Key takeaways
- Most free zone changes are processed through the authority's own portal, often with a prescribed form or template attached.
- DIFC and ADGM follow common-law style documentation, including written resolutions of members.
- DMCC, RAKEZ and JAFZA generally combine a signed resolution with a portal service request.
- Always check the current template and attestation requirement with the authority or your registered agent before signing.
What is common across free zones
Whatever the zone, the reviewing officer is checking the same things: that the company is correctly identified by licence number, that the signatories hold enough of the capital to take the decision, that the decision is stated unambiguously with an effective date, and that the resolution matches the service request submitted alongside it.
Differences appear in three places — the format the authority prefers, whether a meeting or written consent is expected, and whether the document needs notarisation, attestation or translation. Those three questions are worth asking before drafting rather than after.
Zone-by-zone notes
The notes below describe how these processes are commonly handled in practice. They are orientation, not a substitute for the authority's current published requirements.
DMCC
Changes are typically raised as a service request on the DMCC portal, with a signed resolution uploaded in support. Resolutions are usually expected on company letterhead, identifying the DMCC licence and referencing the specific change being requested. Because the portal request and the document are read together, the wording of the resolved clause should mirror the service being applied for — a resolution about "management changes" against a manager-appointment request invites a query.
DIFC
DIFC entities operate under a common-law style framework, so written resolutions of members and directors, signed in counterparts, are the familiar instruments. Documentation tends to be in English, with defined terms and clause numbering, and filings are made through the DIFC portal. Companies with a separate board should be careful to pass the decision at the correct level — members' matters and directors' matters are not interchangeable.
RAKEZ
RAKEZ handles a broad mix of industrial, commercial and service licences, and structure changes such as adding or removing a shareholder, changing shareholding percentages or amending activities are common. Resolutions supporting these usually list the shareholding both before and after the change, which makes verification straightforward for the reviewer.
JAFZA and offshore companies
JAFZA covers both free zone establishments and offshore companies, and offshore documentation is frequently used outside the UAE — for property, banking or holding structures. That external use is why offshore resolutions are more often subject to notarisation, attestation or legalisation. Confirm the chain of authentication required by the end recipient before signing, because re-executing an attested document is slow.
Decisions that usually need a resolution in a free zone
- Appointing or removing a manager, director or company secretary
- Appointing or changing authorised signatories, including bank mandates
- Changing the trade name or licensed activities
- Transferring shares, admitting a new shareholder or changing shareholding percentages
- Increasing or reducing share capital
- Changing the registered address or leased premises
- Opening a branch, or approving liquidation and licence cancellation
Create the document
Draft the resolution with DocMak's Shareholder Resolution Generator, then attach it to the authority's service request. Where the change follows a shareholders' meeting, keep the agenda and minutes on file so the decision has a complete internal record.
Frequently asked questions
Can one resolution cover several changes?
Sometimes, but it is usually cleaner to keep separate submissions separate. If one clause is queried, a combined resolution can hold up the other approvals with it.
Do free zone resolutions need to be bilingual?
Some authorities and recipients accept English only, others prefer Arabic or bilingual documents, particularly where the resolution will be used outside the free zone. Check with the authority or the end recipient.
Who signs when the shareholder is a company?
An authorised representative of the corporate shareholder signs, and the reviewer will usually want evidence of that person's authority — commonly a resolution or power of attorney from the parent entity.