An independent report from a licensed auditor
External audit by licensed UAE auditors
An external audit is an independent check of your financial statements by an auditor licensed by the Ministry of Economy and Tourism. Since corporate tax arrived, audited statements are no longer only for banks and partners. Ministerial Decision 84 of 2025 requires them for corporate tax purposes when revenue is over AED 50m, for every Qualifying Free Zone Person and for every tax group. Many free zones also ask for audited accounts before they renew your licence.
With UAE Accountant you send one free request with your legal form, emirate or free zone, revenue band and year-end. Up to three licensed audit firms contact you with quotes. We ask each firm for its trade licence and its Ministry auditor licence, and for free-zone requests whether its auditors are on that zone’s approved list.
What audit firms can do for you
Audit work in the UAE now often links to corporate tax. The main engagements:
Statutory audit
An audit of the annual financial statements, ending with the independent auditor’s report. The report must show the auditor’s licence number.
Audit for corporate tax
Audited statements for businesses with revenue over AED 50m, which then support the corporate tax return.
QFZP audit
Audited IFRS financial statements, one of the conditions for a Qualifying Free Zone Person to keep the 0% rate on qualifying income.
Agreed-upon procedures (AUP) report
Under FTA Decision No. 6 of 2026, a QFZP that distributes goods in or from a Designated Zone needs an AUP report from an independent auditor, for tax periods starting on or after 1 Jan 2026.
Tax group statements
Audited aggregated financial statements for a tax group, prepared under FTA Decision 7 of 2025.
Free-zone licence renewal
Audited accounts in the form your free-zone authority asks for, signed by an auditor on its approved list where the zone keeps one.
Who needs audited financial statements?
Check your position with a licensed firm. These are the main groups:
- Revenue over AED 50m
Taxable persons above this revenue need audited statements for corporate tax (MD 84 of 2025, for periods from 1 Jan 2025).
- Every Qualifying Free Zone Person
Whatever its revenue. Without audited IFRS accounts the 0% rate is not available. Failing a QFZP condition means 9% for that period and the next four.
- Every tax group
Tax groups prepare audited aggregated statements.
- Free-zone companies at renewal
Many free-zone authorities, such as DMCC, ask for audited accounts from an approved auditor to renew the licence.
- Mainland companies
The Commercial Companies Law (Federal Decree-Law 32 of 2021) is widely read as requiring companies to appoint an auditor. Ask a firm how it applies to your legal form.
Audit deadlines that matter
The audit has to be finished in time for the tax and licence dates that depend on it.
| What | Deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate tax return and payment | 9 months after the end of the tax period (30 September for a 31 December year-end) | Ministry of Finance |
| AUP report for QFZP distributors | Within 30 days after the corporate tax return deadline, for tax periods from 1 Jan 2026 | FTA Decision No. 6 of 2026 |
| Free-zone audited accounts | Set by each free-zone authority, usually linked to licence renewal | Free-zone authority |
| Keeping audit files | Auditors keep their files for 10 years | FDL 41 of 2023 |
A QFZP that cannot show audited IFRS accounts loses the 0% rate for that period and the next four. Free-zone submission deadlines vary, so check your zone’s rules or ask the firm. More in our guide to audited financial statements.
What to prepare before the audit
The auditor checks your statements; it does not write them. Before fieldwork starts, prepare:
- Your trade licence, memorandum of association and any free-zone documents.
- The draft financial statements and a detailed trial balance for the year.
- Bank statements and reconciliations at year-end.
- Fixed asset register, stock count results and ageing of receivables and payables.
- Key contracts: leases, loans, major customers and suppliers, related-party agreements.
- Your VAT returns and corporate tax registration details.
- Last year’s audit report, if you had one, and the previous auditor’s contact.
If your books are not ready, ask for bookkeeping first. An auditor should not prepare the statements it audits.
What affects the audit fee
Audit fees follow the hours a firm expects to spend. The main factors:
Size and revenue
Revenue, assets and the number of entities set the scope of testing.
Type of report
A full audit, an AUP report or tax group statements are different engagements.
Quality of your books
Reconciled accounts and clear records reduce queries and time.
Inventory and sector
Trading and distribution companies with stock need more procedures.
First-year audit
A business never audited before needs extra work on opening balances.
Timing
Requests made close to the CT return or renewal date leave firms less room.
What to ask an audit firm before you choose
Ask every firm:
- Are your auditors licensed by the Ministry of Economy and Tourism under Federal Decree-Law 41 of 2023? What is the licence number that will appear on my report?
- Are you members of the Emirates Association of Accountants and Auditors?
- Are you on my free zone’s approved auditor list, if it has one?
- Do you have experience with QFZP audits and AUP reports?
- What is the timetable, and will the report be ready before my CT return and licence renewal?
Mistakes to avoid: using someone not licensed by the Ministry (practising without a licence can bring prison and a fine of AED 100,000 to 2,000,000), looking for an auditor in the last weeks before the deadline, and assuming free-zone status means 0% without audited accounts. Read how to choose an accounting firm.
How to get audit quotes
- 1
Send one request
Choose audit and give your legal form, emirate or free zone, revenue band and year-end. It is free.
- 2
Licensed firms contact you
Up to three audit firms review your request, ask about your books and send a quote with a timetable.
- 3
Compare and choose
Compare licence, zone approval, timetable and scope, then sign an engagement letter with the firm you choose.
Available in these emirates
Audit in the UAE: common questions
Who can audit my company in the UAE?
Only individuals licensed by the Ministry of Economy and Tourism may practise auditing, under Federal Decree-Law 41 of 2023. Audit reports must show the licence number.
Do I need an audit if my revenue is under AED 50m?
Not for that corporate tax rule alone. You may still need one as a Qualifying Free Zone Person, as part of a tax group, for your free-zone licence, or under company law. Ask a licensed firm.
What is an AUP report for free-zone distributors?
Under FTA Decision No. 6 of 2026, a QFZP that distributes goods in or from a Designated Zone needs an agreed-upon procedures report from an independent auditor, due within 30 days after the CT return deadline.
Can my accountant also audit my accounts?
The firm that prepares your statements should not audit them, because the audit must be independent. Use separate firms for bookkeeping and audit.
Does the free zone choose my auditor?
No, but some zones such as DMCC only accept audited accounts from firms on their approved auditor list.
Which law governs audit firms now?
Federal Decree-Law 41 of 2023 on the accounting and auditing profession, in force since 28 March 2024. It replaced the earlier law.
Get quotes from licensed auditors
One free request reaches up to three licensed audit firms. No obligation.