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Tajer Abu Dhabi licence without office space extended to support entrepreneurs
The initiative applies to licence holders whose current period to operate their businesses without the need to provide a physical premises expires during 2026
- PUBLISHED: Thu 24 Sept 2026, 5:04 PM
Tajer Abu Dhabi licence holders will now get another year to operate their businesses without a physical premises, as the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (Added) announced an extension of the scheme on Thursday.
The authority has clarified who is eligible to benefit from this intitiative, saying it applies to licence holders whose current period to operate their businesses without the need to provide an office space expires during 2026.
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It has also extended the validity of new industrial licences, Rowad, from two to three years before the start of construction phase and extended licences under construction from three to four years until production. These measures provide greater flexibility for investors during the establishment and construction stages, according to Added.
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Since its launch in 2017, Tajer Abu Dhabi’s vital role in enabling entrepreneurs to launch, grow, and expand their businesses across a wide range of specialised activities has been reflected in the growing demand for this category of licence. The number of new Tajer Abu Dhabi licences increased by 24% in 2025 and 8% in the first half of 2026. The number of economic activities available under the licence have increased from 30 when it was launched to more than 1,200 currently.
“As part of our efforts to support entrepreneurs, we launched several initiatives over the past few months, including exempting economic establishments from outstanding fines incurred due to delays in renewing or cancelling economic licences," said Hamad Sayah Al Mazrouei, the Undersecretary of Added.
"7,823 Commercial and industrial establishments benefited from this initiative, contributing to business continuity".
Recent data showed that economic licences in Abu Dhabi increased by 21 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year, despite the US-Iran war.
Despite the hurdles witnessed across the region during that period, Abu Dhabi’s business ecosystem was still able to fuel strong growth rates in the number of new economic licences and categories across the emirate’s regions and economic sectors.
Yasmin Hussein is an Assistant Digital Editor who believes that every news story carries a human element. Her motto is 'get it first, but first get it right'.