Licenses and activities — what we may do ourselves

Regulated vs free activities

Every service on the market is either:

• Free (unregulated) — any licensed company can do it. Example: business consulting, document typing, marketing.
• Regulated — you need a SPECIAL license or a licensed professional. Examples: real estate brokerage (RERA license), tax agent work, audit, legal advocacy, insurance, medical services, banking.

The METATRIA formula — very important

THE FORMULA. We NEVER pretend to have a license we do not have. For regulated services we say: «We organize and accompany the process together with a licensed partner.»

Examples of how this works:

• Client needs an audit → we organize it WITH a licensed auditor.
• Client needs a court lawyer → we bring a licensed legal consultant.
• Client wants to buy property → brokerage is regulated (RERA); a licensed partner does the deal, we coordinate.

Why so strict? Doing a regulated activity without a license = fines and even criminal cases. One such case can kill the company's reputation.

WHEN NOT SURE. If you are not sure whether something is regulated — STOP and ask. This is always the right move.

Words

• RERA — Dubai's real estate regulator. ORN — office registration of a brokerage; BRN — personal broker card.
• Tax Agent — a person or firm licensed by FTA to represent clients before the tax authority.
• DNFBP — businesses that must follow AML rules (real estate brokers, auditors, corporate service providers like us). We are in this world, so we have AML duties — see module M7.

What you must remember

• Two kinds of activities: free and regulated.
• The formula: «we organize and accompany with a licensed partner».
• Not sure if regulated? STOP and ask.