Trade name reservation

Reserving the company's name with the licensing authority before incorporation. UAE naming rules are specific: no abbreviations of personal names, nothing religious or political, no country or emirate names without approval, and the name must be consistent with the licensed activity.

Where it comes up

Name reservation looks trivial and rejects more first attempts than any other stage, because the rules are specific and applied literally.

What it costs

A modest reservation fee, time-limited. A lapsed reservation means paying again.

Who it applies to

Every company formation. The legal form — LLC, FZ-LLC, FZE, Ltd — forms part of the registered name and is determined by jurisdiction and structure.

How it actually goes

1. Check availabilityAgainst the authority's register. Similar names to existing companies are refused.
2. Check the rulesNo religious or political references, no names of governing authorities, and no abbreviations where a personal name is used — Ahmed Trading is acceptable, A. Trading is not.
3. Match it to the activityMainland trade names generally have to indicate the legal form, so LLC or the free zone's equivalent appears in the registered name.
4. Reserve and payThe reservation holds the name for a set period and carries a fee; foreign-language and personal-name reservations cost more.

Reserving a trade name gives you the name on the licence. It does not give you the trademark, and it does not stop somebody else registering the mark. Those are separate filings with separate registers.

In short

• Reservations are time-limited and lapse if the file stalls
• The legal form (LLC, FZ-LLC, FZE) forms part of the registered name
• A name inconsistent with the activity will be refused

Where this leads

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