Abu Dhabi, January 27, 2018 – The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has confirmed that businesses are not required to present a tax certificate in order to conduct their commercial activities and can simply use their Tax Registration Number (TRN).

In a statement issued today (January 27, 2018), the Authority called on all businesses and stakeholders in the UAE to carry out commercial or other transactions using TRNs provided by businesses, urging them not to require tax certificates in order to ensure smooth operations and minimise disruption of work.

The Authority stressed that tax registration certificate cannot be printed or downloaded using provisional Tax Registration Number. However, businesses that have acquired their TRN can conduct their business activities normally. The FTA website allows individuals to verify the TRN of any company registered with the FTA for Value Added Tax (VAT) purposes.

The Federal Tax Authority noted that businesses that submitted their registration applications after the deadline set by the Authority last December were given provisional TRNs to allow them to conduct business and comply with their tax obligations. These businesses, however, are required to complete their tax registration and provide the authority with all required documents and rectify any pending errors.

The provisional TRNs are sufficient for conducting business and verifying the legal status and compliance of taxable persons. They do not, however, allow for issuing the tax certificate, which becomes available once the final TRN has been issued. The Authority had issued these provisional TRNs to help businesses comply with tax regulations and to ensure operations are not disrupted.