His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, handed over the ‘Flag’ of the Hamdan bin Mohammed Programme for Smart Government (HBMPSG), to Dubai Economy after it won the Best Government Initiative award for its ‘Instant Licence’ initiative.

His Excellency Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary General of the Executive Council of Dubai and His Excellency Sami Al Qamzi, Director General of Dubai Economy raised the ‘Flag’ of 2019 at the Dubai Economy headquarters in Business Village.

Dubai Economy focuses on continuously developing the business environment to remain competitive in line with the world-class infrastructure in the emirate, guided by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for Dubai to be the preferred place to live, work and visit as well as a smart and sustainable city and a pivotal hub of the global economy by 2021.

Al Qamzi expressed his happiness in securing the highest votes from the public as well as the evaluation process that led to Dubai Economy winning the Flag of HBMPSG for its Instant Licence initiative He commended the efforts of the Instant Licence team from the Business Registration and Licensing (BRL) sector in Dubai Economy for obtaining the trust of the public and emerging the winners from eight government initiatives shortlisted for the programme.

Al Qamzi vowed to continue the march of excellence and innovation and the application of international best practices in the field of customer service and happiness as the key pillar for developing government services. The Instant Licence initiative has contributed to the sub-indicator ‘Starting a business’ upon which the Ease of Doing Business Index 2020 issued by the World Bank was based, as the UAE ranked 17th globally.

Al Qamzi said that Dubai Economy works interactively with customers to understand their needs to update the services, which contribute to facilitating businesses in Dubai. He thanked Dubai The Model Centre (DTMC), a subsidiary of the General Secretariat of The Executive Council of Dubai, for the success of HBMPSG, as well as the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Federal Competitiveness & Statistics Authority, General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Courts, and Dubai Chamber as partners in the the success of the Instant Licence.

The Instant Licence service provides a convenient model solution for businessmen who can now obtain a commercial licence within five minutes, enabling them to establish and conduct business in Dubai easily. The initiative is a path-breaking service whereby businesses can secure their commercial licence in one-step without having a company’s lease or location for the first year.

The Instant Licence initiative reduces human interaction through automating licensing procedures and easy access to a business licence. An Instant Licence includes four legal forms; Limited Liability Company, One Person L.L.C, Sole Proprietorship and Civil Company. Launching the service is part of the mission of Dubai Economy to support economic diversification and enhance competitiveness across all levels in Dubai.

All business activities can benefit from the service, except public and private shareholding companies, through eServices on ded.ae/instant as well as the various outsourced service centres and the Happiness and Smart Lounges of Dubai Economy. Holders of general trade licences can only use electronic services.

The Instant licence offers the option of an electronic Memorandum of Association, in addition to obtaining the licence and entry in the commercial registry of Dubai Economy. Furthermore, the licencee is given membership in the Dubai Chamber instantly, an establishment card of the General Directorate of Residency & Foreigners Affairs as well as three work permits for employees from the Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratisation once the trade licence is issued.

The registration of ‘Native’ workers in the Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratisation is completed while issuing the Instant Licence. This comes within the framework of implementing the Emiratisation decisions adopted by the Cabinet headed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to encourage the private sector to attract UAE Nationals and develop their capabilities and skills to lead the knowledge economy.