Do UAE law firms need to register on the goAML portal?
Yes. Where a law firm carries on activities that make it a DNFBP, it must register on the goAML portal operated by the UAE Financial Intelligence Unit. Registration is the gateway for filing suspicious transaction reports and for receiving alerts, and operating in scope without it is itself a breach.
UAE AML law prohibits carrying on DNFBP activity without the required licence, registration or enrolment with the competent authority or supervisor. In practice the process runs in two stages: pre-registration and approval of the compliance officer through the supervisory authority, followed by full goAML enrolment. Firms should complete registration before or as they begin taking on qualifying transactional work, not after a suspicion has already arisen.
Legal Reference (UAE):
· Federal Decree-Law 10/2025, Article 20 — prohibits DNFBP activity without registration or enrolment.
· UAE Financial Intelligence Unit (goAML) — the portal through which registration and STR filing take place.
For more details, consult the full text of Federal Decree-Law 10/2025 or seek guidance from your AML compliance officer.