UAE waives patent registration fees for students, People of Determination

Dubai: Student inventors and People of Determination in the UAE can now register and protect their inventions without paying fees for a range of industrial property services, under a new Cabinet resolution that took effect on September 14, 2026.

The Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MOET) said Cabinet Resolution No. 136 of 2026 provides full fee exemptions for 29 industrial property services, covering patent applications, industrial designs, utility certificates and other procedures related to protecting inventions.

The exemptions are aimed at reducing the cost of registering innovations and helping students and People of Determination protect their inventions, research projects and intellectual property rights.

Which fees have been waived?

Under the resolution, both student inventors and People of Determination are exempt from fees for 11 services, which previously cost between Dh100 and Dh1,000.

These include:

• Patent and industrial design registration applications.

• Applications to register integrated circuit layouts and utility certificates.

• First substantive examination and re-examination of utility certificates.

• Publication of registration.

• Annual industrial property protection fees for the second, third, fourth and fifth years.

People of Determination also qualify for exemptions covering nine additional services, with existing fees ranging from Dh1,000 to Dh9,000.

Student inventors receive exemptions for another nine services, previously costing between Dh500 and Dh4,500.

The Ministry said the changes would make it easier for eligible applicants to protect their research and inventions and develop them into industrial property assets with potential commercial value.

Better IP protection

Dr. Abdulrahman Hassan Al Muaini, Assistant Undersecretary for the Intellectual Property Sector at the Ministry, said the resolution supports the UAE's efforts to make intellectual property protection more accessible to inventors.

“The Cabinet resolution affirms the UAE’s vision of fostering creativity and innovation by supporting student inventors and People of Determination, enabling them to register their innovations with ease and protect their rights. This enhances their participation in the national intellectual property ecosystem, facilitates their access to its services, and enables them to benefit from its enablers, thereby contributing to consolidating the UAE’s position as a global hub for creativity and the new economy,” he said.

Al Muaini said the Ministry was also improving digital services for patents, industrial designs and utility certificates to make registration procedures faster and easier for applicants.

The measures form part of broader efforts to strengthen the UAE's intellectual property framework, including legislation governing industrial property rights and international cooperation through agreements such as the Locarno Agreement on the classification of industrial designs.

Patent applications rise

The announcement comes as the UAE continues to record growth in applications to protect inventions and industrial designs.

According to the Ministry, patent applications increased by 9 per cent in the first half of 2026 compared with the corresponding period last year. The UAE received approximately 4,361 patent applications during 2025.

Applications for utility certificates, which provide protection for certain technical inventions, rose 21.43 per cent during the first six months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.

The Ministry said the total number of registered applications for patents, utility certificates and industrial designs in the UAE had reached 22,184.

The new fee exemptions form part of the Ministry's efforts to encourage more students and People of Determination to formally protect their inventions and participate in the country's innovation ecosystem.