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UAE Unified Registry Soon to Cover and Identify All Trading Licences

SHARJAH - The UAE is to soon launch a unified trading licence registry to cover and identify all trading licences, and easily list new ones.

Member of the Sharjah Executive Council and Director General of the Sharjah Economic Development Department Ali Salem Al Mahmoud said the new system would expedite the issue of trading licences.

“It will take the employee only ten minutes to finish all the transaction. The department had no problem listing any new activity provided it gave a boost to the national economy,” Al Mahmoud said.

He said the department had licencsed internet cafes — a new activity, for being good for the economy and wanted by the public. “The new registry will help check nearly 300,000 licences across the country in a very short time, bearing in mind that around 80,000 trading licences have expired or been cancelled,” he said, noting that most of the trading licences issued were owned or shared by UAE nationals or rented to expatriates.

“The Oracle program, being vastly used by the central financial department, is adopted at the department in trade licences issuance. The Dh2.5 million programme, is part of a programme that stands at around Dh8 million,” he observed.

“All the department’s transactions are being scanned and archived at a section in the Sharjah Municipality. These will be transferred to the department. Meanwhile, a special program for electronic archiving is being developed and will be in use within three to four months. The department’s services and transactions will also turn electronic very soon,” he revealed.

While the employees working for the Government of Sharjah are only entitled to a maximum of 10 licences, others may get at most 40 licences.

“A study is being conducted to determine the number, type and conditions of the licences being issued,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile, the department provides trading licence for home-based work.

However, such investors are not entitled to get labour visas. “The department has issued around 60 home-based trading licences to ease people’s suffering and enhance investment,” he added.

Though the department has nothing to do with bogus licences, inspectors of the Trading Control Section regularly pay visits to projects’ sites as per a certain schedule.

“Once inspectors found a violation, they alerted the errant investor, paid him a follow-up visit, and finally referred the issue to the Ministry of Labour to take whatever action it deems right,” he stressed.

“Should a company use work site as an accommodation for its workers, it would be closed. The investor is then notified of the violation to fix in a certain grace period. Other breaches are referred to the departments concerned, such as the Municipality and Police,” he explained.

Inspectors of the department receive training to competently identify fake products. Should an investor prove to be practising an activity other than the approved one, the Ministry of Labour, and Naturalisation and Residency department are also notified.

In terms of the many groceries in residential areas, Al Mahmoud said, “They are soon to be replaced with grand shopping centres. Regular raids are also to be launched on women costumes shops and saloons.”

· ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com