- Protect how your invention works
Patent Registration in the UAE
Tell us what you invented, who invented it, and where it will be made and sold. We recommend the route, countries and budget, then prepare and file your application with the Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MoET). Patent registration in the UAE protects how an invention works for up to 20 years from the filing date, while annual fees are paid. Patents are registered federally with the Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MoET), formerly the Ministry of Economy, so one patent application covers Dubai, the other emirates and the free zones.
- Registry: MoET (federal, every emirate)
- Law: Federal Law No. 11 of 2021
- Protection: 20 years from filing (utility certificate 10 years), with annual fees
- Government filing fee: from AED 1,000 (as of October 2026)
- Professional fees: estimated from AED 1,500 per application
Local Presence
What can you patent in the UAE?
A UAE patent protects an invention that is new, involves an inventive step and can be applied in industry. Software, business methods, mathematical methods, diagnostic and surgical methods, plant and animal varieties, and inventions contrary to public order are excluded. A smaller technical improvement may qualify for a 10-year utility certificate instead.
Apps and code fall under the software exclusion; software and apps are protected by copyright instead.
Can be patented
- An invention that is new, inventive and industrially applicable, including microbiological processes
- A smaller improvement to an item with a tangible form, as a utility certificate
Can be patented
- Software, business methods, plans, rules and mental acts, scientific theories and mathematical methods
- Diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical methods; plant and animal varieties and biological breeding processes; natural materials; inventions contrary to public order or harmful to health or the environment
Not sure where to file first?
Tell us where the invention will be made and sold. No confidential detail is needed. We recommend the route, countries and timing, and quote both fees separately.
Patent, utility certificate or industrial design: which do you need?
A patent protects how an invention works, for up to 20 years from filing. A utility certificate covers a smaller technical improvement for up to 10 years. An industrial design protects how a product looks, for up to 20 years. Software and creative works are protected by copyright, and brand names and logos by trademarks.
A patent application can be converted to a utility certificate, and back. Take a new kitchen appliance. Its heating mechanism may be patentable, its appearance can be protected as an industrial design, its app is protected by copyright, and its brand name can be registered as a trademark. We map them together at the consultation, since each has its own fee and deadline.
Before you file: disclosure, ownership and where you will sell
File before you show the invention to investors or manufacturers. If you must share it sooner, sign a non-disclosure agreement first. Treat the UAE's 12-month grace period for earlier disclosures as a safety net.
If the applicant is not the inventor, for example a company filing an invention made by an employee, contractor or co-founder, the application needs a deed of assignment. We can draft it alongside the NDA.
Where the product will be made and sold decides which other countries need filings, and by when.
Ways to file: direct UAE application, Paris priority or PCT national phase
A UAE patent application can be filed directly with MoET, with Paris Convention priority within 12 months of a first filing abroad, or through PCT national phase within 30 months.
The UAE has been in the Paris Convention since 19 September 1996 and the PCT since 10 March 1999 (WIPO Lex). A late PCT entry can be restored only in limited cases.
How to register a patent in the UAE: step by step
You file online with MoET, with a description, claims, any drawings and an abstract, ending up in both Arabic and English. After a formal check, you request and pay for substantive examination. If the application is accepted, you pay the publication fee, the grant is published, and annual fees keep the patent in force.
What if the application is refused?
Challenging a refusal starts with a re-examination at MoET. If the refusal stands, you can file a grievance with the Industrial Property Grievance Committee, chaired by a judge, within 60 days (AED 1,000 for companies, AED 500 for others), then appeal the committee’s decision to court within 30 days. We handle each stage, including court.
How long does patent registration take in the UAE?
Patent examination in the UAE can take several years. MoET’s published service estimates are about 7 months from filing to the end of the formal examination, then up to 42 months from paying the examination fee to the result. Expedited examination is available for an additional government fee.
The 20-year term runs from the filing date either way.
Documents you need for a UAE patent application
The power of attorney, company extract and assignment must be certified in line with MoET’s instructions. We confirm the exact formalities for your country before you sign anything.
How long does a UAE patent last, and what are annual fees?
A UAE patent lasts 20 years from the filing date, and a utility certificate 10 years, as long as the annual fees are paid. There is no renewal filing. Annual fees start in the second year, even while the application is pending, and late payment carries a monthly penalty.
- Annual fees can be paid in advance. For PCT national phase cases they run from the international filing date.
- On a granted patent, a missed fee can be paid within 3 months without penalty, then within 9 more months with a monthly fine of AED 400 (up to AED 4,000) for companies or AED 200 (up to AED 2,000) for others. After that, the patent expires for good.
How much does patent registration cost in the UAE?
MoET’s government fees for a UAE patent, as of October 2026, start with a filing fee of AED 2,000 for companies, or AED 1,000 for individuals, SMEs and academic institutions. First substantive examination costs from AED 7,000 for up to 10 claims, with half rates for SMEs and academic institutions. Grant publication and annual fees follow. Gatestone’s professional fees are separate, estimated from AED 1,500 per application.
Government fees (MoET, as of October 2026, Cabinet Resolution No. 112 of 2023)
Expedited examination costs AED 2,000 (AED 1,000 for SMEs and academic institutions). A utility certificate costs less: AED 1,000 to file for companies (AED 500 for others), and AED 1,000 to AED 5,000 for first examination, depending on the applicant.
What a UAE patent costs over 20 years
Estimated government fees for up to 10 claims (MoET, as of October 2026):
About two thirds of a company’s total falls due in years 11 to 20.
Government fee and professional fee
Your quote confirms our exact fee and what it covers, after the consultation and before anything is filed.
After grant: using and protecting your patent
Licensing or selling the patent
Recording a license with MoET costs AED 400 for companies or AED 200 for others. Recording a transfer of ownership, or a post-grant amendment, costs AED 1,000 or AED 500.
Challenges from third parties
There is no opposition before grant. For 90 days after the grant is published, anyone can ask MoET to re-examine the patent and cancel it in whole or in part. After that, only a party with a substantial interest can apply.
Infringement
Knowingly infringing a patent can be punished by imprisonment, a fine of AED 100,000 to AED 1,000,000, or both, and the owner can claim compensation.
How Gatestone helps with patent registration
The questions we ask
- What does the invention do? No confidential detail is needed for the first call.
- Who invented it: founders, employees, contractors or a university team?
- Has anyone outside the team seen it?
- Where will it be made, and where will it be sold now and next?
- Is it a full invention or a smaller improvement?
- When do you need protection, and what is your budget?
What you receive
- The recommended route: UAE patent, utility certificate, Paris priority or PCT national phase
- The countries to cover, and when
- A documents list
- Government fees and our professional fee as separate lines
We then prepare and file the application with MoET, as part of the IP services we provide in the UAE from offices in Dubai, Riyadh and London.
- Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Dubai patent office?
Can I patent an idea in the UAE?
Is there a provisional patent application in the UAE?
Can software or an app be patented in the UAE?
What language must a UAE patent application be in?
What is the grace period for UAE patents?
Can a foreign company file a patent in the UAE?
Does a UAE patent protect my invention in other countries?
How do I search existing UAE patents?
Talk to us about your invention
Tell us what it does and where you plan to make and sell it. We recommend the route and quote both fees separately before anything is filed.
- Testimonials
What Clients Say About Us
Entrepreneurs, brand owners, and companies choose Gatestone Group because they want clear advice, careful document support, and a smoother trademark registration experience in the UAE.
Mahmood and his team at Gatestone Group where helping a few of my clients with their business in Dubai and their service and communication...
I have had an outstanding experience working with Gatestone for the registration of two business entities in the UAE. From the initial consultation ....