What's Included
Why This Needs to Be Handled Correctly
Who Needs This Service
Businesses that have permanently ceased trading, companies whose taxable turnover has fallen below the mandatory threshold and no longer wish to remain voluntarily registered, and businesses undergoing restructuring or liquidation that need their VAT position closed out correctly.
What We'll Need From You
Your reason for deregistering, the date trading stopped or turnover fell below the threshold, and your records for the final VAT period so the closing return can be prepared accurately.
Our Process
We confirm whether deregistration is required or optional, submit the application with supporting explanation, prepare and file the final return, and track the application through to FTA confirmation that your VAT registration has been formally cancelled.
Getting Started
Tell us why you are considering deregistration and share your recent turnover figures, and we will confirm whether it is required, advisable, or premature, then handle the application from there.
Deregistration for Restructuring or Sale
Business restructuring, mergers, and company sales all commonly involve one or more entities needing to deregister as part of the transaction. We coordinate the VAT deregistration timeline with legal and transaction advisors so it aligns correctly with the wider restructuring and does not create an unexpected compliance gap.
What Happens After Deregistration Is Approved
Once the FTA confirms deregistration, we retain a copy of the confirmation and final return for your records, since these are commonly requested during due diligence, licence cancellation, or bank account closure processes that follow shortly after.
Deregistering One Entity in a Multi-Entity Group
Where only one entity within a wider group structure is closing or falling below the threshold, we confirm how this affects the group’s overall VAT position, particularly where a VAT group registration is in place, since removing one member from a group requires its own specific FTA process separate from standalone deregistration.
Avoiding a Rushed Deregistration
We recommend starting the deregistration process as soon as the qualifying event occurs — ceasing trade or falling below threshold — rather than waiting, since a rushed application closer to the statutory deadline leaves less time to resolve any documentation gaps the FTA raises during review.
Get Expert Help for Your Business
Talk to an FTA-approved tax consultant today. Free consultation, no obligation — we’ll tell you exactly what your business needs.
Why Businesses Choose Us for Deregistration
A poorly handled deregistration — missing the deadline, misapplying VAT to remaining assets, an incomplete final return — can leave a lingering liability or penalty long after a business believes its VAT obligations are closed. We treat deregistration with the same care as an initial registration, since getting the exit wrong can be just as costly as getting the entry wrong.
For businesses closing entirely, we also provide the confirmation documentation needed for trade licence cancellation and other closing formalities, so VAT deregistration does not become the step that holds up the rest of the closure process.
Deregistration Documentation We Retain
We keep a copy of your full deregistration file — application, final return, and FTA confirmation — for your records well beyond the deregistration date itself, since these documents are commonly requested years later during a business sale, licence-related dispute, or unrelated tax matter.
If a question ever arises about your VAT history after deregistration — from a bank, a buyer, or the FTA itself — having this file readily available avoids a scramble to reconstruct records from a business that may no longer be actively operating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Deregistration is mandatory when you stop making taxable supplies entirely, or when your taxable turnover falls below the voluntary registration threshold of AED 187,500 and is not expected to recover.
Yes, the FTA applies a penalty for failing to submit a deregistration application within the required timeframe once the obligation arises.
Yes, a final return covering the period up to your deregistration date is required, and any outstanding VAT liability must be settled before deregistration is finalised.
No, deregistration is only available once turnover falls below the relevant threshold or taxable supplies cease entirely.
VAT may be due on the deemed supply of certain remaining business assets at deregistration, depending on their value — we assess this as part of preparing your final return.