# Memorandum of Association (MOA) in Dubai and the UAE > What a memorandum of association is for a Dubai company, what it must include, and how our in-house notary public notarises it. Source: https://notaryservicesdubai.com/memorandum-of-association/ Last updated: 29 September 2026 Publisher: Notary Services Dubai, Business Bay, Dubai (+971 54 380 1094) Every Dubai company needs a memorandum of association before it can register. It sets out who owns the company, how much capital they have put in, who manages it and what it is allowed to do. Our in-house notary public notarises MOAs at our Business Bay office, online, or on a home visit to your office. If you are setting up a company, changing a shareholder or manager, or need your MOA notarised or attested, this page explains what the document contains, when it needs notarising, and how the Arabic and attestation steps work. **At a glance** - An MOA is the founding document of a UAE company, setting out shareholders, capital, manager and business activities. - It differs from articles of association, which cover internal governance rather than ownership. - Mainland companies typically notarise their MOA; free zone requirements vary by authority. - Notarised instruments in the UAE are generally in Arabic, and bilingual Arabic and English drafting is common practice for company documents. - Changing the MOA later is done through an addendum, not a new MOA. See our [addendum to MOA page](https://notaryservicesdubai.com/addendum-to-moa/). - Federal notarial fees are set by Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024. Ask us for the current private notary fee for an MOA when you book. ## What an MOA is and when a UAE company needs one A memorandum of association is the contract between a company's shareholders and, in effect, the document that brings the company into existence. Every limited liability company (LLC) formed under UAE company law needs one, and most free zone entities need an equivalent constitutional document, sometimes under a different name. Without a valid MOA, a company cannot register, open a corporate bank account, or hold a trade licence, because the licensing authority relies on the MOA to confirm who is behind the business and what it is allowed to do. ## What a memorandum of association includes A typical UAE MOA sets out: - The company name and legal form (for example, LLC). - The names of the shareholders and their nationalities. - Each shareholder's percentage of the share capital, and how profits and losses are split between them. - The total share capital and, where relevant, how it is divided into shares. - The company's registered activities, matching what the trade licence permits. - Who manages the company, and the scope of the manager's authority to sign on the company's behalf. - The registered address or office of the company. - Terms for transferring shares, dissolving the company, or resolving disputes between shareholders. Because a bank, a landlord or another company will often rely on the MOA to check who can sign for the business, the manager clause matters just as much as the shareholding clause. If the MOA says a decision needs both shareholders to sign, and only one does, that decision can be challenged later. ## Memorandum of association versus articles of association The two documents are often confused, and some jurisdictions combine them into one. In general terms: For many smaller UAE LLCs, the MOA effectively covers both roles in a single document. Larger companies and some free zone structures keep them separate. ## Notarisation for mainland companies For a mainland Dubai company, the MOA is typically signed before a notary public as part of setting up or amending the company, with the notary checking the identity of each shareholder or their authorised representative and confirming they have signed knowingly. If a shareholder cannot attend the signing, a properly notarised power of attorney lets someone else sign on their behalf; see our [company power of attorney page](https://notaryservicesdubai.com/company-power-of-attorney/) for how that works. ## Free zone MOAs Free zone companies are set up under the rules of their own free zone authority, and each authority has its own template and process for the constitutional document, sometimes without requiring notarisation in the same way as mainland. If you are setting up in a specific free zone, tell us which one and we will confirm what that authority currently asks for. ## Arabic and bilingual MOA Notarised instruments in the UAE are generally required in Arabic, with a conditional exception for certain document types, and bilingual Arabic and English drafting is common practice for an MOA so that shareholders who do not read Arabic can still understand exactly what they are signing. A translation used for an official purpose should be produced by a legal translator registered with the UAE Ministry of Justice, and the translation itself can be notarised. ## Attesting an MOA for use abroad If you need your UAE company's MOA recognised outside the UAE, for example to open a bank account overseas or register a branch abroad, it usually needs MOFAIC attestation in the UAE first, and then legalisation by the destination country's embassy or consulate in the UAE, or an equivalent step once it arrives there. There is no apostille shortcut: the UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so a stamp from that system will not be accepted anywhere in this chain. MOFAIC attestation fees are AED 150 for personal documents and AED 2,000 for commercial documents, and an MOA is treated as a commercial document. ## Changing an MOA later An MOA is not rewritten every time something changes. A change of shareholder, manager, activity, capital or company name is made through an addendum to the MOA, approved and signed in the same way as the original document, then filed with the relevant authority. Our [addendum to MOA page](https://notaryservicesdubai.com/addendum-to-moa/) covers the process, what an addendum needs to include, and how signing through a power of attorney works if a shareholder is abroad. ## Drafting your MOA Either way, we check that the wording matches your trade licence activities and your shareholders' agreement before anything goes to the notary, since a mismatch here is one of the most common reasons an MOA gets rejected or has to be re-signed. Fees ## Fees for notarising an MOA Federal notarial fees under Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024 apply to the act of notarisation itself, for example AED 200 per party for authenticating signatures on an instrument of unspecified value, or 0.5% of value above AED 100 thousand capped at AED 30,000 for higher-value instruments. Dubai private notary fees for an MOA are set by a separate Dubai Courts decision, so ask us for the current fee when you book. How we help ## How we help There are three ways to get it notarised with us: in person at our Business Bay office with our in-house notary public, through our online notary public services, or on a home visit to your office. We check your draft MOA against your trade licence and shareholder details, arrange the Arabic or bilingual translation through a registered legal translator, and our in-house notary public checks each signatory's ID, witnesses the signatures and applies the seal. Where the MOA needs MOFAIC attestation for use abroad, we take care of that step and keep you updated. If a shareholder cannot attend in person, we can also prepare the company power of attorney that lets someone else sign for them. Back to our [corporate notary services hub](https://notaryservicesdubai.com/corporate-notary-services/) for the full range of company documents we cover, including [board resolutions](https://notaryservicesdubai.com/board-resolution-notarization-duba-legal-guide-2025/) and documents that need [wider attestation](https://notaryservicesdubai.com/documents-attestation-in-dubai/). FAQ ## Frequently asked questions ### What is an MOA in the UAE? A memorandum of association is the founding document of a UAE company. It records who the shareholders are, how much capital each has contributed, who manages the company and what activities it is licensed to carry out. ### What does a memorandum of association include? It typically includes the company name and legal form, the shareholders and their share of capital, the manager's authority, the registered activities, the company address, and terms for transferring shares or dissolving the company. ### Does a memorandum of association need to be notarised in Dubai? For most mainland Dubai companies, yes, the MOA is signed before a notary public as part of setting up or amending the company. Free zone requirements vary by authority. ### Does the MOA have to be in Arabic? Notarised instruments in the UAE are generally in Arabic, with a conditional exception for certain document types, and bilingual Arabic and English drafting is common practice for an MOA. ### How do I get a memorandum of association attested for use abroad? It usually needs MOFAIC attestation in the UAE, at AED 2,000 for a commercial document, followed by legalisation from the destination country's embassy or consulate. There is no apostille route, since the UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. ### Can an MOA be changed after the company is set up? Yes. Changes to shareholders, manager, activities, capital or company name are made through an addendum to the MOA, not a new document, and are signed and filed in the same way as the original. ### What is the difference between a memorandum and articles of association? The memorandum covers ownership: who the shareholders are, the capital and the company's activities. The articles cover internal governance: how meetings and decisions are run. Many smaller UAE companies combine both into a single MOA document. More answers, grouped by topic, are on our [questions and answers page](https://notaryservicesdubai.com/faq/). Keep reading ## Related services Services ### [Company documents](https://notaryservicesdubai.com/corporate-notary-services/) Company POAs, board resolutions, MOAs and contracts: we handle notarisation and attestation of Dubai business documents through licensed notaries. Read more Company documents ### [Addendum to MOA](https://notaryservicesdubai.com/addendum-to-moa/) Changing shareholders, manager, activity or capital? How an addendum to the MOA works for a UAE company and how we prepare the notarisation. Read more Guide ### [Board resolution](https://notaryservicesdubai.com/board-resolution-notarization-duba-legal-guide-2025/) Need a board resolution accepted by a bank, free zone or ministry? When it must be notarised or attested in the UAE and how we prepare the steps. 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Last reviewed . ### Official sources we checked (5) - Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022 on the regulation of the notary profession: [https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563](https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563) - Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013 concerning Notaries Public in the Emirate of Dubai (Dubai Legislation portal, dlp.dubai.gov.ae) - Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024 on notarial fees: [https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491](https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491) - MOFAIC attestation service and fees: [https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/services/attestation](https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/services/attestation) - Hague Conference status table (UAE not a party to the Apostille Convention): [https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41](https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41) Get started ## Talk to us about your MOA Call or WhatsApp +971 54 380 1094, or email support@notaryservicesdubai.com, and tell us whether you need a new MOA notarised, an existing one attested, or an addendum prepared. 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