Do My Invoices Need to Be in Arabic in the UAE?
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No — an English-only tax invoice is fully compliant in the UAE. The list of mandatory particulars for a tax invoice contains no language requirement at all. What does exist is a separate rule: the FTA may require your records to be translated into Arabic, and that translation must be certified.
These two things get merged in most guidance, which is why so many UAE businesses believe Arabic invoices are mandatory. They are not.
This is general guidance, not tax advice. For your situation, check the UAE Federal Tax Authority (FTA) or a qualified tax advisor.
Quick answers
- Do my invoices need to be in Arabic in the UAE?
- No — an English-only tax invoice is fully compliant in the UAE. The list of mandatory particulars for a tax invoice contains no language requirement at all. What does exist is a separate rule: the FTA may require your records to be translated into Arabic, and that translation must be certified.
- Where does the Arabic language rule actually sit?
- The rule sits in the Executive Regulation of the Tax Procedures Law, Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2023. It provides that the FTA may accept data, information, records and documents in English, and may at its discretion instruct a person to translate any or all of them into Arabic.
- Does an Arabic translation have to be certified?
- The translation must be duly certified under the law governing translation in the UAE. Not translated by you, not run through software — certified. It must be submitted within the time limit the FTA sets.
- Why do businesses issue bilingual invoices anyway?
- Many businesses do, for two reasons: it removes the risk of paying for certified translations under an audit deadline, and government entities and large corporates often require bilingual documents from suppliers.
- Is this tax advice?
- No. This is general information about invoice language and Arabic translation requests in the UAE. Confirm your obligations with the Federal Tax Authority or a qualified tax advisor.
Where the confusion comes from
Article 59 of the Executive Regulation sets out everything a full tax invoice must display: the words "Tax Invoice", supplier name, address and TRN, buyer details, line descriptions, VAT rate and amount, totals in AED. Language is not on that list.
So a tax invoice written entirely in English satisfies the invoice rules. So does one in Arabic. So does a bilingual one.
What the actual Arabic rule says
The rule sits in the Executive Regulation of the Tax Procedures Law, Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2023. It provides that the FTA may accept data, information, records and documents in English, and may at its discretion instruct a person to translate any or all of them into Arabic.
It adds two conditions that matter more than the rule itself:
The translation must be duly certified under the law governing translation in the UAE. Not translated by you, not run through software — certified.
It must be submitted within the time limit the FTA sets.
Why that changes the calculation
A translation request does not arrive on a quiet week. It arrives during an audit or a compliance review, applied to a stack of documents, with a deadline attached.
At that point you are paying a certified translator, per document, under time pressure, while the review is already running. The cost is not the translation itself. It is the timing.
A business that has been issuing bilingual invoices all along simply hands over what it already has.
The other reason businesses go bilingual
Beyond the FTA, it is often the customer who asks. Government entities and large UAE corporates frequently require bilingual documents from their suppliers as a matter of procurement policy, not tax law. If you sell business-to-business at any scale, you will meet this eventually.
There is also the plain commercial point: an Arabic-speaking client reading an Arabic invoice disputes it less often.
What "bilingual" should actually mean
A bilingual invoice is not an English invoice with a translated copy attached. Both languages appear on the same document, so a single page is valid evidence in either language.
Done properly it means: the "Tax Invoice" heading, party names, line descriptions and totals present in both languages, Arabic set right-to-left, and the numbers, TRN and AED amounts shared between the two — because they are the same figures, not translations of each other.
Fatura Go issues invoices in English, Arabic, or both side by side on one document, with full right-to-left layout. Switching a client to bilingual is a setting, not a redesign, and the Arabic version carries the same TRN, VAT breakdown and AED totals as the English one.
If you are not VAT registered
The same answer applies, more simply. There is no language requirement on an ordinary commercial invoice either. Bilingual is a commercial choice for you, not a compliance one.
Frequently asked questions
Is an English-only invoice legal in the UAE?
Yes. The mandatory particulars for a tax invoice do not include any language requirement, so an English-only invoice is compliant.
Can the FTA make me provide Arabic documents?
Yes. The Authority may accept records in English and may, at its discretion, require them to be translated into Arabic.
Does the Arabic translation have to be certified?
Yes. It must be duly certified under the UAE law governing translation, and submitted within the time limit the FTA sets.
Should I issue bilingual invoices even though Arabic is not required?
Many businesses do, for two reasons: it removes the risk of paying for certified translations under an audit deadline, and government entities and large corporates often require bilingual documents from suppliers.
Does a bilingual invoice need two separate documents?
No. Both languages belong on the same document, sharing the same TRN, VAT figures and AED totals.