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Memorandum and Articles of Association (MOA & AOA) Guidelines

Updated this week

This section provides answers to common questions about the Memorandum and Articles of Association (MOA & AOA) required for onboarding. Please review the following guidelines to ensure a smooth and efficient onboarding process.

Key Requirements for MOA & AOA

Requirement

Details

Inclusion of Amendments

The MOA & AOA must include all amendments (if any). If there are no amendments, this is acceptable.

Shareholding Consistency

The MOA & AOA must reflect the same shareholding details as stated on the Trade License.

Directors and Managers

All Directors and Managers of the company must be listed in the MOA & AOA.

Business Activities

All business activities mentioned must match those on the Trade License.

Attestation

The MOA & AOA must be attested or issued by the relevant Licensing Authority.

Note:
If the MOA & AOA do not mention Managers, a Power of Attorney (POA) for Managers may be provided as an alternative.

Special Instructions by Entity Type

Mainland Companies

  • The above requirements are generally sufficient for mainland entities.

Civil Companies

  • In lieu of an MOA, a Services Agreement can be provided indicative of partners and managers.

Free Zone Companies

  • Free Zone MOA & AOA may not always contain all required information. In such cases, please provide one or more of the following documents:

Document Type

Description

Where to Obtain

Certificate of Incumbency

Lists all shareholders (with ownership percentages) and all active directors.

E.g., DIFC, JAFZA, DIEZ, DSO

Company Extract

Details all shareholders, directors, and managers.

E.g., ADGM, DMCC, DWTC

Director List / Partner List

Lists of directors and partners, downloadable from the free zone portal.

Respective free zone portals

These documents are typically available for download directly from your free zone authority’s online portal.

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