Rules as of 29 October 2026. Checked against Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 (published by the UAE Financial Intelligence Unit), the UAE government portal (u.ae, updated 27 October 2026) and the Ministry of Economy and Tourism's DNFBP guidelines (March 2026).
The short answer: the UAE's anti-money laundering law is Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, which replaced Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2018. Banks and some non-financial businesses, called DNFBPs, must assess their risks, check their customers (due diligence), keep records, apply sanctions lists, register on goAML and report suspicious transactions. Fines run from AED 10,000 to AED 5,000,000 per violation, and the licence can be suspended or revoked.
Is my business a DNFBP?
DNFBP means Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions. The Ministry of Economy and Tourism describes the group as including:
- Real estate brokers and agents
- Dealers in precious metals and stones
- Independent accountants and auditors
- Corporate service providers (company formation, registered office, nominee services)
- Lawyers and legal consultants (supervised by the Ministry of Justice)
If your licence covers one of these activities, the AML rules apply to you directly. If you run a consultancy, an online shop or a trading business outside these sectors, you are usually not a DNFBP. You will still meet AML checks from your bank, your Free Zone and service providers like us, because they must check their customers.
What a DNFBP must do
Article 19 of Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 requires DNFBPs to:
- Assess their risks: identify, assess, document and keep updated the money-laundering risks in their business, and give the assessment to the supervisor on request.
- Carry out customer due diligence and ongoing monitoring, scaled to the risk.
- Refuse anonymous or fictitious accounts and transactions.
- Have written policies and controls, approved by senior management and kept up to date.
- Apply targeted financial sanctions immediately, when the authorities issue instructions.
- Keep records of all transactions and make them available to the authorities straight away.
Article 20 adds that nobody may carry on a DNFBP activity without a licence or registration from the competent authority.
goAML: registration and reporting
goAML is the Financial Intelligence Unit's system. The UAE government portal states that all DNFBPs were required to register on it. Registration works in two steps: the business registers as an organisation, the supervisor approves it, and then staff register as users under that organisation. Suspicious transaction reports are filed through goAML. The Ministry of Economy has enforced this: in 2023 it suspended 50 DNFBPs for three months for failing to register.
Penalties
Under the 2025 law, a supervisory authority can impose on a DNFBP that breaks the rules:
- A warning
- An administrative fine of AED 10,000 to AED 5,000,000 for each violation
- A ban from the sector, or restrictions on directors and managers
- Suspension of directors or managers responsible
- Suspension or restriction of the activity
- Revocation of the licence
These are administrative penalties; the criminal offences in the law are separate.
AML and corporate tax
Tax and AML now work together: the law allows the UAE to cooperate internationally on requests involving tax matters, and tax records are often the first place inconsistencies show. Keeping clean books, matching your activities to your licence, and documenting where money comes from protects you on both fronts. See accounting services and corporate tax.
A simple AML checklist for small DNFBPs
- Confirm with your licensing authority whether your activity is a DNFBP.
- Register your business and your compliance officer on goAML.
- Write a short risk assessment and an AML policy, approved by management.
- Collect ID and source-of-funds information from customers, more for higher-risk ones.
- Screen customers against sanctions lists.
- Keep every record organised and retrievable.
- Train your staff on red flags, and report suspicions through goAML.
Questions
What is the current AML law in the UAE?
Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 on anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism and proliferation financing. It repealed Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2018.
Who are DNFBPs in the UAE?
According to the Ministry of Economy and Tourism, they include real estate brokers and agents, dealers in precious metals and stones, independent accountants and auditors, corporate service providers, and lawyers and legal consultants.
Do DNFBPs have to register on goAML?
Yes. The UAE government portal states that all DNFBPs were required to register on the goAML portal, which is also used to file suspicious transaction reports.
What are the AML fines in the UAE?
Administrative fines from AED 10,000 to AED 5,000,000 per violation, plus possible suspension of the activity or revocation of the licence.
Does AML apply to my consultancy?
Usually not directly, unless your activity is in a DNFBP sector. But your bank, Free Zone and service providers must still carry out due diligence on you.
Sources
- Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 (UAE Financial Intelligence Unit)
- UAE government portal: combatting money laundering
- Ministry of Economy and Tourism: AML and DNFBP guidelines (March 2026)
- UAE FIU: compliance and guidance (goAML)
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