Abu Dhabi has granted Tajer licence holders an extra year to operate without a physical office — if the current office-free period expires during 2026. The Rowad industrial licence also gets longer validity on construction stages. The decision was announced on 24 September.
What Tajer Abu Dhabi is
Tajer Abu Dhabi is a licensing programme by the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), launched in 2017. It allows entrepreneurs to run a business without a mandatory commercial office — removing one of the biggest upfront costs for micro and small businesses. The scheme covered 30 activities at launch; today it spans more than 1,200.
What exactly was extended
According to the Abu Dhabi Media Office announcement of 24 September 2026, Tajer licence holders whose office-free period expires during 2026 automatically receive one additional year of that regime. In practice, this is an office exemption for those already enrolled in the programme.
For new founders, Tajer remains an entry-level route into Abu Dhabi: cheaper than a standard commercial licence precisely because it waives office lease, Ejari and related running costs. What goes into the first-year budget — and where you can trim — is laid out in our breakdown of UAE company setup costs.
Rowad: new timelines for industrial projects
The Rowad industrial licence has also become more flexible. The pre-construction window grows from 2 to 3 years; the construction-to-production window from 3 to 4 years. For a factory or an assembly line, where it often takes two to three years just to move from approvals to commissioning, that is a tangible de-risking: the licence does not lapse if the project needs more than the previous two-year ceiling.
Context: how the programme has grown
ADDED data show new Tajer licence issuance up 24% in 2025 and a further 8% in the first half of 2026. In parallel, Abu Dhabi granted a one-off fine exemption for late licence renewals or cancellations — benefitting 7,823 commercial and industrial establishments.
Hamad Sayah Al Mazrouei, Undersecretary of ADDED, framed the move this way: “We remain committed to supporting entrepreneurship, one of the key pillars of our innovation-driven economy.”
What it means for founders
If your Tajer licence is active and the no-office period lapses in 2026, no application is required — the extension is applied automatically; it is still worth double-checking the updated expiry date in your licence record via the ADDED portal or the TAMM app. If you are about to launch in Abu Dhabi, Tajer remains the lightest entry point for professions, low-volume trade and freelance work across the 1,200+ activities now covered. The full path from idea to first client is set out in our step-by-step company setup guide for the UAE.
This article is informational and not legal advice. The Tajer activity list, requirements and fees are updated periodically — verify current terms with ADDED and the Abu Dhabi Media Office before filing.
