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Do I need both VAT and Corporate Tax registration?

Answered by TI from the Federal Tax Authority’s own law · 15 September 2026. Guidance, not tax advice: rely on the official text.

TI AssistantDepends on your situationTI Public

It depends on your activity and turnover. You must register for Corporate Tax if you are within its scope, even if you are not required to register for VAT. Whether you must also register for VAT depends on your taxable supplies exceeding the VAT registration threshold (see caveat).

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The detail

The sources confirm two separate registration obligations. Corporate Tax registration is mandatory for any person within the scope of Corporate Tax, regardless of whether they are registered for VAT or Excise Tax. VAT registration is a separate test based on the volume of taxable supplies, as illustrated by the charities guide's reference to mandatory and voluntary thresholds. The question turns on your facts: whether you are a Taxable Person for CT and whether your taxable supplies exceed the VAT threshold, which the supplied sources do not state.12

What the law says

  • A person within the scope of Corporate Tax must register for CT even if not subject to VAT or Excise Tax.1 Based on FTA guidance
  • A charity carrying on a business activity must apply for VAT registration if its taxable supplies exceed the mandatory threshold, or may apply voluntarily if it exceeds the voluntary threshold.2 Based on FTA guidance

What it depends on

  • CT registration applies where you are a Taxable Person for CT purposes, irrespective of your VAT status.1 Based on FTA guidance
  • VAT registration applies only where your taxable supplies exceed the applicable mandatory (or voluntary) threshold, which the supplied sources do not specify.2 Based on FTA guidance

Check before you rely on it

  • Confirm whether you are within the scope of Corporate Tax and need to register on the EmaraTax portal.
  • Check your taxable supplies against the VAT registration thresholds published by the FTA (not stated in the supplied sources).
Note: The VAT registration threshold amounts are not included in the supplied sources, so you must check the FTA's current guidance for those figures.
Sources (2) — read the official text
  1. Read the article
    4.1.3. Persons not registered for VAT and Excise Tax Taxable Persons who are not subject to VAT or Excise Tax but are within the scope of the Corporate Tax will be required to register for Corporate Tax purposes. How to register An application to register for Corporate Tax can be made on the EmaraTax portal. A Person who is already registered for VAT or Excise Tax can use their existing login details. A Person that has not previously registered with the FTA will be required to create new login credentials the first time they access the EmaraTax portal. A step by step user guide on the Corporate Tax Registration process is available on the FTA Website, and additional support can be accessed by contacting the FTA helpline on 80082923 during working hours. 4.2.1. The Corporate Tax Registration process A Person who wishes to register for Corporate Tax must submit a registration application along with the relevant supporting documentation to the FTA. The FTA will review each application and approve or reject it. Once an application is approved, the FTA will issue the Person with a TRN. Figure 1: Overview of the Corporate Tax Registration process Corporate Tax Guide I Registration of Resident Juridical Persons I CTGRJP1 13
    Official PDF, p. 14Captured from the FTA website on 8 Sep 2026
  2. 2Charities GuideFTA guidance
    Read the article
    • • The charity is not involved in undertaking trading activities. Trading activities that are undertaken in the course of carrying out the licensed activities (sales) are disregarded provided such activities do not derive any profit or profit derived is applied for the purposes of the charitable activity; and The charity must be managed by ‘fit and proper persons’. The ‘fit and proper test’ is aimed at trustees of charities (including directors of corporate trustees 5), directors of corporate charities, any employees of a charity and volunteers who act on behalf of a charity. Examples of factors that may lead to considering a person as not being a fit and proper person are involvement in tax fraud or other fraudulent behaviour including misrepresentation and/or identity theft, involvement in attacks against, or abuse of, tax repayment systems and where the person was previously removed from acting as a charity trustee by a charity regulator or disqualified from acting as a charity trustee or company director. Important: unless the Cabinet decides otherwise, only where a charity meets all the above tests can it be treated as a designated charity. The Cabinet Decision only applies to the entity named and any trading subsidiary set up by a charity will not be included. It should be noted that, in order to benefit from the special recovery rules 6 , designated charities need to apply and register for VAT. Such VAT registration also means that the designated charities will have to charge VAT on all taxable supplies they make. 2.3. VAT registration of charities Any charity carrying on a business activity in the UAE and making taxable supplies in excess of the mandatory VAT registration threshold must apply to be registered for VAT purposes. In addition, any charity carrying on a business activity and making taxable supplies or incurring expenses subject to VAT in excess of the voluntary VAT registration threshold may apply to register for VAT purposes. For further details on VAT registration, please refer to the Taxable Person Guide for Value Added Tax on the FTA website. Designated charities need to apply and register for VAT in order to benefit from recovery of input tax, disregarding whether they meet the threshold or not. 6 If the trustee is a corporate entity, the directors of that entity must meet the ‘fit and proper person’ test. Article 57 of the Decree-Law. 7 VAT Guide | Charities | VATGCH1 5
    Official PDF, p. 8Captured from the FTA website on 9 Sep 2026
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Written by AI from the FTA sources above and checked before display. Not tax advice or official FTA information - confirm with a tax adviser before you act. Full disclaimer

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