Abu Dhabi: Over 20,000 Licensing Requirements Slashed

In a major overhaul, the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development or ADDED has done away with more than 20,000 licensing requirements that were previously required for setting up a business in Abu Dhabi. For example, there is now only one requirement for the automotive parts and maintenance business activity, which used to be highly regulated earlier.

There were hitherto a total of 28,788 licensing requirements for various business activities put in place by some 26 Government agencies, both local and federal. About 71% of these have now been eliminated in a move to increase the ease of doing business in Abu Dhabi and establish the emirate as an investment-friendly destination. The exercise, which began in August 2021, is expected to impact multiple sectors such as transportation, healthcare, public health, agriculture, food, and environment.

The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development aims to position Abu Dhabi as a preferred place to do business, both at the regional level as well as the international level. It worked closely with various Government agencies such as the Abu Dhabi Police, which decreased the number of licensing requirements it had for various commercial activities from 387 to 80 – a reduction of 79%.