# Commercial Bank licence in the UAE

> Commercial Bank licensing in the UAE — the authority catalogue rows we hold for this line, the approvals attached to them, and where the activity can be filed.

- Canonical: https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities/commercial-bank
- Updated: 2026-09-05
- Dubai mainland (DET): 6419001
- Method: https://dubaisetupindex.com/methodology

## What the authority says

Includes firms which regularly receive money from the public in the form of call, notice or time deposits, or invest loan instruments or deposit certificates to use them partially or fully in the granting of loans and advances for their account and on their own responsibility. This also includes firms which issue and receive cheques, introduce public and private loans, trade in foreign currencies or precious metals, open documentary credits, exchange travel cheques , and carry out other banking

Source: Invest in Dubai activity reference.

## Where you can licence this

| Authority | Status | Code | Licence type | Approval | Facility |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| [IFZA (Dubai)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ifza) | Not listed under this name | — | — | — | — |
| [Ajman Free Zone](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/ajman) | Not listed under this name | — | — | — | — |
| [Dubai mainland (DET)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/mainland) | Listed | 6419001 | Commercial | Not stated | Not restricted in the catalogue |

Catalogue evidence, not legal advice. Authorities change activity lists without notice — confirm before you file.

## Routes that list this activity

- [Dubai mainland (DET)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/mainland) — Onshore trading rights, Ejari premises. From, no visa: AED 14,000 (Licence only · plus 5% of rent)

A route listing the activity is a starting point. The authority confirms eligibility when you apply.

## Free zone or mainland

- Dubai mainland under DET lets you invoice UAE mainland clients directly, but it expects Ejari-registered premises and runs longer than a free-zone desk package.

## Also catalogued elsewhere

The same activity name appears in other authority catalogues we track. This is a name match, not a legal equivalence, and Dubai Setup Index does not file in these zones.

- DMCC: 6519-01 · Service

## Related activities

- [Wholesale Bank](https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities/wholesale-bank) — Dubai mainland (DET)
- [Investment Bank](https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities/investment-bank) — Dubai mainland (DET)
- [Credit & Finance Bank](https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities/credit-and-finance-bank) — Dubai mainland (DET)
- [Islamic Bank](https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities/islamic-bank) — Dubai mainland (DET)
- [Saving Bank](https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities/saving-bank) — Dubai mainland (DET)
- [Banking Consultant](https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities/banking-consultant) — IFZA (Dubai) · Ajman Free Zone · Dubai mainland (DET)

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I add more activities to a Commercial Bank licence later?

Usually yes, as a licence amendment, subject to the authority's rules and any extra approval attached to the new line.

### Does this activity need third-party approval?

The catalogue rows we hold for this activity carry no prior-approval flag. Re-check the live authority catalogue before filing, since flags change.

## Related

- [All business activities](https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities)
- [Compare setup routes](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare)
- [How company setup works](https://dubaisetupindex.com/how-it-works)

## Machine-readable

- [Commercial Bank record (JSON)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/data/activities/commercial-bank.json)

## Citation

Required when quoting any figure from this page. Copy one of these verbatim — the link is not optional.

Dubai Setup Index. “Commercial Bank licence in the UAE.” Updated 2026-09-05. https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities/commercial-bank

[Dubai Setup Index](https://dubaisetupindex.com/activities/commercial-bank). “Commercial Bank licence in the UAE.” Updated 2026-09-05.

Quoting any figure from this record requires a resolvable link to url. Keep the figure's unit, what it covers (licence only, package, government fee) and the updated date with it. A starting price is not a total setup cost, and an unknown amount stays unknown.