How to get a company stamp in the UAE: what to bring, what it costs and how long it takes

Yes. On paper the rules vary, but in practice a UAE company without a stamp gets stuck at the first bank form. DMCC's company stamp guidelines state that every legal entity in the UAE must have a company stamp. Some business setup guides, such as Meydan Free Zone's, point out that federal company law does not demand a physical stamp on every document. They reach the same conclusion anyway: without one, day to day business quickly becomes impractical.

According to the Meydan Free Zone and Dubai South Business Hub guides, expect to stamp:

• Your corporate bank account application and account forms
• Tenancy contracts and Ejari
• Labour and residency paperwork
• VAT and tax registration documents
• Tenders and submissions to government bodies
• Everyday invoices, quotations, contracts and letters

So if you have just received your trade licence, the stamp belongs on the same to-do list as the bank account. Order it first and it will not hold anything else up.

A copy of your trade licence. We set your company name from it, letter for letter, so the stamp matches your licence exactly.

You do not even need to come in. Send a photo or PDF of the licence on WhatsApp. If you want your logo on the stamp too, send the logo file with it.

Your company name exactly as it appears on your trade licence. In the UAE it usually appears in both English and Arabic, and we set both from your licence.

Exact means exact. Meydan Free Zone's guide warns that even a small mismatch between the stamp and the licence can get a document rejected. Beyond the name, the guides from Dubai South Business Hub and Meydan Free Zone list:

• Your trade licence number
• The authority that issued the licence, or your emirate
• Your address or P.O. Box, which some banks and authorities expect

Free zones can set their own rules. DMCC, for example, asks for the English name exactly as on the DMCC licence, and a branch company adds "DMCC BRANCH" and "Dubai, U.A.E." Check what your licensing authority requires and tell us when you order, and we will include it.

From AED 95 at Al Waha. The final price depends on the type of stamp and its size, so the quickest way to an exact figure is to send your trade licence on WhatsApp and tell us how you will use the stamp. We usually reply with a quote within hours.

There is no minimum order. One stamp for a new company is fine, and so is a set for every department.

Most stamps are ready in 2 to 4 hours. Send your licence before lunch and you can be stamping invoices in the afternoon.

Collect it from any of our three branches, or we deliver it within a day anywhere in Dubai and the next day to Abu Dhabi and the other emirates. Delivery is free on orders over AED 150.

For most offices, a self-inking stamp. It re-inks itself after every press, which makes it the everyday stamp for invoices, delivery notes and letters. We make all three types:

• Self-inking: the ink pad is built in and flips into place after each impression. Fast for high volumes.
• Pre-inked: the ink sits inside the rubber, so every impression comes out sharp and even.
• Traditional: the classic stamp with a separate ink pad. Simple, sturdy and easy to re-ink.

Not sure? Tell us what you will be stamping and we will suggest the right one.

An ink stamp for daily paperwork. An embossed seal presses a raised mark into the paper with no ink at all. Dubai South Business Hub's guide says embossed seals are typically needed for notarised or court-submitted documents, while ink stamps cover everyday contracts and invoices.

We make both, from the same copy of your trade licence.

Order a new stamp. Because the stamp has to match your licence, a new trade name means a new stamp.

Dubai South Business Hub's guide says the same applies when your licence number changes, and adds two steps worth taking:

• Retire the old stamp securely. An old stamp that still works is a fraud risk in the wrong hands.
• If a stamp is lost or stolen, report it to your licensing authority and your bank straight away, so documents carrying the old impression can be refused.

Then send us a copy of your current trade licence. The replacement is usually ready in 2 to 4 hours.

At any of our three branches. Walk in Monday to Saturday with your licence, no appointment needed. Every branch takes stamp orders.

• Deira: Al Nakheel Street, Deira. Convenient for central Dubai.
• Al Qusais: Pond Park, near Al Nahda. Convenient for Al Nahda and Qusais.
• Ajman: Al Bustan, Ajman. Convenient for Ajman, UAQ and RAK.

Al Waha Stamps LLC has been making company stamps in Dubai since 1997, for one-person trading companies and for names like RTA and Dubai Duty Free. See every stamp type we make on our rubber stamps page.