How to Start an Animal Welfare Organization in Dubai?

Animal welfare is about taking action towards improving the state of the animals in your region or locality. The treatment that an animal receives is referred by many other terms such as animal care, animal husbandry, and humane treatment. Taking stand for animal rights means taking care of its physical and mental needs. Thankfully in the UAE there are a many rescue organizations who dedicate their life to alleviate the suffering of animals.

Let’s first understand more about this activity and how it can be done in the UAE.

The activity under DED is as follows:

• Animal Welfare Organization
• License Type: Professional
• Activity Description : Includes public utility organizations which work to improve public awareness towards animal welfare importance, save animals from extinction, prevent cruelty and abuse, stop banned hunting and illegal trade in rare animals, urge competent authorities to activate wildlife protection laws and to provide support and guidance plans.

This activity can be done in 2 ways:

1. DED mainland Professional License
2. Charity organization for the animals (approval from CDA)

Process for License:

1. If it is a DED license the process is fairly simple
   • First step would be to get the trade name, Initial approval, MOA signing, Ejari submission, Payment voucher and finally License issuance
   • However, client would not be able to take any kind of charity and ask for Donation
2. If client wants to make it a Charity organization then they will need to take permit from CDA (Community Development Authority)
   • First step would be to get the trade name, Initial approval, then submit the forms along with all Board of members documents and Ejari
   • Once the permit is issued, the license can be processed

The laws surrounding charity and fundraising in the UAE

There is a stringent law frame in place in the UAE to regulate charities and fundraising efforts, which is also applicable to the rescue groups and organizations in the country who are legally permitted to collect monetary donations or contributions towards veterinary bills, adoption fees or similar, approved by proper authority permission and licenses.

NGOs like the Emirates Animal Welfare Society (EAWS) are among the prestigious animal welfare organization legally registered under Animal Welfare Association in the UAE, for instance.

What is the key role of such organizations?

• Provide medical care via VETS
• Coordinate and stock feeding / water stations
• Run adoption days for re homing the animals
• Relocate the animals to foster and forever homes
• Facilitate trap-neuter-return programs

How to open a Non-profit/charity organization?

What is the requirement to be eligible to open a Non-profit organization?

If an association wishes to register under DAC (Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry) they should hold the following status:

• Non-profit, non-governmental international /regional economic or professional associations
• Registered in a country that has diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates or that is a subsidiary by one of the organizations of the United Nations

Any other associations/society/organization with the below activities fall under the establishment of Community of Development Authority CDA.

• Charities
• Social clubs
• Student alumni’s
• Specific nationality or specific gender membership

Requirements of members

1. The Association is established by Founding Members not less than 10 members, provided that two of them are UAE Nationals
2. Board of directors not less than 5 members, provided that two of them are UAE Nationals

Licensing phases

First Phase: Submit the documents

1. Fill application form
2. Copy of the license (If available)
3. Copy of Memorandum of the Company (If available)
4. Copy of proposed location
5. Copies of: Passport, Emirates ID, Visa (valid) for Founding Members, Board of Directors/Trustees and Manager
6. Any other documents requested by CDA

Second Phase: After obtaining the initial approval, please submit the following documents to receive the final license

1. Attested Constitution and Attested Board Resolution (Arabic and English versions)
2. Office location for the organization

Third Phase: payment of license fee (2020 Dhs) Note: the license is valid for one year
Fourth Phase: Initial Inspection of civil organization
Fifth Phase: Collect the license
Final Phase: Opening a bank account with one of the national banks in the Emirate of Dubai

TIMEFRAME: The CDA will issue its decision on any License application within a period of thirty (30) days from the date of its submission. This period may be extended once for the same period. The application will be deemed rejected if no decision is issued within this period

Know more about the Trade licence cost in Dubai from Flyingcolour

The process to register for Adoption of animals

After the license, an application called Aleef with Dubai Municipality needs to be filled.
Aleef is a platform for current and prospective pet owners to manage the adoption and care of animals in Dubai.

What does Aleef do?

• Manages pet information? (Across public and private clinics) on the go
• Enables single and comprehensive source for adoption
• Provides relevant and credible pet ownership information
• Digitizes pet information and history
• Centralizes pet points of interest through integrated map functionality
• Facilitates the reporting of stray or found registered animals

For more information on animal welfare organization in Dubai or anywhere across the UAE, kindly contact us at info@flyingcolour.com or call +971 4 4542366 for quality consultation.

*Please Note: This article was published on 28th January, 2021. The information provided in the article is based on the policies and rules applicable at the time of writing it. Talk to one of our consultants for any recent update or change.