What can I do if my partner refuses to sign our trade licence renewal in Dubai?

There may be a route that does not need his signature at all — check who the licensed manager is first. A Dubai licence renewal is often processed under the authority of the company's registered manager rather than requiring fresh signatures from every shareholder, and your memorandum of association may give the manager power to handle routine government transactions. Read the MOA and any powers of attorney before assuming deadlock. If the renewal genuinely requires his consent and he will not give it, send a formal written demand to sign, noting the expiry date, the bank's concern and the fines that will accrue — this creates a record that the harm flows from his refusal. After that, the court is the realistic lever: UAE courts can resolve fifty-fifty partner deadlock, order steps to preserve the company, hold an obstructive partner liable for losses his refusal causes, and ultimately order dissolution if the relationship is truly finished. Mediation is faster and cheaper if any working relationship remains. Given the licence expires soon, move now rather than after the fines begin. It is worth having a UAE corporate disputes lawyer read your MOA this week, before the deadline does the deciding for you.