Penalty exposure removed
Administrative penalties for AML failures are substantial and escalate for repeat findings. A complete framework is the defence.
goAML & AML Compliance Services
We handle the goAML registration UAE regulators require, plus the policy, risk assessment and training framework regulated businesses must maintain — and that inspections actually test.
goAML registrationWritten policy & proceduresRisk assessmentTraining records maintained
goAML registration UAE is the easy part. Inspections test the other four things.
Most businesses that come to us have done exactly one thing: registered on goAML because a licensing authority chased them. Registration alone satisfies almost nothing.
What an inspection actually asks for is a written AML policy tailored to your business, a documented enterprise risk assessment, evidence that customer due diligence is genuinely performed and recorded, a named compliance officer, and training records showing your staff were trained and understood it.
A downloaded template with your company name pasted into it fails on the first question, because the inspector asks how the policy applies to a transaction in your own records. We write the framework around what your business actually does — and we keep the ESR and UBO obligations in scope at the same time, because the businesses that miss one usually miss all three.
- goAML platform registration and ongoing account maintenance.
- AML policy and procedures written for your specific activity.
- Enterprise-wide risk assessment, documented and reviewable.
- Staff training delivered with the attendance records inspections require.
What the framework includes
- goAML registration
- AML policy & procedures manual
- Enterprise risk assessment
- CDD and EDD procedures
- KYC documentation templates
- Compliance officer appointment
- Staff training and records
- ESR notifications and UBO register
The upside
Why this matters beyond avoiding a fine
AML compliance has become a condition of doing business, not just a regulatory box.
Banks ask to see it
Compliance teams increasingly request your AML policy during account opening and periodic review. Not having one is a red flag.
Licence renewal protected
Licensing authorities can restrict renewal where AML obligations are outstanding — usually discovered at the worst moment.
Staff who know what to do
Training is not a formality. Your team needs to recognise a suspicious transaction and know the internal escalation route.
Counterparty confidence
Larger clients and international partners increasingly conduct their own due diligence on you before contracting.
Kept current, not filed once
The risk assessment and policy need periodic review. We diarise it rather than leaving it to become stale.
How we deliver
How we build your AML framework
Scope first — plenty of businesses are in scope without realising, and a few think they are when they are not.
01
Scope assessment
We determine whether you are a designated non-financial business or profession based on the activity you actually perform, not the wording on your licence.
02
Registration & appointment
goAML platform registration completed and a compliance officer formally appointed and recorded.
03
Policy & risk assessment
A written AML policy and enterprise risk assessment produced for your business, with CDD and EDD procedures your team can actually follow.
04
Training & maintenance
Staff trained with attendance recorded, then periodic review so the framework does not go stale between inspections.
Realistic timeline
Getting compliant
From a standing start, most businesses are fully documented within a month.
What slows AML remediation
Access to customer files. The risk assessment has to reflect your real client base, which means we need to see a representative sample. Businesses that send it in week one are documented in a month.
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Scope and gap analysis
We establish whether you are in scope and what already exists, if anything.
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goAML registration
Platform registration completed and the compliance officer formally appointed.
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Policy and risk assessment
Written framework produced and reviewed with you, so you can answer questions about your own document.
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Procedures and templates
CDD, EDD and KYC procedures implemented with usable templates for your team.
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Staff training
Training delivered and attendance recorded — the evidence an inspection asks for.
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Review and refresh
Risk assessment revisited, policy updated, and training repeated.
Investment
AML compliance fees
A one-off framework build, then a light annual maintenance retainer.
Registration Only
From AED 2,500
goAML registration where you already have a framework in place.
- goAML platform registration
- Entity documentation submission
- Compliance officer appointment
- Portal access handover
- Filing calendar
Full Framework
From AED 9,500
Everything an inspection asks to see, built from scratch.
- goAML registration
- AML policy and procedures manual
- Enterprise risk assessment
- CDD, EDD and KYC templates
- Staff training with records
Managed Compliance
Custom
Framework plus ongoing support and periodic review.
- Everything in Full Framework
- Annual risk assessment refresh
- Refresher training
- ESR and UBO filings
- Inspection support
Where an AML notice has already been issued or an inspection is scheduled, tell us at the outset — the work is prioritised differently. Ranges are indicative and are not a binding offer.
Before you start
What we need from you
The framework has to reflect your real business, so this is a genuine information exercise.
Requirements & eligibility
- A valid UAE trade licence showing your activity.
- Classification as a designated non-financial business or profession, which we confirm.
- A named individual who can serve as compliance officer.
- Access to a representative sample of your customer files.
- An understanding of your typical transaction sizes and payment routes.
- Details of any jurisdictions you deal with outside the UAE.
Documents you will need
- Trade licence, MOA and ownership structure.
- Emirates ID and passport of the proposed compliance officer.
- A description of your customer types and onboarding process.
- Sample customer files, redacted if you prefer.
- Existing AML policy or procedures, if any exist.
- Any AML correspondence received from a regulator or licensing authority.
- Staff list for training scope.
Why AONE BIZ
Why AONE BIZ for AML
We are a regulated firm ourselves, with our own AML obligations. This is not theory to us.
Written for your business
A policy that describes what you actually do, so you can answer an inspector's question about your own document.
Evidence, not paperwork
The framework produces the records an inspection asks for — training attendance, risk assessment, CDD files.
Training your team retains
Delivered around your real transaction types rather than generic slides about international money laundering.
ESR and UBO caught too
These obligations are missed by the same businesses, usually together. We scope all three at once.
Auditor perspective
As licensed auditors we know what regulators and banks read for, because we are on the receiving end of the same scrutiny.
Kept alive
Annual refresh diarised so the framework is current when it is tested, not three years old.
The basics
What goAML is, and who must register
Three government systems, one registration — and the point at which you are actually registered.
goAML is the reporting platform operated by the UAE Financial Intelligence Unit. Regulated businesses register on it, and it is the channel through which suspicious transaction reports are filed.
Registration runs across three separate government systems — the Ministry of Economy SACM platform, EmaraTax, and the goAML portal itself. That sequence is why registrations so often stall halfway: a business completes one stage, assumes it is done, and finds out otherwise during an inspection or when a bank asks for evidence.
You are registered when you can log in and file a report. Not before.
Who has to register
Every DNFBP — real estate brokers, dealers in precious metals and stones, auditors and accountants, lawyers and notaries, and corporate service providers. The last category is broader than most assume: forming companies for clients or providing a registered address puts you in scope regardless of what you call yourself. Our guide am I a DNFBP works through the test.
Failure to register starts at AED 50,000, and administrative fines run to AED 1,000,000 per violation. In practice banks act first — an unregistered DNFBP is a flagged counterparty, and accounts get frozen pending evidence of compliance.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers, with the caveats that actually matter.
The designated non-financial business and profession categories cover real estate brokers and agents, dealers in precious metals and stones, auditors and accountants, corporate service providers, and certain other activities. What matters is the activity you actually perform, not the wording on your licence — which is why several businesses in scope believe they are not.
No. Registration is one obligation. An inspection also expects a written AML policy, a documented enterprise risk assessment, evidence of customer due diligence, an appointed compliance officer and training records. Most businesses that have registered have none of the other four.
You can, but it tends to fail at the first question — an inspector asks how your policy applies to a specific transaction in your own records, and a generic document cannot answer that. The policy needs to describe your actual customers, transaction types and risk exposure.
Administrative penalties for AML failures are substantial, apply per failure, and escalate for repeat findings. Licensing authorities can also restrict renewal. The remediation cost is a small fraction of the exposure.
A named individual with sufficient seniority and authority to act, who is accessible to the regulator. In smaller businesses this is often a director. The appointment must be formally recorded, and the person must actually be trained for the role.
Where you form a suspicion that funds relate to a crime, you are required to file a report through the goAML platform, within defined timeframes and without tipping off the customer. Part of what training covers is recognising when that threshold is reached and following the internal escalation route.
Keep exploring
Related services
Most clients pair this service with one or more of the following.
ICV Certification
Compliance and certification are usually pursued by the same businesses chasing the same contracts.
Audit & Assurance
Auditors are themselves a designated profession, and we build to the standard we are held to.
VAT Services
ESR, UBO and VAT obligations are frequently outstanding together.
Received an AML notice?
Tell us what was asked for and by when. We will tell you what is genuinely required and how quickly it can be produced.
Talk to us
Start with a free, no-obligation consultation
Send us your trade licence and a short description of what your business actually does. We will confirm whether AML obligations apply and what is outstanding.
- One business hour response during working days.
- Fixed, itemised quotations — government fees shown separately from our fee.
- One named consultant from first call through to licence, visa and first filing.
- No obligation. If the UAE is not right for you yet, we will say so.
Request your free consultation
Takes under a minute. No obligation, no sales script.