This is a regulated transfer, not a favour. The UAE rules say the operator has to allow it once five conditions are met. Here is what each one means in practice, for the person giving up the number and the person taking it.
Can you put an Etisalat number in another person's name? Yes. Under the UAE regulator's mobile registration policy, operators shall consent to and allow the transfer of a mobile subscription contract from one consumer to another once five conditions are satisfied: the current holder requests it and the person receiving it consents, both in writing; the request is made during the subscription period; the person receiving the number completes registration in their own name; the policy's other obligations are met; and the operator's own transfer rules are met.
Two situations bring people here. Someone is leaving the UAE and wants a number to stay in the family rather than die with their visa. Or someone has bought a number and needs it moved properly into their own name rather than left sitting on a stranger's Emirates ID. Both are ordinary transactions, and the rules for them are written down.
The regulator's policy does not say operators may allow a transfer. It says they shall consent to and allow it, provided all of the following are true.
| Condition | What it means when you are standing at the counter |
|---|---|
| Request from the current holder, consent from the new holder, in writing | Both people have to participate. The person receiving the number cannot do this alone, and neither can the person giving it up. Verbal agreement is not enough, the policy specifies writing. |
| Made during the subscription period | The contract has to still be alive. A line that has already been deactivated is not a contract you can hand to anyone. |
| The new holder is successfully registered | They go through the same registration any new subscriber does, in their own name, with their own identity document. |
| The policy's other obligations are satisfied | Chiefly that the registration information is genuine and verifiable. False information is grounds for immediate suspension or deactivation. |
| The operator's own transfer rules are satisfied | This is the layer the regulator leaves to e&: outstanding bills, any commitment still running on the plan, and its own paperwork. Settle the account before you start. |
Exactly what a new subscriber needs, because that is what they are becoming. Original Emirates ID, plus one supporting document from the accepted list. For non nationals the registration is tied to the residence visa, and its expiry date follows the visa or the passport, whichever comes sooner. The full document list, including the routes for people under the AED 2,500 salary line, applies here without change.
These get confused constantly, and they are different transactions with different rules.
| Ownership transfer | Porting | |
|---|---|---|
| What moves | The name on the contract | The network the number sits on |
| Who ends up holding it | A different person | The same person |
| Operator | Stays e& | Changes, for example du to e& |
| Number | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Needs the other party present | Yes, both sides | No |
If what you actually want is to keep your own number but change how you are billed, that is a third thing again, and it is covered in switching a prepaid line to postpaid.
A transfer has to happen during the subscription period. People leaving the UAE often let the line lapse first, fly out, and try to arrange the transfer afterwards. By then the registration has expired, the line has been suspended, and three months after that suspension the operator is entitled to deactivate it and reuse the number. At that point there is no contract left to transfer to anyone. If a number matters to you, move it while it is still live. The suspension and deactivation timeline is here.
A premium number changing hands is this same transfer, with money attached. Two things protect you as the buyer. First, insist the transfer completes into your own name rather than accepting an arrangement where the line stays registered to the seller. A number registered to someone else is a number you can lose without warning. Second, check the account is clear before you pay, because the operator's own rules on outstanding balances sit on top of the regulator's five conditions.
If you are the one selling, you can list the number here. If you are buying, the available premium numbers are here and every one of them comes to you registered in your own name from the start, which removes this problem entirely.
We handle the paperwork side of this for numbers bought through us, and we can tell you in one message whether the transfer you are contemplating is straightforward or has a commitment problem sitting inside it.
The registration, suspension, deactivation and contract transfer rules described on this page are set out in the UAE Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority's Regulatory Policy, Registration Requirements for Mobile Consumers, version 1.0, issued 27 September 2011, which is the version published on tdra.gov.ae as checked on 8 August 2026. The policy states that the Authority may amend its provisions, and operators apply their own procedures on top of it, so confirm the current position with e& or the Authority before you act on anything time critical. Plan prices are the authorized dealer prices offered by uaepremiumnumbers.com, monthly, before 5 percent VAT.
Yes. The UAE regulator's mobile registration policy states that operators shall consent to and allow the transfer of a mobile subscription contract from one consumer to another, provided the current holder requests it and the new holder consents in writing, the request is made during the subscription period, the new holder completes registration, and the operator's own transfer rules are satisfied.
In practice yes. The policy requires a request from the current holder and consent from the new holder, both in writing, so both sides have to participate. The person receiving the number also has to complete registration in their own name.
The same as any new subscriber: original Emirates ID plus one supporting document from the accepted list. For residents who are not UAE or GCC nationals, the registration expiry follows the residence visa or the passport, whichever comes sooner.
No. Ownership transfer changes the name on the contract while the number stays on the same network. Porting moves the number to a different operator while the same person keeps it. They are separate transactions with separate rules.
No. The policy requires the transfer request to be made during the subscription period. Once a line has been deactivated there is no contract left to transfer, and the operator is entitled to reuse the number.
It can. The regulator leaves the operator's own transfer rules in place as a condition, and those cover outstanding balances and any commitment still running on the plan. Settle the account before starting.
The regulator prohibits operators from imposing new or additional charges for registration or registration renewal. Charges attached to the wider transfer process are the operator's own, so confirm them with e& before you begin.
The operator has to notify the outcome of a registration and service activation within 48 hours. Ask for confirmation rather than assuming, and if the number matters to you, verify it is showing under the new holder's identity afterwards.
Send one WhatsApp message with what you are trying to do. We will tell you whether it is a clean transfer or whether there is a commitment or balance in the way, before you spend a morning at a business centre.