How to Register a .ae Domain in the UAE (2026 Guide)

The .ae domain is managed by the .aeDA (.ae Domain Administration), part of the UAE's Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA). You don't register with the .aeDA directly: you go through one of its accredited registrars or their resellers. Technically you receive a licence to use the name for the registration period, rather than owning it outright, so renewing on time matters.

For a plain yourname.ae, no. That zone is open to individuals and companies anywhere in the world on a first-come, first-served basis. The category zones are different:

• .co.ae is for commercial entities: you need a valid UAE trade licence or a registered UAE trademark, and the domain must match your company name, trading name, or trademark.
• .net.ae requires a UAE trade licence that covers IT or network services.
• .org.ae, .sch.ae, .ac.ae, .gov.ae, and .mil.ae are reserved for non-profits, schools, academic institutions, government, and the military, with documents to prove it.

• Check the name is available using an accredited registrar's search or the .aeDA public WHOIS.
• Choose an .aeDA-accredited registrar or reseller.
• Pick the zone: .ae for most businesses, or .co.ae if you have the trade licence and want it.
• Enter accurate registrant details, and upload your licence or trademark if the zone requires it. The .aeDA can revoke a domain registered with false information, without a refund.
• Pay for one to five years.
• Point the domain to your website hosting and set up email.

Registrars set their own prices, and a .ae typically costs around USD 25–40 a year, roughly AED 90–150. Watch for first-year promotions that renew at a higher price, and for bundles with hosting or web design: the TDRA requires registrars to state the domain cost clearly within a bundle, so ask for it.

If most of your customers are in the UAE, a .ae tells both customers and Google that the business is local, which can help in UAE search results. If you sell internationally, a .com is usually the safer main domain. Many businesses register both and redirect one to the other, which also stops anyone else taking the name. Either way, the domain alone won't make a site rank: speed, content, and relevance matter far more.

WHOIS privacy isn't available for .ae, so your registrant details can appear in the public WHOIS. Keep those details current, especially when your trade licence is renewed or your company name changes, so you don't miss renewal notices. There is also an Arabic-script UAE domain, امارات, managed by the same authority.