amendment service cards and published resolution/POA requirements.
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs requirements should be checked where foreign/UAE documents require attestation for cross-border use.
Legal Disclaimer
This page provides general legal information and does not constitute legal advice for a specific transaction. Free-zone rules, service forms, registrar requirements, notarial procedures, fees and document checklists can change. The competent registrar or authority may request additional documents. Notarisation does not guarantee registrar, bank, court, property-authority or third-party acceptance. No completion time, registration, notarisation or legal outcome is guaranteed. Obtain transaction-specific advice and verify the current official authority requirements before signing, legalising or filing documents.