What VAT services does Exiloz provide in Dubai?
Exiloz provides VAT registration, VAT return filing, VAT advisory, input tax recovery and refund support, VAT de-registration, and compliance reviews for businesses in Dubai and across the UAE.
VAT Services
VAT Services in Dubai, UAE
Exiloz provides complete VAT services in Dubai and across the UAE — from registration and return filing to advisory, refunds and compliance reviews — all aligned with current Federal Tax Authority (FTA) rules.
- VAT registration and TRN support via EmaraTax
- Periodic VAT return filing and reconciliation
- Invoice, record and compliance reviews
Dubai-based, FTA-aware VAT support for UAE businesses.
Quick Answer
VAT services cover everything a UAE business needs to stay compliant with the 5% Value Added Tax: registering for a TRN, filing periodic VAT returns through EmaraTax, reviewing invoices and records, handling refunds, and de-registering when eligible. Exiloz delivers these as a connected, document-led service rather than one-off tasks.
5%Standard UAE VAT rate
AED 375,000Mandatory registration threshold
AED 187,500Voluntary registration threshold
28 daysTypical VAT return deadline
What VAT Services Cover in the UAE
VAT (Value Added Tax) has applied in the UAE since 1 January 2018 at a standard rate of 5%. A complete VAT service keeps a business compliant across the full lifecycle: assessing whether registration is required, obtaining a Tax Registration Number (TRN), issuing compliant tax invoices, filing accurate returns, claiming input tax correctly, and responding to FTA queries. Exiloz connects each of these to your actual books so the numbers you file match the records you keep.
- VAT registration and threshold assessment
- Tax invoice and credit note compliance
- Periodic VAT return preparation and filing
- Input VAT recovery and refund support
Who Needs VAT Services in Dubai
A UAE business must register for VAT if its taxable supplies and imports exceeded AED 375,000 in the past 12 months, or are expected to exceed that figure in the next 30 days. Businesses above AED 187,500 may register voluntarily. Once registered, the company must file VAT returns for every tax period — usually quarterly or monthly as assigned by the FTA — even when no VAT is due. Mainland and free zone companies, e-commerce sellers, and service providers all fall within scope depending on their activity.
- Companies above the AED 375,000 mandatory threshold
- Startups choosing voluntary registration to recover input VAT
- Free zone and mainland trading and service businesses
How Exiloz Delivers VAT Services
We start by understanding your trade licence activity, transaction types, and current records. From there we map the VAT position, fix gaps in invoices and ledgers, and set up a repeatable filing rhythm. The goal is a clean audit trail: every figure on the VAT return traceable to a source document. This document-led approach reduces the risk of FTA penalties and makes voluntary disclosures, if ever needed, far simpler.
- 1Review activity, records and registration status
- 2Prepare and reconcile VAT return figures
- 3File via EmaraTax and confirm payment readiness
- 4Maintain a compliance calendar and document archive
VAT Across the Business Lifecycle
VAT is not a one-off task but a thread running through a business's whole life. Registration when turnover crosses the threshold, compliant invoicing and returns while trading, refunds when input tax runs ahead of output, voluntary disclosures when errors surface, and deregistration when activity ceases — each stage has its own rules and deadlines. A joined-up VAT service manages the whole arc, so the transitions between stages do not create the gaps where penalties live.
- Registration at the threshold and voluntary registration
- Ongoing invoicing, returns and record-keeping
- Refunds, disclosures and clarifications when needed
- Deregistration and the final return at closure
Where Sector Complexity Bites
Standard trading is the easy case. VAT gets genuinely difficult in specific sectors: real estate with its split of standard, zero-rated and exempt supplies; financial services with their exemptions and input restrictions; e-commerce and cross-border digital services with their place-of-supply questions; and any business mixing taxable and exempt activity that must apportion input tax. Recognising which of these applies to you is the first step in getting the treatment right.
- Real estate: standard, zero-rated and exempt in one sector
- Financial services: exemptions and restricted recovery
- E-commerce and digital: place-of-supply questions
- Mixed activity: input-tax apportionment
The Records the FTA Expects
Behind every return sits a record-keeping obligation. Tax invoices issued and received, credit and debit notes, import and export documentation, and the VAT account reconciling it all must be kept for the statutory period — five years generally, longer for real estate. A business whose records support its returns has little to fear from an audit; one that files figures it cannot trace to documents is exposed regardless of whether the numbers were right.
- Tax invoices issued and received
- Credit and debit notes and import/export papers
- A VAT account reconciling to the returns
- Retention for five years, longer for real estate
VAT Services Dubai FAQs
Is VAT registration mandatory in the UAE?
VAT registration is mandatory when a business’s taxable supplies and imports exceed AED 375,000 over the previous 12 months, or are expected to exceed it within the next 30 days. Voluntary registration is available above AED 187,500.
What is the VAT rate in the UAE?
The standard UAE VAT rate is 5%. Some supplies are zero-rated (0%) or exempt, depending on the category defined in the VAT law and FTA guidance.
How often are VAT returns filed?
The FTA assigns each registered business a tax period, typically quarterly or monthly. VAT returns are usually due within 28 days of the end of each tax period and are filed through the EmaraTax portal.
Can free zone companies use VAT services?
Yes. Free zone companies often have VAT obligations depending on whether they operate in a designated zone, the nature of their supplies, and where their customers are located. The treatment is assessed case by case.
Does Exiloz guarantee FTA approvals or refunds?
No. Exiloz prepares documents, reviews records and guides the workflow, but cannot guarantee FTA approvals, refund outcomes, or penalty decisions, which remain with the authority.
Do I need VAT services if my business is small?
If you are near or above the AED 375,000 threshold, yes — registration and filing are obligations regardless of size. Below it, VAT services are optional but can still help with voluntary registration decisions.
Can one provider handle all my VAT needs?
Yes — a full VAT service covers registration, returns, refunds, disclosures and deregistration, which keeps the transitions between stages consistent rather than split across providers.
How often will I interact with a VAT service?
At least each tax period for the return, plus around registration, refunds or any FTA contact. Much of the work is the steady monthly discipline of keeping records return-ready.
Does VAT apply to services as well as goods?
Yes — VAT applies to taxable supplies of both goods and services, with specific rules for imported services under the reverse charge and for cross-border and digital supplies.
The rest of what we do
Licence, visas, bank account, books and the first tax return — handled by the same team, so the structure has to survive its first year.
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Corporate Tax Filing
Returns, elections and the qualifying income analysis behind them.
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Accounting & Bookkeeping
Books kept audit-ready from month one, not reconstructed at year end.
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Audit Preparation
Schedules, reconciliations and the evidence your auditor will ask for.
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Payroll & WPS
Payroll, WPS files and end-of-service calculated correctly.
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Tax Residency Certificate
Day-count position verified and the FTA document pack assembled.
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Customs Registration
Client code and Mirsal registration, before your first shipment, not after.
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ICV Certification
Score modelled and improved before the audit, not explained afterwards.
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UAE Free Zones
All 33 zones compared by emirate, with the founding law and what each is really for.
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Need VAT services in Dubai?
Tell Exiloz about your business activity and current records, and we will outline the right VAT registration, filing or advisory steps for your situation.
