Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Company registration in Dubai, done properly
Check your company name in seconds, match your business activity to the right jurisdiction and hold your licence within days. Clear AED pricing, no surprises at renewal.
24
Dubai free zones covered
3 days
Fastest licence turnaround
100%
Foreign ownership
0%
Personal income tax
Three paths
What are you here to do?
Start a company
from AED 12,500
Free zone, mainland or offshore, matched to where your customers are. Licence in as little as three working days.
Check your name free →Get residency
from AED 4,500 per visa
Investor and partner visas through your own company, family sponsorship, and golden visa routes when you qualify.
Check golden visa eligibility →Stay compliant
bookkeeping from AED 300/mo
Corporate tax, VAT, audit, UBO and renewals on one calendar, so the 0% and 9% rates you planned for hold.
See compliance services →What we do
Everything a UAE company needs, under one roof
Formation is the first fortnight. Everything after it, banking, visas, tax, audit, renewals, runs through the same team.
The process
Simple steps, no surprises
01
Tell us your goal
Check your name, run the wizard or send one email. Five minutes of input is enough for us to do real work.
02
We handle everything
Licence, establishment card, visas, Emirates ID, bank file and tax registrations, sequenced so nothing waits on anything else.
03
You launch and operate
Trade from week one while renewals, filings and deadlines sit on our calendar, not your desk.
Free tools
Know your numbers before you commit
Every tool is free and none of them ask for an email. The numbers match what we later confirm in writing.
All five tools on one page
Open the toolkit →The directory
Every free zone in Dubai, compared honestly
24 free zones operate in Dubai and no single one is right for everyone. Indicative first-year costs, visas and honest fit, zone by zone.
Expert guides
Learn before you decide
Written by the people who process these setups daily, updated when the rules move.
Why us
How we work
Operators, not brokers
Your file is processed by the team you talk to, across every Dubai jurisdiction, not passed around a referral chain.
Written quotes before payment
Every line item in writing, renewal figure included, before you commit a dirham. The quote is the bill.
One point of contact
Licence, visas, bank, tax: one specialist carries your file end to end, so you never re-explain your situation.
Straight answers
If the cheap licence will cost you at the bank, or mainland beats the free zone we could sell you today, we say so.
Questions
Answers to what you are actually wondering
How much does company formation in Dubai cost?
A free zone licence with no visas starts around AED 12,500 to 13,000 in year one at zones like IFZA, Meydan or DUQE. Add roughly AED 4,500 to 6,500 per residence visa, including permits, medical and Emirates ID. Mainland setups typically start around AED 18,500 including licence and standard approvals. We publish full breakdowns on our costs page and confirm an exact quote before you pay anything.
How long does it take to set up a company in Dubai?
A straightforward free zone company takes 3 to 5 working days from documents to licence. Residence visas add one to two weeks after that. Mainland licences usually complete inside two weeks. Regulated activities, clinics and financial firms run on longer regulatory timelines, which we map out before you start.
Can a foreigner own 100% of a Dubai company?
Yes. Every free zone company is 100% foreign owned by design, and since 2021 most mainland activities also allow full foreign ownership without a local partner. A small list of strategic activities still carries ownership conditions, and we flag those in the first conversation.
Do I pay tax on a Dubai company?
The UAE levies 9% corporate tax on profits above AED 375,000, with 0% below that threshold. Qualifying free zone companies keep a 0% rate on qualifying income, mainly business done outside the UAE or with other free zone entities. There is no personal income tax. VAT at 5% applies once taxable turnover passes AED 375,000. Registration and filing are part of what we set up.
Do I need to live in the UAE to open a company?
No. You can incorporate remotely in most free zones without visiting, and take a residence visa only if you want one. Many founders run UAE companies from abroad. If you do want residency, your own company sponsors your visa, which then lets you sponsor your family.
Which is better, free zone or mainland?
It depends where your customers are. Selling to clients outside the UAE, or online, favours a free zone: cheaper, faster and 100% owned. Selling to walk-in customers or businesses inside the UAE favours mainland, which trades onshore without restriction. Our recommendation engine weighs your activity, market and visa needs and shows you the numbers for both.
Can I open a UAE bank account with my new company?
Yes, and this is where preparation matters most. Banks assess your activity, residency, source of funds and documentation. We prepare the bank file alongside your licence, match you to banks that approve your profile, and support digital-first options like Wio and Mashreq NeoBiz for faster onboarding.
What documents do I need to start?
For most free zone setups: passport copies for each shareholder, a passport-style photo, and your proposed company names. Some zones ask for a short business summary or CV. Corporate shareholders add their company documents, attested. That is genuinely it for the common cases.
Your Dubai company starts with one check
Run the free name check, get matched to the right jurisdiction and receive exact figures the same day. No payment until you approve a written quote.
Free check · No payment · Reply same day