Auditing Services
in Dubai

Three categories under Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025 -- companies with revenue exceeding AED 50 million, every tax group regardless of size, and qualifying free zone persons claiming the 0% corporate tax rate. Beyond that, DMCC, JAFZA, DAFZA, DIFC, and ADGM each mandate audited financials for licence renewal regardless of revenue. Mainland LLCs below AED 50 million with no free zone obligation have no statutory audit requirement, but most banks and investors require one before extending credit or capital.

No. Auditor independence under ISA prohibits the firm issuing the opinion from having prepared or maintained the records it is examining. This is called self-review threat. If we handle your bookkeeping, a different firm must audit. If we conduct your audit, a different firm must keep your books. Firms that offer both simultaneously are compromising the independence that gives the opinion its value.

Unmodified is clean -- the statements present a true and fair view. Qualified means one specific area has a material issue, but the rest is acceptable. Adverse means pervasive material misstatements make the entire set unreliable. Disclaimer means the auditor could not obtain sufficient evidence to form any opinion at all. Banks and free zone authorities treat anything other than unmodified as a red flag that requires explanation or remediation.

A single-entity audit for a mid-sized company with straightforward operations runs AED 15,000 to AED 40,000. Free zone entities with portal submission requirements sit at the mid-to-upper range. DIFC and ADGM audits tend higher due to full IFRS compliance and regulatory overlay. Consolidated group audits are scoped after reviewing the number of entities, jurisdictions, and intercompany complexity. The price reflects the hours of professional testing required, not a flat administrative fee.

We send a formal information request list during the planning phase. Core items include the signed trial balance, complete general ledger, all bank statements with reconciliations, fixed asset register with additions and disposals, accounts receivable and payable aging schedules, inventory records or count sheets, copies of significant contracts and lease agreements, board and shareholder meeting minutes, and a schedule of related-party transactions. The better organised this package is, the faster fieldwork finishes.

Planning runs one to two weeks. Fieldwork at a company with current, reconciled books takes two to three weeks. Partner review and opinion drafting add another one to two weeks. Total engagement timeline is typically six to eight weeks for a single entity. If the records need cleanup before testing begins, add the cleanup period on top. Group audits run longer depending on subsidiary count and whether component auditors are involved.

Yes. At the end of every engagement we issue a management letter documenting control deficiencies, process weaknesses, and accounting errors observed during fieldwork. Each finding is described with the specific risk it creates and a recommendation proportionate to your business size. The management letter is addressed to the board or managing director and is separate from the audit opinion. It is not published externally but is essential reading for anyone responsible for financial controls.

ISA 501 requires the auditor to attend physical inventory counting when inventory is material to the financial statements. The auditor performs test counts to verify that recorded quantities match physical quantities, inspects the condition of goods, and identifies obsolete or slow-moving stock. If the auditor is not present during the count, they must perform alternative procedures to obtain sufficient evidence -- and those alternatives are harder and less reliable than being there.

We discuss it with management first. If the error is corrected and the financial statements are adjusted before signing, the opinion is unaffected. If management refuses to correct a material misstatement or cannot provide sufficient evidence to resolve it, the opinion is modified -- qualified if the issue is isolated, adverse if it is pervasive. Our role during fieldwork is to find issues early enough that they can be resolved, not to document them after the damage is done.

If your company is registered in DMCC, yes. The DMCC Member Portal rejects audit reports signed by firms not on its Approved Auditors List. Similarly, DIFC requires auditors registered with the DFSA or licensed by the DIFC Authority. ADGM has its own approved auditor requirements. Mainland companies audited for corporate tax purposes can use any Ministry of Economy-registered firm. We hold the Ministry of Economy registration and appear on the DMCC Approved Auditors List.

For entities above the AED 50 million threshold, tax groups, and qualifying free zone persons, the corporate tax return starts from the accounting profit figure in the audited statements. Any audit adjustments change that starting point and flow into the taxable income computation. If the statements and the return show different profit figures, the FTA will ask why. The audit is no longer a standalone exercise -- it is the foundation your tax position is built on.

You can appoint a new auditor at any time, subject to your articles of association and any free zone authority notification requirements. The incoming auditor will request access to the prior firm's working papers and communicate with them as required by ISA 510. If you are switching because of a qualification or a dispute, be prepared to explain the reason to your new auditor -- they are required to understand why the change happened. We accept transitioning clients and handle the predecessor communication professionally.