In Country Value Certificate (ICV) in Abu Dhabi and the UAE.

Integrate your ICV certificate in Dubai and Abu Dhabi with ZS Chartered Accountants

Whether your company is based in Abu Dhabi, Dubai or a free zone, ZS completes your ICV certificate requirements and ICV audit with one team. We advise on ICV assessment and compliance, then take you through every step of getting the certificate.

What is an ICV certificate?

In-Country Value was introduced by ADNOC in 2018 and is now the National ICV Programme, run by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT). It measures how much of a company's spending, investment and employment stays inside the UAE, and expresses that as a percentage: the ICV score. A certified score is now a standard requirement in ADNOC, Abu Dhabi government, Mubadala, EDGE, Etihad Rail, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation and many semi government procurement processes, and increasingly in the private sector.

The certificate is issued by an approved certifying body, not by ZS or MoIAT directly. Our role is to make sure the figures submitted are complete, correctly classified and supported, and that your company has taken every legitimate step to raise the score before the numbers are locked.

Who needs an ICV certificate in the UAE?

• Suppliers and contractors bidding for ADNOC group companies and their major contractors
• Companies tendering to Abu Dhabi government entities and federal bodies that have adopted the programme
• Subcontractors asked for a certificate by a main contractor who needs to report its own ICV
• Free zone and mainland companies of any size, including SMEs, that want a scored advantage in commercial bids

Companies without a certificate are usually scored at zero for ICV, which is often the difference between winning and losing a technically equal bid.

How the ICV score is calculated (SEP 2025 template)

The score is calculated from your last audited financial statements using the current MoIAT ICV template, published in September 2025. Every company is either a goods manufacturer (it holds a UAE industrial licence) or a service provider (everyone else, including traders and agents).

• Third party spend: each purchase counts at the supplier's own ICV score. Uncertified mainland suppliers are credited at 10%, uncertified free zone and foreign suppliers at zero, while rent, water and electricity count at 80% and UAE government charges at 100%.
• Investment: 10% from the share of your fixed assets held in the UAE, plus up to 15% more as UAE asset net book value rises from AED 5 million to AED 150 million.
• Emiratisation: salaries, benefits and external training of UAE nationals paid through WPS, from 2% for the first AED 200,000 up to 15% at AED 20 million. Qualifying donations of at least AED 120,000 to approved national funds also count.
• Expatriate contribution: scored on the number of expatriate employees on WPS, from 1% to 3% for up to five staff to the full 10% above 200.
• Sustainability bonus: 0.5% for each of four implemented policies (strategy and governance, material circularity, water and wastewater, emissions) and 1% for ISO 14001, 14046 or 50001.

Weightings and bands are set by MoIAT and the certifying body applies them to your audited figures. Use our free ICV calculator for an indicative score, then book a free assessment for an exact figure.

What ZS does for you

1. Free ICV assessment

We review your audited financial statements and supplier ledger and estimate your current score. You leave the first meeting knowing where you stand and what a realistic target looks like.

2. Score improvement plan

Most companies leave points on the table. The fastest wins are usually collecting ICV certificates from existing UAE suppliers, reclassifying local spend that is being recorded as foreign, and capturing training and benefit costs for Emirati staff. We give you a written plan ranked by impact and effort.

3. Template preparation and submission

We complete the MoIAT ICV template, reconcile every figure to the audited accounts and prepare the supporting schedules the certifying body will ask for. This is where most self prepared submissions fail or stall.

4. Certification and renewal

We coordinate with the approved certifying body, answer their queries and stay involved until the certificate is issued. We then diarise your renewal so the certificate never lapses in the middle of a tender.

ICV certification and the right auditor

A smooth ICV certification depends on audited financial statements your certifying body can rely on. Your auditor has to follow international auditing standards, and the accounts must classify local spend, assets and payroll in a way that maps cleanly to the ICV template. ZS prepares audited accounts with ICV in mind, so certification can start as soon as the audit is signed. Manufacturers, traders, service providers and free zone companies across the UAE are all eligible.

How to get an ICV certificate: the official process

1. Register your company on the national ICV platform (icv.moiat.gov.ae) with UAE PASS. Private companies also register as partners in the NAFIS programme.
2. Complete the questionnaire and send your request to MoIAT authorised certifying bodies through the platform.
3. Appoint one certifying body, which uploads a signed engagement letter.
4. Complete the ICV template and draft certificate from your audited financial statements, with the supporting schedules.
5. The certifying body reviews the figures, may carry out a field visit, then signs and approves.
6. The platform issues the system generated certificate. Only this certificate is official, not the completed template.

ICV certifying bodies

As of October 2026, MoIAT's open data directory lists 25 authorised ICV certifying bodies, including the Big Four and a number of mid tier audit firms. ZS is not a certifying body: we prepare your figures, audit the financial statements where we are your auditor, and manage the process with the certifying body you appoint, so the score is not left to chance.

ICV certificate validity and timeline

Most of the elapsed time is spent before the certifying body starts: closing the audit, collecting supplier certificates and reconciling payroll and assets to the template.

What changed in 2025 and 2026

• September 2025 template: benefits paid outside WPS capped at 10% of salaries, Emiratisation donations only from AED 120,000, and every operating cost must be entered in the template.
• Stand-alone accounts: for financial years ending after 31 December 2024, the certified entity's own audited statements are required; carve-outs from consolidated accounts are no longer accepted.
• April 2026: the UAE Cabinet made ICV mandatory for federal entities and companies with a government stake of 25% or more.
• November 2026: ADNOC moves to a single evaluation weighted 70% commercial and 30% ICV.

Why choose ZS for ICV certification in Abu Dhabi

• ICV is our most requested service, and our consultants work with the current MoIAT template every week
• We also perform the external audit, so the financial statements are prepared with ICV in mind
• Office in Mohammed Bin Zayed City, Abu Dhabi, serving clients across Dubai and the Northern Emirates
• Direct access to the consultant, first hour free

Sources: MoIAT National ICV Certification Guidelines for Suppliers (SEP 2025) and template, MoIAT National ICV open data, MoIAT ICV service page, The National (26 April and 25 October 2026). Last reviewed by the ZS team on 29 October 2026.