SKM International is a JAFZA approved auditor. We prepare IFRS-compliant audited financial statements for Jebel Ali Free Zone companies — Free Zone Establishments (FZE), Free Zone Companies (FZCO) and branches — and support submission to JAFZA, delivered by a Big Four-experienced team that has audited UAE free-zone companies since 2006.
Every JAFZA company must file audited financial statements each year. The audit can only be signed by a firm on the JAFZA approved auditors list — SKM is an approved JAFZA auditor.
The Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) is one of the world's largest and oldest free zones, home to thousands of companies across trading, logistics, manufacturing and services. Under the JAFZA Implementing Regulations, every registered entity must prepare annual financial statements and have them audited by an auditor on the JAFZA approved auditors list (Implementing Regulations No. 1/99, clause 51). A report signed by a firm that is not on the approved list will not be accepted by the Authority — one of the most common reasons JAFZA submissions are rejected.
SKM International is a JAFZA approved auditor, authorised to audit and sign off the accounts of Jebel Ali Free Zone companies. Our practice is led by Managing Partner CA Sushil Malhotra (FCA, CIA-USA, CISI-UK), with Big Four experience at KPMG and Deloitte in Dubai and Ernst & Young in Saudi Arabia. We prepare your audited financial statements to IFRS, conducted to International Standards on Auditing (ISA), in the format JAFZA requires — and support your submission to the Authority so your filing is accepted without queries and your trade-licence renewal stays on track.
JAFZA audits follow a clear cycle: the directors approve the annual accounts and at least one director signs the balance sheet (Implementing Regulations clause 49), then the audited statements are submitted to JAFZA — generally within three months of the financial year-end. There is no exemption based on size, turnover or activity — every FZE, FZCO and branch must file, and even a dormant single-shareholder company is expected to submit. We handle the full audit cycle for trading companies, single-owner FZEs, FZCOs and branch structures — and we flag the current year's deadline to you in writing the moment we are engaged.
The core obligations under the JAFZA Implementing Regulations. Get any one of these wrong and your trade-licence renewal is held up.
Always confirm any firm is approved before you engage them. Here is how to check ours — and publicly circulating PDF lists are often out of date, so verify the current source.
The JAFZA approved auditors list is maintained by the Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority. Only firms on this list may sign off a JAFZA company's accounts and submit them to the Authority. You can confirm any firm with JAFZA directly; SKM International is a JAFZA approved auditor, listed under the details below.
Choosing a JAFZA approved auditor rather than browsing a list of dozens? Speak to us first — we'll confirm your audit scope and the current deadline, and quote a fixed fee based on your turnover and transaction volume, so you deal with one approved firm from engagement to submission.
JAFZA audit fees depend on your turnover and transaction volume — so we quote a fixed fee upfront, with no surprises. Send your trade licence and last year's accounts and we'll come back with a clear price and timeline, usually the same business day. No obligation.
Having these ready before fieldwork begins is the single biggest factor in a fast, query-free JAFZA audit. We'll send a tailored checklist when you engage us.
What separates SKM from a generic Dubai audit firm — the JAFZA approval, the credentials, and the team behind every engagement.
Four phases, mapped to the JAFZA filing cycle. Clear deliverables at each step.
There is no flat price for a JAFZA audit — and any firm quoting one before seeing your accounts is guessing. What we promise instead is a fixed fee, agreed in writing up front, with no surprises later.
Your JAFZA audit fee is driven by the size and complexity of your business, not a fixed rate card. The main factors are your annual turnover, the number and type of transactions, whether you are part of a group with intercompany or related-party balances, and the state of your accounting records when the audit begins. A clean, well-kept set of books audits faster — and costs less — than records that need rebuilding first.
Rather than publish a misleading "from" price, we look at your trade licence and last year's accounts and come back with a clear, fixed quote and a timeline — usually the same business day. That fee is what you pay: there are no hourly top-ups, no surprise add-ons at submission, and no obligation to proceed. One approved firm, one transparent price, from engagement through to your JAFZA filing.
The questions JAFZA companies ask most before engaging an approved auditor. Need something specific? Speak to our team.
Only an auditor on the JAFZA approved auditors list can sign and submit an audit report to the Authority. JAFZA's Implementing Regulations (No. 1/99, clause 51) require every registered entity to appoint an independent auditor from this approved list. A firm that is not on the list will have its submission rejected, regardless of its other qualifications — which is why confirming approval before you engage a firm matters.
Yes. Every entity licensed under JAFZA — Free Zone Establishments (FZE), Free Zone Companies (FZCO) and branches — must prepare audited financial statements each year. There is no exemption based on size, turnover or activity, and even a dormant single-shareholder company is generally expected to file. The audited accounts also support your trade-licence renewal and your corporate tax position.
Yes. SKM International is a JAFZA approved auditor, authorised to conduct statutory audits for Jebel Ali Free Zone companies and to support submission to the Authority. We have audited UAE free-zone companies since 2006, and our practice is led by Big Four-experienced partners. You can confirm any firm's approval status with JAFZA directly before engaging them.
Audited financial statements are generally submitted to JAFZA within three months of the financial year-end. For a company with a December year-end, that typically means an end-of-March submission. Extensions can sometimes be requested but are not granted automatically, so we recommend starting your audit 8–10 weeks before the deadline to allow time for director approval and submission.
Financial statements must be prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and the audit is conducted to International Standards on Auditing (ISA). The audit confirms whether the accounts give a true and fair view of the company's financial position and comply with the relevant JAFZA regulations.
Late or missing submissions can hold up your trade-licence renewal and may lead to penalties. Because your corporate tax return is built on the audited accounts, a late audit can also delay your tax filing — so the two are best coordinated together. We manage the timeline and submission with you to avoid this.
Yes — and they are closely connected. Your corporate tax return is built directly on the audited financial statements, so handling both with one team avoids mismatches and duplicated work. A clean audit also supports your Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP) position. SKM prepares your JAFZA audit and supports your corporate tax and VAT compliance as one coordinated engagement.
JAFZA audit fees depend on the size and complexity of your company's financials — turnover, number of transactions, group structure and the state of your records all matter. We provide a tailored, transparent fixed-fee proposal up front, with no surprises. Send us your trade licence and last year's accounts for a quote.
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