The Department of Economic Development, DED, in Dubai, has launched a new service for owners of business licenses to have them renewed automatically through a simple text message, SMS. Introduced in partnership with Etisalat and du, the service allows owners to request license renewal by sending a text message to 6969, after which they will receive a payment voucher, provided all due DED requirements are fulfilled. The license owner can then proceed to pay electronically or manually at the nearest outlet and complete the renewal process.The initiative is part of the strategy and ongoing efforts of DED to facilitate doing business in Dubai and improve the competitiveness ranking of the UAE in the 'Doing Business Report' of the World Bank. The automatic renewal covers 2,096 commercial activities that do not require external approvals, accounting to 99.8% of licenses under various legal forms, except four licenses that require external approval from the Roads and Transport Agency.
