An external audit is an independent examination of your financial statements by an auditor with no operational involvement in the business, resulting in an audit opinion used to satisfy free zone licence renewal, bank covenants, investor requirements, or Corporate Tax obligations above relevant thresholds. We plan and execute the audit efficiently, working around your team's time, and deliver a clear opinion and management letter covering any findings worth your attention.

An independent examination of a company's financial statements by an external auditor, resulting in a formal audit opinion on whether they present fairly in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework.

Who needs it?
Free zone companies with an annual audit requirement for licence renewal, mainland companies needing audited financials for banks or investors, and any entity above Corporate Tax audit thresholds.

- Satisfies free zone, mainland, bank and investor audit requirements

- Independent credibility that self-prepared financials can't provide

- A management letter flagging control or process issues worth fixing

- Efficient fieldwork that minimizes disruption to your team

1. Plan the audit, confirm scope and request the required documentation

2. Perform fieldwork: testing balances, transactions and disclosures

3. Resolve queries and finalize adjustments with your team

4. Issue the audit opinion and management letter

Cost Factor ~ Based on entity size, transaction volume and complexity, number of locations, and quality/readiness of underlying financial records.

Timeline ~ A standard SME external audit typically takes 2–4 weeks from fieldwork start to report issuance.

1. Which UAE free zones require an annual audit?
Most major UAE free zones (including DMCC, JAFZA, DIFC, ADGM and others) require an annual external audit as a condition of trade licence renewal, though specific thresholds and formats vary by authority. We confirm your specific free zone's requirement as part of engagement scoping.

2. What documents do I need to prepare for an external audit?
Auditors typically request the trial balance, bank statements and reconciliations, sales and purchase invoices, contracts, payroll records, and prior-year financials as a starting point, with further requests as fieldwork progresses. Businesses on well-maintained monthly bookkeeping usually move through this stage fastest.

3. What's the difference between an audit opinion and a review?
An audit provides a higher level of assurance through detailed testing and results in a formal opinion, while a review offers limited assurance based on analytical procedures and inquiry, with less testing. Most statutory free zone and bank requirements specifically call for a full audit, not a review.