ADDED holds workshop for strategic partners covering procedures on the issuance process of new Instant Licence initiative

The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) organized today (July 10, 2019) a workshop to highlight the features of the ‘Abu Dhabi Instant Licence’ for its strategic partners from local and federal government entities concerned in approving economic activities Abu Dhabi. The workshop, which was held at the ADDED headquarters in Abu Dhabi, covered key features of the new initiative, where issuance will not need pre-approval from concerned entities. 

The move follows after the recent launch of eight strategic initiatives under the Abu Dhabi Development Accelerators Program 'Ghadan 21,' including the new 'Instant Licence' initiative, at the Abu Dhabi Private Sector Forum. To date, ADDED's Abu Dhabi Business Centre (ADBC) has started accepting applications for the 'Instant Licence' via its website, www.adbc.abudhabi.ae.

During the workshop, a presentation was made to help explain and detail the issuance process and procedures of the new licensing initiative, where issuance of the applied licences would not require external entities’ pre-approval. The move falls in line with Abu Dhabi Government’s directives aimed at facilitating better and easier procedures for investors. 

The workshop complements ADDED’s joint efforts with its strategic partners aimed at integrating roles between all these entities involved in issuing the economic licenses in Abu Dhabi. This contributes to the efforts being made to accelerate the process of licensing customer’s economic activities and enhancing the competitiveness of doing business in the emirate,

H.E. Saif Mohamed Al Hajeri, Chairman of ADDED, said: “This unique licence program reflects the shared aspiration of the department and the local business community to raise Abu Dhabi’s global competitiveness. Through this initiative, we look forward to improving Abu Dhabi’s ranking in the World Bank’s ease of doing business report, increase investor confidence in the emirate, and build a sustainable and knowledge-based economy.” 

H.E. Al Hajeri added: “With key regulations in place, Abu Dhabi boasts a strong business infrastructure, a growing investment-friendly environment, and a strategic geographical location. The ‘Abu Dhabi Instant Licence’ is expected to stimulate more economic activities and lead to the development of needed legislative and economic policies according to the highest international standards. The initiative will open up more attractive investment and business growth opportunities in the local market.”

He pointed out that the ‘Abu Dhabi Instant Licence,’ which forms part of ADDED’s Strategic Vision 2020-2022, will play an effective role in attracting regional and global investors to Abu Dhabi’s priority sectors. The emirate offers a wide spectrum of investment opportunities across various industries.

For his part, H.E. Rashed Abdulkarim Al Blooshi, Acting Undersecretary of ADDED, praised the department’s strategic partners and other concerned government entities for their contributions to the program. He said that the initiative will help drive Abu Dhabi’s prominence in the global business community by providing private sector investors with the right support and growth opportunities, in line with Abu Dhabi’s steady economic progress.

H.E. Al Blooshi explained that ADDED is the only entity tasked to issue this licence to businesses operating in the non-free zone, free zone, and other investment areas in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and Al Dhafra. The issuance of the new licence does not require pre-approval of the local and federal government entities. Foreign businessmen wishing to establish their companies in the UAE can also apply for a licence. The ‘Abu Dhabi Instant Licence’ complements the Abu Dhabi government’s vision aimed at attracting investments and facilitating licensing procedures for business owners.

Under the initiative, the electronic licence can be issued in less than four minutes, which is aligned with the department’s efforts to fast-track the licensing procedure in order to save time and effort. Presently, 70 commercial activities across various local sectors require a licence but the numbers can further expand.

Al Blooshi further added that the launch of the Instant Licence initiative reflects ADDED’s significant role in activating the enablers and incentives for the private sector, encouraging them to become key growth players in the move to push Abu Dhabi policies aimed at helping diversify the emirate’s economy and increase local and foreign investment inflows.

The workshop also included a presentation on the procedures for Licence issuance via the website www.adbc.abudhabi.ae through three main channels. The first one is via the SmartPass portal, which provides smart access to all government services in the UAE, while the second one is through the customer’s account on ADDED’s official website and the third way is by submitting a mobile number in case the applicant is a UAE visitor who doesn’t have the privilege of using the previous options.

Applicants are required to complete the registration process before they are taken to the user-friendly ‘Abu Dhabi Instant Licence’ page. On the page, they will need to complete the four licensing steps, which are the trade name, the legal form, activity selection, and payment of fees.

The ‘Abu Dhabi Instant Licence’ initiative offers several benefits like the issuance of the licence in four minutes without the need for pre-approvals of several parties. In the old procedure, the issuance of licence for 5,000 commercial activities via the SmartPass portal could take up to five days and required pre- approvals from several entities. In addition, the initiative covers free zones and allows business owners in select industries to immediately start their operations upon the release of the licence, even without a contract or physical office space, all subject to ADDED’s approval.