The licensing and respectively the grant of a license and, where applicable, a qualified status to (Q)TSP/(Q)TS will include the requirement of an initial audit to be conducted when applying for the first time for a license (as well as for its renewal) to confirm that Q(TSPs) meet the provisions of the UAE Laws. Those audits will have to be renewed at least every 2 years to confirm the same. Those initial and regular audits must be conducted by auditing bodies (also named Conformity Assessment Bodies – CABs) that are accredited in compliance with these Laws.

The detailed requirements for the accreditation of CABs assessing the conformity of UAE (Q)TSP/(Q)TS with the provision of the UAE Laws provided by means of a TDRA Resolution ” Resolution on the rules and conditions regulating the work of conformity assessment bodies, adopted pursuant to paragraph 4 of Article (4) of Federal Decree-Law No. (46) of 2021 on Electronic Transactions and Trust Services, and pursuant to Article (33) of Federal Executive Regulation No. (28) of 2023”.

The Resolution specifies rules for the resulting Conformity Assessment Report (CAR) to be submitted to the TDRA by the assessed (Q)TSP, whether in the context of a 2-yearly regular audit, an ad hoc audit or an initiation audit.

TDRA will publish and maintain a list of accredited CABs that are authorized to conduct the required audits.

The UAE legal framework for trust services requires Qualified Trust Service Providers (QTSPs) and Trust Service Providers (TSPs), before obtaining a license to offer qualified trust services or trust services, to submit a Conformity Assessment Report (CAR) to TDRA, for each of the intended Qualified Trust Services (QTSs) and Trust Services (TSs), issued by a Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) approved by TDRA.

Once being granted a license, and when applicable a qualified status, (Q)TSP also have to provide a two-yearly CAR issued by such a TDRA-approved CAB. The corresponding assessment and the resulting CAR shall confirming that the (Q)TSP and the (Q)TS it provides continue to fulfil the requirements laid down in the UAE Laws. 

This information is provided by the TDRA in accordance with the Cabinet Resolution No. (28) for 2023 on the Executive Regulations of Federal Law by Decree No. (46) of 2021 on Electronic Transactions and Trust Services and with the Resolution on the rules and conditions regulating the work of conformity assessment bodies resolution , adopted pursuant to paragraph 4 of Article (4) of Federal Decree-Law No. (46) of 2021 on Electronic Transactions and Trust Services, and pursuant to Article (33) of Federal Executive Regulation No. (28) of 2023.

Approval of CABs by TDRA may be requested by means of the following forms.