goAML registration with the UAE Financial Intelligence Unit is free. Not registering can suspend your licence and carries a fine of AED 200,000 to AED 10,000,000. If your firm provides a client address, you are in scope.
Cabinet Resolution 134 of 2025, Article 3, lists the Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions that must register. Registration is free. Operating without it is a criminal offence under Article 32 of Federal Decree-Law 10 of 2025.
Penalties come from Federal Decree-Law 10 of 2025, issued 30 September 2025. Article 41 repealed Federal Decree-Law 20 of 2018, so older guidance citing the 2018 law is out of date. The Ministry of Economy has suspended the operations of 50 DNFBP establishments for three months at a stroke, purely for failing to register on goAML, with suspension continuing until they registered.
| Breach | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Any administrative violation, imposed by your supervisory authority (Article 17) | Warning, an administrative fine of AED 10,000 to AED 5,000,000 per violation, prohibition from the sector, restriction of the powers of board members and executives, appointment of a temporary supervisor, suspension or replacement of directors, suspension or restriction of the activity or profession, or revocation of the licence |
| Operating without licence, registration or enrolment (Article 32) | Imprisonment and a fine of AED 200,000 to AED 10,000,000, or either |
| Failure to report a suspicious transaction, deliberately or by gross negligence (Article 28) | Imprisonment and a fine of AED 100,000 to AED 1,000,000, or either |
| Tipping off a customer that they are being reported (Article 29(1)) | Imprisonment and a fine of not less than AED 50,000, or either |
| Violating targeted financial sanctions instructions (Article 33) | Imprisonment and a fine of not less than AED 20,000, or either |
| False information about a beneficial owner (Article 35(1)) | Imprisonment and a fine of not less than AED 20,000, or either |
| Breach of customer due diligence, internal policies or the anonymous account rules (Article 35(3)) | Imprisonment and a fine of not less than AED 10,000, or either |
| Money laundering itself (Article 26(1)) | One to ten years and AED 100,000 to AED 5,000,000, or the value of the criminal property, whichever is greater |
| A legal person convicted of money laundering, terrorist financing or proliferation financing (Article 27(1)) | Fine of AED 5,000,000 to AED 100,000,000, or the value of the criminal property, whichever is greater |
Stage one is SACM. Stage two is goAML. You cannot do stage two without stage one, and going straight to goAML is the single most common failure. goAML has been live since June 2019 and is run by the UAE Financial Intelligence Unit.
There are twelve report types on goAML. These are the ones DNFBPs meet. A threshold report is not an accusation. It is a record, and not filing it is the offence.
| Report | When it is filed |
|---|---|
| STR, Suspicious Transaction Report | Suspicion of money laundering, fraud or terrorist financing around an executed transaction. File without delay. |
| SAR, Suspicious Activity Report | Suspicion around an activity, or an attempted transaction that was not executed. |
| REAR, Real Estate Activity Report | Purchase or sale of freehold property where payment includes cash of AED 55,000 or more, in a single payment or multiple payments, or where any part of the value is a virtual asset or was converted from or to a virtual asset. Obtain the Emirates ID or passport first. Effective 27 June 2022. |
| DPMSR, Dealers in Precious Metals and Stones Report | Cash of AED 55,000 or more from an individual, resident or non-resident. For an entity, AED 55,000 or more in cash or by wire transfer, and you obtain the trade licence plus the representative's Emirates ID or passport. The wire transfer rule for companies is the most commonly missed in the gold trade. Effective 12 June 2021. |
| HRC and HRCA, High Risk Country reports | A transaction or activity involving a National Committee high-risk country. The transaction may only be executed three working days after reporting it, and only if the FIU has not objected in that period. Tell your client before they commit to the deal. |
| PNMR and FFR, sanctions reports | PNMR for a potential match against a sanctions list. FFR for a confirmed match, covering any freeze, prohibition on providing funds or services, or attempted transaction. |
| AIF, AIFT, RFI, RFIT | The FIU requests further information through the Message Board. Fill in the FIU Reference field with the case number, or the response will not link to the original report. |
Cabinet Resolution 134 of 2025 sets the standing obligations every financial institution, DNFBP and VASP must meet. Inspectors ask to see the documents, not the intention.
| Service | Fee (AED) |
|---|---|
| goAML registration & MLRO setup | 1,020 |
Registration on the goAML portal itself is free. The fee above is our charge for preparing and completing it, and matches the schedule published on our tax page.
Government charges are separate and are paid to the authority, not to us.
We handle SACM pre-registration, the goAML organisation filing, your MLRO appointment and the annual Ministry questionnaire.
Send us your trade licence and activity list, and we will tell you plainly whether you must register and what is already overdue.
Tell us your situation and a consultant replies with what actually applies to you, what it costs and what we need from you to start.