Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this activity cover?
It covers authenticating, valuing, and auctioning genuine artefacts and antiques, including researching provenance, cataloguing lots, and selling to collectors and dealers.
Who are the typical clients?
Collectors buying and selling, estates and families realising a collection, and dealers sourcing stock, in the UAE and worldwide.
Does this include authentication?
Yes. Authenticating genuine pieces, valuing them, and researching provenance are central to this activity, alongside cataloguing and auctioning them.
How is this different from a general auction hall?
This is a specialist house for authentic artefacts and antiques, with authentication and provenance at its core. A general auction hall sells all kinds of goods.
Is this the same as a fixed-price antiques shop?
No. Selling antiques at a fixed price in a shop or gallery is a separate activity. This activity sells authenticated antiques by auction.
How to Start an Authentic Artefacts & Antiques Auction House with Meydan Free Zone
An antique worth a fortune is only worth it if it is real. A collector buying a rare artefact wants proof of what it is and where it came from. An authentic artefacts and antiques auction house provides that: the expertise to authenticate and value a piece, and the saleroom to sell it to the right buyer.
The market for art and antiques is large, global, and built on authenticity. Global art and antiques sales reached an estimated USD 57.5 billion in 2024, according to The Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report1.
The trade is genuinely cross-border, with global art and antiques imports reaching around USD 33 billion, according to Art Basel and UBS2.
For a specialist auction house, that is a worldwide pool of buyers and sellers, all of whom need a trusted name to authenticate, value, and sell the rarest pieces.
Authentic artefacts and antiques trade in a large, global market where authenticity and provenance set the price. A specialist auction house is built on the trust to verify and sell the rarest pieces. The headline number is the size of the global art and antiques market.
Sources: Art Basel & UBS (2025); Art Basel & UBS (2024).
Picture a specialist saleroom preparing an antiques auction. An expert examines an incoming piece, authenticates it, and traces its provenance. A cataloguer photographs it and writes the lot description with its estimate.
Collectors and dealers register from around the world to bid in the room and online. On sale day, the auctioneer takes the lot up to its hammer price. The house earns a commission on each sale, so the work turns on expertise and reputation.
In a market where authenticity sets the price, the houses that win are the ones whose word on a piece can be trusted.
Whether it is a rare antique, an authenticated artefact, or a fine work of art, a specialist auction house verifies what a piece is and sells it to the right buyer.
Who is this for?
- Antiques and art auction houses: Businesses authenticating and auctioning antiques and art for UAE and global clients.
- Specialist salerooms: Operators valuing, cataloguing, and selling rare artefacts and collectibles.
- Provenance and authentication specialists: Firms verifying and selling genuine pieces to collectors and dealers.
Meydan Free Zone offers 100% foreign ownership, zero percent corporate tax on qualifying income, full profit repatriation, and a fully digital licensing process, providing a regulated and cost-efficient base from which to operate an authentic artefacts and antiques auction house in a global market where authenticity and provenance set the price.
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4540.93 - Authentic Artefacts & Antiques Auction House
Under this activity, your business is licensed to operate a specialist auction house for authentic artefacts and antiques, including authentication, valuation, and auctioning.
An authentic artefacts and antiques auction house specialises in selling genuine antiques, art, and collectibles by auction. The work spans authenticating and valuing pieces, researching provenance, cataloguing them, and auctioning them to collectors and dealers, in the room and online.
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The clients are mixed: collectors buying and selling, estates and families realising a collection, and dealers sourcing stock. It is an expertise-and-trust business: the house is paid to verify what a piece is, what it is worth, and to sell it to the right buyer at the best price.
The activity is specifically for auctioning authentic artefacts and antiques. Selling antiques at a fixed price in a shop or gallery, rather than by auction, falls under a separate activity, as does running a general auction hall for all kinds of goods.
The line is precise. If your business authenticates, values, and auctions genuine artefacts and antiques, you are in. If you sell antiques at a fixed retail price, or run a general auction hall for all goods, a different activity applies.
Third-Party Approval: No third-party approval is required for this business activity.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance: This business activity is exempt from AML compliance requirement
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Citations
1 Art Basel & UBS. Global Art Market Report 2025. Art Basel and UBS, 2025.
2 Art Basel & UBS. Survey of Global Collecting. Art Basel and UBS, 2024.
