Last reviewed: August 2026 · Prepared by the Taw-Theeq legal services team, Deira, Dubai
A newspaper legal announcement is one of the few remaining procedural steps in the UAE that cannot be completed online, by email, or informally. It exists to put the public — and specifically creditors — on notice, and authorities treat the published page itself as the proof. If the wording is wrong, the clock does not start.
Where it is required most often: company liquidation. According to the Official Portal of the UAE Government, closing a mainland business involves announcing the liquidation in local newspapers, with 45 days allowed for creditors to submit their claims, and the original newspaper in which the announcement appeared must be submitted with the final report.
When a legal announcement is needed
- Company liquidation and licence cancellation — mainland companies under Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2021 on Commercial Companies; free zones apply their own equivalent procedure.
- Share transfers and changes of partners, where the licensing authority requires public notice.
- Loss of documents — lost share certificates, cheque books, or original licences, where the authority requires a published notice before issuing a replacement.
- Court-ordered announcements — service by publication where a party cannot be reached, ordered by the court and published in the form the court directs.
- Auction and enforcement notices issued in execution proceedings.
The liquidation announcement, step by step
- Shareholders resolve to liquidate and appoint a liquidator; the general assembly minutes are notarised. See notarisation requirements in Dubai.
- The liquidator accepts the appointment in writing and files the required documents with the licensing authority.
- The announcement is published in the local press in the form the authority accepts, opening the 45-day window for creditors.
- The 45 days run. Nothing can shorten this period, so it sits on the critical path of every closure timetable.
- The liquidator declares that no objections were received within the period, and submits the final liquidation report together with the original published newspaper.
- The licence is cancelled and the closure is completed with the remaining authorities.
Why the Arabic wording decides whether it counts
The announcement is published in Arabic in the local press. Its text is not free-form marketing copy — it must state the company’s legal name exactly as it appears on the trade licence, the licence number, the liquidator’s name and licence details, the nature of the resolution, and the deadline and channel for creditor claims.
Where announcements fail: a trade name transliterated differently from the licence; a missing licence number; a claim deadline that contradicts the required period; or a liquidator named without the details the authority verifies. Each of these means republication — a new 45-day clock and a second set of fees.
This is why the Arabic text should be prepared by a legal translator working from the licence and the notarised resolution, not drafted loosely from an English summary. See certified legal translation in Dubai and corporate and commercial translation.
Planning the timeline
| Stage | What controls the duration |
|---|---|
| Resolution and notarisation | Availability of signatories; POAs must be notarised and in Arabic if the shareholders sign abroad. |
| Preparing the announcement | Accuracy of the Arabic text against the licence and the resolution. |
| Publication | The newspaper’s own schedule and deadlines. |
| Creditor period | Fixed at 45 days from publication — cannot be compressed. |
| Final clearance | Clearances from the authorities involved and settlement of outstanding obligations. |
Requirements differ between mainland and free zone entities, and licensing authorities update their procedures. Confirm the current requirement with the authority that issued the licence before publishing anything.
Publishing a legal announcement?
We prepare the Arabic announcement text from your licence and notarised resolution, coordinate publication, and handle the certified translation of the supporting file. Office in Deira, Dubai.
Related reading
- Newspaper announcement services
- Notary public in Dubai
- Corporate document translation for DED and free zones
- Document attestation in the UAE
- The Official Portal of the UAE Government — Closing a business on the mainland (liquidation announcement and 45-day creditor period)
- Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2021 on Commercial Companies — the framework governing mainland companies and their liquidation
- Dubai Courts — for court-ordered announcements