What Is an ICV Certificate in the UAE? ICV Score Guide

What the UAE ICV certificate is, who needs one and how the In-Country Value score is calculated from spend, investment, Emiratization and bonuses.

If you supply goods or services to UAE government entities or large national companies, sooner or later a tender will ask for your ICV certificate. The In-Country Value (ICV) score is now a standard part of how many buyers compare suppliers, and a higher score can make the difference between winning and losing a contract.

What is ICV?

The National In-Country Value Programme is run by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT). It measures how much of a company's spending and activity stays in the UAE economy: purchases from UAE suppliers, investment in UAE assets, employment of Emiratis and residents, and exports. The result is expressed as a percentage — your ICV score — on a certificate issued by an approved certifying body.

Who needs an ICV certificate?

Any business that wants to bid for contracts with participating government entities and major companies should expect to be asked for one. Many suppliers also keep a current certificate because their own customers use supplier ICV percentages when calculating their own scores.

How the ICV score is calculated

The score is calculated in the official MoIAT ICV template from your audited financial statements. The main building blocks are:

Third-party spend or goods manufactured — the largest component. Service providers report their spend with suppliers and each supplier's location and ICV percentage (Page 3); goods manufacturers report the local content of the goods they make (Page 2).

Investment — the share of the net book value of owned assets located in the UAE, worth up to 10%, plus a progressive top-up for UAE assets above AED 5 million (Page 4).

Emiratization — salaries, benefits, training and eligible donations for Emirati employees, worth up to 15% (Page 5).

Expatriates — a smaller component based on expatriate headcount, salaries and training (Page 6).

ICV bonus — for revenue from exports, Emirati headcount and growth in UAE investment, capped at 5% in total.

Sustainability bonus — for goods manufacturers an advanced technology and sustainability bonus of up to 6%; for service providers up to 3% for sustainability policies and ISO certificates (Page 8).

Why supplier evidence matters so much

Because third-party spend carries the most weight, the certifier checks each significant supplier: its trade licence, location and ICV certificate. A supplier without a valid certificate usually counts only at a default rate, so an expired certificate on a large supplier can lower your score noticeably.

How long is a certificate valid?

Under the guideline, the certificate is valid for 14 months from the issue date of the audited financial statements it is based on. That makes ICV an annual cycle: when the new audited accounts are issued, the next certification should already be in preparation.

How RQM Books helps

RQM Books ICV builds every page of the official MoIAT ICV template (September 2025) from your books — supplier spend by Emirate with each supplier's ICV percentage, WPS payroll, the fixed asset register and export sales — and fills the template for your certifying body. Supplier trade licences and ICV certificates can be uploaded and read automatically, and your certifier gets a secure portal to download everything.

Book a demo to see the ICV pages built from your own data, or read our ICV documents checklist.

This article provides general information about the UAE National In-Country Value (ICV) Programme and is not professional advice. RQM Books is independent software and is not affiliated with MoIAT. Always follow the current MoIAT ICV certification guideline and your certifying body's requirements.