UAE Waives Industrial Property Fees for Student Inventors and People of Determination
The UAE has introduced full fee exemptions for selected industrial property services to make it easier for student inventors and People of Determination to protect their innovations. Under Cabinet Resolution No. 136 of 2026, eligible applicants can access specified services relating to patents, industrial designs, utility certificates and integrated circuit layouts without paying the usual registration and associated service fees.
Issued on 24 July 2026, the Resolution was published in August and came into effect on 14 September 2026. The Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MOET) subsequently outlined its scope on 11 October, confirming that the measure provides exemptions across 29 industrial property services.
The initiative forms part of the UAE’s wider efforts to strengthen its innovation and intellectual property framework. Its practical significance is that it reduces some of the financial barriers faced by students and inventors with disabilities when seeking formal protection for their inventions and research. However, the exemption concerns specified service fees and does not remove the legal requirements for obtaining industrial property protection.
What Does Cabinet Resolution No. 136 of 2026 Cover?
The Resolution provides full exemptions across 29 specified industrial property services offered by MOET. Of these, 11 services are available to both student inventors and People of Determination. They include:
- Applications for patent and industrial design registration.
- Applications for integrated circuit layout designs and utility certificates.
- First substantive examination and re-examination of utility certificates.
- Publication of registration.
- Annual protection fees for the second, third, fourth and fifth years.
The original fees for these shared services range from AED 100 to AED 1,000. In addition, each category receives exemptions for nine further designated services. The original fees for these additional services range from AED 1,000 to AED 9,000 for People of Determination and AED 500 to AED 4,500 for student inventors.
This means that each beneficiary category can access exemptions covering 20 services, comprising the 11 shared services and nine additional services specific to that category. The 29 figure refers to the overall number of distinct services covered by the Resolution.
The fee reductions extend beyond the initial filing stage. By covering specified examination, publication and annual protection fees, the measure also reduces some of the costs associated with securing and maintaining industrial property rights after an application has been submitted.
How Does This Fit Within the UAE’s Industrial Property Law?
The fee exemption operates within the framework established by Federal Law No. 11 of 2021 on the Regulation and Protection of Industrial Property Rights. The legislation governs patents, utility certificates, industrial designs, integrated circuit layouts and undisclosed information, and establishes the requirements for obtaining protection in the UAE.
For patents, Article 5 requires an invention to be new, involve an inventive step and be capable of industrial application. A technical idea must therefore satisfy the statutory standards before it can receive patent protection. Article 6 separately provides for utility certificates for qualifying new inventions that do not meet the inventive-step requirement for a patent.
Industrial designs are subject to their own requirements. Article 40 provides that an industrial design does not receive protection under the law unless it is entered in the relevant register, while Article 43 requires the design to be novel.
Cabinet Resolution No. 136 of 2026 does not change these substantive conditions. An applicant who qualifies for a fee exemption must still submit the necessary documents and undergo the applicable examination and registration process. The waiver removes specified financial charges, not the standards that determine whether an invention or design qualifies for protection.
It is also important to distinguish industrial property from intellectual property protection generally. The Resolution does not establish a blanket exemption for every form of IP registration, including trade marks and copyright. Its benefits are confined to the designated industrial property services.
What Does This Mean for Universities, Research Institutions and Individual Inventors?
The measure has practical implications beyond individual applicants. Universities, research institutions and innovation incubators can use the exemptions to encourage students to consider intellectual property protection when developing research projects, prototypes and technical solutions.
For student inventors, the reduction in filing and examination costs may make formal protection more accessible, particularly where an invention is still at an early stage of development and has not yet attracted commercial investment.
People of Determination also receive additional fee exemptions beyond the services shared with student inventors. This provides targeted financial support for accessing the industrial property registration system and protecting innovations that may otherwise face cost-related barriers.
Universities and incubators should therefore consider incorporating basic IP guidance into their innovation programmes. Inventors should understand the differences between patents, utility certificates and industrial designs, identify the appropriate form of protection and consider filing requirements before publicly disclosing or commercialising their work. The timing of disclosure can be particularly relevant to patent novelty under the 2021 legislation.
Applicants should also confirm their eligibility and the specific services covered by the exemption through MOET’s official industrial property services. The Ministry’s announcement identifies the beneficiary categories and service exemptions, but the applicable application requirements still need to be satisfied.
Looking Ahead
Cabinet Resolution No. 136 of 2026 represents a targeted effort to make industrial property protection more accessible to two groups within the UAE’s innovation ecosystem.
By removing fees for 29 designated services, the measure reduces both initial and certain continuing costs associated with patent, design and related registrations. It also creates an opportunity for universities, research institutions and incubators to encourage earlier consideration of intellectual property protection among student innovators.
For applicants, however, the central distinction remains that free registration services do not mean automatic protection. Inventions and designs must continue to satisfy the requirements of Federal Law No. 11 of 2021, and applicants must complete the relevant examination and registration procedures.
The longer-term value of the exemption will depend on whether eligible inventors are able to translate their ideas and research into formally protected rights that can support further development, investment and commercialisation.
References
Legislation
Cabinet Resolution No. 136 of 2026 Concerning the Exemption of Student Inventors and People of Determination from Certain Industrial Property Service Fees at the Ministry of Economy and Tourism, issued 24 July 2026, effective 14 September 2026.
Federal Law No. 11 of 2021 on the Regulation and Protection of Industrial Property Rights https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1506 accessed 31 October 2026.
Official sources
Ministry of Economy and Tourism, ‘Ministry of Economy and Tourism Reviews Cabinet Resolution No. 136 of 2026 Exempting Student Inventors and People of Determination from Certain Industrial Property Service Fees’ (11 October 2026) https://www.moet.gov.ae/en/-/ministry-of-economy-and-tourism-reviews-cabinet-resolution-no.-136-of-2026-exempting-student-inventors-and-people-of-determination-from-certain-industrial-property-service-fees accessed 31 October 2026.
UAE Government, ‘Intellectual Property’ https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/business/intellectual-property accessed 31 October 2026.
News reports
‘UAE Student Inventors and People with Disabilities to Be Offered Free IP Registration Under New Rules’ The National (11 October 2026) https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2026/10/11/uae-student-inventors-and-people-with-disabilities-to-be-offered-free-ip-registration-under-new-rules/ accessed 31 October 2026.
Justin Varghese, ‘UAE Waives Patent Registration Fees for Students, People of Determination’ Gulf News (11 October 2026) https://gulfnews.com/business/tourism/uae-waives-patent-registration-fees-for-students-people-of-determination-1.500706343 accessed 31 October 2026.
Waheed Abbas, ‘Free Patent and Design Registration for UAE Student Inventors, People of Determination’ Khaleej Times (11 October 2026) https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/free-patent-and-design-registration-for-uae-student-inventors-people-of-determination accessed 31 October 2026.
Emirates News Agency (WAM), ‘Ministry of Economy and Tourism Reviews Resolution Exempting Student Inventors, People of Determination from Certain Industrial Property Service Fees’ (11 October 2026) https://www.wam.ae/en/article/c2otsn7-ministry-economy-and-tourism-reviews-resolution accessed 31 October 2026.
FAQs
The Resolution includes student inventors within its eligible categories, but the fact that an invention was developed as part of a university project does not, by itself, establish eligibility. The applicant must satisfy the Ministry’s requirements for the student category and the particular industrial property service. Questions concerning ownership of an invention developed through university research should also be considered separately, particularly where institutional resources, supervision or research agreements are involved.
No. The exemption concerns the fees for specified services, not the substantive requirements for patent protection. Under Article 5 of Federal Law No. 11 of 2021, an invention must be new, involve an inventive step and be capable of industrial application. The application remains subject to the relevant examination and approval procedures.
No. Cabinet Resolution No. 136 of 2026 concerns specified industrial property services provided by the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism. It does not automatically waive application or registration fees in other jurisdictions. An inventor seeking international protection must consider the applicable national or international filing routes and the fees imposed by the relevant intellectual property offices.
