The UAE government has approved a new waiver of state fees for industrial property services. On Monday, 14 September 2026, Cabinet Resolution No. 136 of 2026 comes into force — exempting two categories of applicants from a set of Ministry of Economy and Tourism charges.
What happened
The document was signed on 24 July 2026 and published in the Official Gazette No. 829 on 14 August 2026. The Resolution was adopted to implement Federal Law No. 11 of 2021 on Regulation and Protection of Industrial Property Rights — the UAE framework act covering patents, utility models, industrial designs and integrated circuit layout designs. The current status of the Resolution is listed as «active» on the UAE legislation portal (Economy and Commerce sector).
Who the exemption is for
The Resolution names two beneficiary categories:
- Student inventors — students filing applications to protect their own inventions.
- People of Determination — the official UAE status introduced in 2017 in place of the term «persons with disabilities»; covers citizens and residents with special needs.
This choice of categories fits the UAE's broader trajectory of inclusive policy and support for the national innovation ecosystem — a context we cover in our overview of UAE business regulation in 2026.
Which fees are zeroed
Both categories are exempted from eleven common tariff items — services 1, 3, 5, 7, 21, 22, 46, 57, 59, 61 and 63. By content, according to Gulf News, they cover:
- filing of patent, utility model, industrial design and IC layout applications;
- change of ownership and amendments to registry data;
- appeals and complaints;
- issuance of certified copies and official certificates;
- international patent applications and mandatory publications.
Beyond this common block, the Resolution adds category-specific items. People of Determination are additionally exempted from services 9, 11, 13, 15, 23, 25, 27, 32 and 34, and student inventors from services 10, 12, 14, 16, 24, 26, 28, 33 and 35. In essence, these are fees for substantive and expedited patent and utility model examination and for review procedures.
How this fits the wider tariff
Under the current Ministry of Economy and Tourism tariff, the standard filing fee for a patent or design application by individuals, SMEs and academic institutions is Dh1,000, and substantive patent examination costs Dh7,000–Dh9,000. These are exactly the lines primarily addressed by Resolution No. 136: for the two exempt categories, the total cost of initial registration and part of subsequent IP maintenance drops materially.
What businesses need to know
The exemption is targeted, not universal. Resolution No. 136 does not remove every patent-related charge for every student or every Person of Determination: only specific tariff lines listed in Article 1 of the Resolution are zeroed. Everything outside that list — including certain post-registration maintenance and procedures beyond the Ministry of Economy and Tourism perimeter — remains payable at standard rates.
For companies working with startup teams and setting up a legal entity in the UAE around technology development, the signal is clear: if the key idea holder is a student or a Person of Determination, the state absorbs part of the initial cost of protecting the invention. Legal departments and patent attorneys should update the filing checklist accordingly — documents confirming student or People of Determination status now directly affect both the budget and the filing schedule.
Where to verify
Key verification points for practitioners and applicants:
- the UAE legislation portal uaelegislation.gov.ae — status of Resolution No. 136 of 2026 and related text;
- service pages of the Ministry of Economy and Tourism (moet.gov.ae) — the current IP services tariff and applicant categories;
- Federal Law No. 11 of 2021 — legal framework and category definitions.
This material is informational and does not replace patent counsel advice. Before filing an application, verify the status of the Resolution and the full Ministry of Economy and Tourism tariff on official resources.
