UAE regulation — goAML
goAML registration in the UAE,done properly.
From confirming whether you are in scope to a compliance officer who can actually log in — and the AML programme that has to sit behind the account. Handled by our Dubai team.
Who registers on goAML
goAML is the UAE Financial Intelligence Unit's reporting platform. Businesses whose supervisor requires them to report suspicious activity register on it, receive notices through it, and file through it. The activities below are the ones we are asked about most often in the UAE and wider GCC.
- Real estate brokers, agencies and developers
- Dealers in precious metals and precious stones
- Audit, accounting and tax firms
- Corporate service providers, company formation agents and trust companies
- Financial institutions supervised by the Central Bank of the UAE
- Virtual asset service providers licensed in Dubai
Step by step
How goAML registration runs, in six steps.
01
Confirm your entity is in scope
We review your licensed activities and free-zone or mainland status to establish which supervisor you answer to, and whether goAML reporting applies to your business.
02
Appoint a compliance officer
Registration is made in the name of a responsible individual. We help you decide who holds the role, document the appointment, and prepare the personal and contact details the portal asks for.
03
Gather your entity documents
Typically your trade licence, establishment or incorporation documents, Emirates ID and passport copies for the compliance officer, authorised signatory evidence and a corporate email address on your own domain.
04
Complete the portal registration
We sit with your team through the goAML web form, so entity details, activity classification and organisation type are entered consistently with your licence rather than guessed at.
05
Activate and verify access
Once your registration is approved you receive login credentials. We check that the compliance officer can sign in, navigate the message board and reach the reporting forms before you need them.
06
Stand up the programme behind it
Registration is the door, not the room. We put the risk assessment, screening, record-keeping and training in place so that what sits behind your goAML account holds up to inspection.
After you register
An account is not a compliance programme.
Business risk assessment
A documented view of the money-laundering risk in your customers, products, delivery channels and geographies — the document supervisors ask for first.
Customer screening
Sanctions, PEP and adverse-media screening for every customer and counterparty, powered by LexisNexis data, with a dated record of each check.
Ongoing monitoring
Re-screening as lists change, so a customer who becomes sanctioned or politically exposed after onboarding does not sit unnoticed in your book.
Report preparation
Workflows for recognising reportable activity internally and preparing it in the structure goAML submissions expect.
Record-keeping
Organised, retrievable evidence of the checks you performed on each customer and transaction, held for the period your supervisor expects.
Staff training
Role-based AML training from front-line staff to the compliance officer, with tracked completion you can show an inspector.
FAQs
goAML questions we get asked.
What is goAML?
goAML is the reporting platform used by the UAE Financial Intelligence Unit. Registered businesses use it to receive notices from the FIU and to file the reports their supervisor requires. Registration and guidance material are published by the UAE FIU at uaefiu.gov.ae.
Who has to register on goAML in the UAE?
Financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses and professions — commonly real estate brokers, dealers in precious metals and stones, auditors and corporate service providers — are expected to register. If you are unsure whether your licensed activity falls in scope, we will review your licence with you.
How long does goAML registration take?
The form itself is a single session once your documents and compliance officer details are ready. Approval sits with the authority, so the practical timeline depends on how complete and consistent your submission is. Most delays we see come from mismatched entity details or a personal email address instead of a corporate one.
What documents do I need for goAML registration?
Prepare your trade licence, incorporation or establishment documents, passport and Emirates ID copies for the nominated compliance officer, evidence that the signatory is authorised, and a corporate email address on your company domain. We give you a checklist tailored to your licence before you start.
I registered on goAML but haven't done anything since. Is that a problem?
It is the most common situation we are called into. Supervisors look for a working programme behind the account: a risk assessment, screening records, retrievable files and trained staff. We can put that in place quickly without rebuilding how you work.
Can you handle goAML registration for us?
We work alongside your nominated compliance officer rather than in place of them, since the account must belong to your responsible person. In practice that means we prepare the documents, complete the form with you, verify access, and then build the compliance programme behind it.
Can't the compliance officer log in?
Sign-in problems are usually the registered email address, an unapproved registration, or credentials issued to someone who has since left. We help you work through it with the authority and, where a person has changed, update the registered details properly.
This page describes the services ICG MECOS provides to regulated businesses. It is not legal advice and it does not reproduce or summarise UAE law — always refer to the published requirements of your supervisor and to the UAE Financial Intelligence Unit at uaefiu.gov.ae.
All regulators