How We Verify Every Consultant

When you appoint an auditor, tax agent or accountant, the first question is simple: are they allowed to do this work? In the UAE and Saudi Arabia the answer sits in public registers kept by regulators. Most business owners never check them, because they don't know which register applies or where to find it.

We check for you before a firm appears on ISZ Global, and we check again every year. This page sets out exactly what we look at, what we don't, and how to confirm it yourself. If a check can't be completed, the firm isn't listed.

The licence that matches the work

Different work needs a different licence. We match each service a firm lists to the registration that the law requires for it, and we only show the services the firm is registered to provide.

Saudi Arabia, statutory audit: the firm and the signing partner must hold a licence from the Saudi Organization for Chartered and Professional Accountants (SOCPA). Only SOCPA-licensed firms can sign an audit opinion on a Saudi company's financial statements.
UAE, statutory audit: the auditor must be registered with the UAE Ministry of Economy (MoE) auditor register. We check both the firm and the partner who signs.
UAE free zones: most free zone authorities keep their own approved-auditor list and accept audit reports for licence renewal only from firms on it. We record which free zones have approved the firm.
UAE tax representation: anyone who represents you before the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) must be a registered tax agent. We record the tax agent number (TAN) and the tax agency the agent works for.
Saudi tax and zakat: we check the firm's commercial registration and, where it provides zakat and tax services, its registration with the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) as a taxpayer and any professional licence it relies on.
Accounting and bookkeeping: we check the firm's trade licence or commercial registration covers accounting activities in the emirate or city where it operates.

What we check for every firm

Legal identity: the trade licence or commercial registration, its expiry date, and that the legal name matches the name the firm uses with clients.
Registration status: we look the firm up on the regulator's public register ourselves rather than relying on a screenshot or certificate the firm sends us.
The people: the name of the partner or lead adviser who will be responsible for your work, and that their individual registration is current where one is required.
Scope: the services on the profile match what the firm is licensed and registered to do. Anything we can't confirm is removed from the profile.
Contact details: the office address and phone number belong to the firm.

What we don't check

Verification tells you a firm is allowed to do the work. It doesn't tell you the firm is the right fit for your company, and we don't claim it does. To be clear about the limits:

We don't review the quality of a firm's past audits or tax filings. Regulators do that through their own inspection programmes.
We don't guarantee an outcome, a fee or a deadline. Those are agreed between you and the firm in its engagement letter.
We don't rank firms by quality. Where we shortlist, we match on service, location, sector experience and availability.
We don't publish ratings or reviews unless they come from real clients and have been approved.

Re-verification every 12 months

Licences expire and registrations lapse. We repeat every check at least once every 12 months, and sooner if a firm tells us something has changed, a client raises a concern, or a licence on file reaches its expiry date. If a firm doesn't pass re-verification, we take its profile down until it does.

How to check a firm yourself

You don't have to take our word for it. Before you sign an engagement letter, ask the firm for its registration number and the name of the signing partner, then look them up on the regulator's register: SOCPA for Saudi audit firms, the Ministry of Economy for UAE auditors, the FTA's list of registered tax agents for UAE tax representation, and your free zone authority's approved-auditor list. If anything doesn't match, ask the firm to explain before you go further.

Independence statement

Our founder is also a partner in a SOCPA-licensed audit firm in Saudi Arabia. Where that firm is listed on ISZ Global, we disclose it.

Get your free shortlist

Tell us what you need and we'll send 2–3 vetted options within 24 hours. You choose who to appoint.

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Frequently asked questions

Does 'verified' mean ISZ Global recommends the firm?

No. It means we confirmed the firm holds the licences and registrations needed for the services on its profile. Whether it's the right firm for you depends on your sector, size and needs, which is why we suggest two or three options and you choose.

How often do you re-check a listed firm?

At least once every 12 months, and sooner when a licence on file is due to expire or we learn that something has changed.

Can a firm pay to be verified or to skip a check?

No. Every listed firm goes through the same checks. A firm that can't pass them isn't listed, whatever commercial arrangement it may have with us.

What happens if a firm's licence lapses?

We take the profile down until the firm shows a renewed licence and passes the check again. If you were introduced to that firm, we let you know.

Is ISZ Global connected to any listed firm?