100% foreign ownership
Full ownership across all free zones and the overwhelming majority of mainland activities, with no local sponsor required in most sectors.
Business Setup in Dubai & the UAE
Business setup in the UAE starts with the right jurisdiction — mainland, free zone or offshore. We structure your company around how you actually earn, then handle licensing, visas, banking and compliance end to end.
100% foreign ownership availableLicence in 3–7 working daysItemised, fixed-fee quotations2,500+ companies formed
Get your business setup structure right the first time
Setting up a company in the UAE is not difficult. Setting it up correctly — with the right jurisdiction, the right activity codes and a shareholding structure that will not create a tax problem in year three — is where most founders lose time and money.
AONE BIZ approaches company formation from the accounting side. Before we recommend a jurisdiction, we look at who your customers will be, how revenue will flow, how many people you need to sponsor, and what your corporate tax position looks like under each option. Only then do we quote.
That is why a meaningful share of our formation work comes from founders who set up somewhere else first and now need it fixed. We would rather be the firm that got it right originally.
- Mainland (DED): unrestricted UAE market access, government tenders, no activity restrictions on local trade.
- Free zone: faster, usually cheaper, 100% ownership by default, potential 0% Qualifying Free Zone Person tax treatment.
- Offshore: holding structures, asset protection and international trade with no UAE residency or office.
What is included
- Jurisdiction and activity analysis
- Name reservation & initial approval
- MOA drafting and notarisation
- Trade licence issuance
- Establishment card & immigration file
- Visa processing and Emirates ID
- Corporate bank account support
- Tax registration and first-year compliance
The upside
Why entrepreneurs choose the UAE
The fundamentals are genuinely strong — but each advantage comes with conditions worth understanding before you rely on it.
Competitive tax position
No personal income tax, 9% corporate tax above AED 375,000, and a 0% rate for qualifying free zone income that meets substance and activity conditions.
Strategic location
One-third of the world within a four-hour flight. World-class ports, airports and logistics infrastructure across seven emirates.
Residency for you and family
Your licence unlocks investor residency, plus sponsorship for spouse, children and domestic staff — and a route to the ten-year goAML compliance.
Political and currency stability
A dirham pegged to the US dollar, strong legal protections for business assets, and a consistent, predictable regulatory direction.
Mature banking and capital
Local and international banks, a deep investor ecosystem and straightforward international payment infrastructure once your account is open.
How we deliver
Our four-stage setup process
Transparent stages with named owners. You always know what is happening and what comes next.
01
Structuring consultation
We map activities, customers, visa needs and budget, then model mainland against free zone options including the corporate tax outcome of each.
02
Approvals & paperwork
Name reservation, initial approval, MOA drafting and notarisation, plus any external authority approvals your activity requires.
03
Licence & residency
Trade licence issued, establishment card and immigration file opened, entry permits, medical, Emirates ID and stamping coordinated.
04
Banking & compliance setup
Corporate account application, accounting system, VAT and corporate tax registration, and your first-year compliance calendar.
Realistic timeline
What the schedule really looks like
These are our observed timelines with complete documents — not best-case marketing numbers.
What causes delays — and how we prevent them
Ninety per cent of overruns come from three things: incomplete shareholder documents, activities that quietly need an external approval, and trade name choices that get rejected. We check all three in the first call, before the clock starts.
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Free consultation and quotation
Structure recommendation and an itemised cost breakdown, usually within the same working day.
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Name reservation and initial approval
We submit your trade name options and secure initial approval from the relevant authority.
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Documentation and MOA
MOA drafted, reviewed and notarised. Office solution or Ejari registration finalised.
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Trade licence issued
Free zone licences typically land here. Mainland runs to days 7–14 depending on activity and approvals.
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Visas and Emirates ID
Establishment card, entry permit, medical fitness test, Emirates ID biometrics and visa stamping.
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Corporate bank account
Application, compliance review and account activation. Timing varies significantly by bank and shareholder profile.
Investment
Transparent pricing, itemised before you commit
Indicative first-year ranges. Your exact figure depends on jurisdiction, activity count, visa allocation and office requirement.
Free Zone Starter
From AED 12,500
Best for consultants, freelancers and service businesses serving clients outside the UAE. If you are still comparing firms, our guide to choosing business setup consultants in Dubai sets out what separates them.
- Free zone trade licence (1 activity)
- Flexi-desk registered address
- 0–1 visa allocation
- Establishment card
- Bank account introduction
Mainland LLC
From AED 18,500
Best for businesses selling to UAE companies, government entities or retail customers.
- DED trade licence
- Name reservation & initial approval
- MOA drafting and notarisation
- Ejari coordination
- 2–3 visa quota planning
Growth & Compliance
Custom
Formation plus the year-one compliance stack, for founders who want one accountable firm.
- Everything in the above tiers
- Monthly bookkeeping
- VAT and corporate tax registration
- Annual audit-ready file
- Dedicated compliance calendar
Government and authority fees are quoted separately from our professional fee and are passed through at cost. Prices shown are indicative ranges for planning purposes only and are not a binding offer — request a written quotation for a firm figure.
Before you start
Requirements and documents
Have these ready and your setup moves fast. We tell you exactly which apply to your case in the first call.
Requirements & eligibility
- At least one shareholder aged 21 or over (individual or corporate).
- A trade name that complies with UAE naming rules — no religious references, no country names, no abbreviations of personal names.
- Business activities selected from the approved list of your chosen authority.
- A registered address: Ejari-registered premises for mainland, or a free zone desk or office package.
- A local service agent only where the activity list still requires one — increasingly rare.
- Share capital declared as required by the jurisdiction; most free zones do not require it to be deposited.
Documents you will need
- Passport copies for every shareholder and manager, valid at least six months.
- Passport-size photographs against a white background.
- UAE entry stamp or visa page, if you are already in the country.
- No Objection Certificate from your current sponsor, where applicable.
- Proof of residential address — a recent utility bill or bank statement.
- For corporate shareholders: attested certificate of incorporation, MOA, board resolution and register of directors.
- A short business plan for regulated activities or higher-scrutiny banking applications.
Licence types
Which trade licence do you actually need?
The licence category drives your permitted activities, ownership rules and approval path. Getting it wrong is expensive to undo.
Commercial Licence
For buying, selling, importing, exporting and distributing goods. Covers trading, retail and wholesale operations.
Professional Licence
For expertise-based services — consultancy, IT, marketing, engineering, design, education and similar professions.
Industrial Licence
For manufacturing, processing and assembly. Requires physical premises and typically additional municipality approvals.
E-Commerce Licence
For online sales, marketplaces and digital storefronts, including the payment-gateway requirements that follow.
General Trading Licence
The broadest commercial permission — trade multiple unrelated product categories under a single licence.
Tourism & Specialist Licences
Travel, hospitality, healthcare, education and financial activities requiring dedicated regulator approval.
Company registration
Registration is a sequence, not a single step
Each stage depends on the one before it. Submitting out of order is the single most common cause of rejected applications.
We manage the full chain: trade name reservation, initial approval, external approvals where required, MOA drafting and notarisation, tenancy or desk registration, licence issuance, establishment card, immigration file and Chamber of Commerce registration. You sign; we submit, follow up and escalate.
Already trading and worried you got it wrong?
We run a fixed-fee structural review covering activity codes, licence type, shareholding, visa quota, VAT position and corporate tax exposure. You receive a written findings note with a prioritised remediation plan and cost — no obligation to proceed with us.
Request a Structural Review Why AONE BIZ
Why founders choose AONE BIZ for company formation
We are the firm that still has to sign your audit three years from now. That changes the advice you get today.
Tax-aware structuring
Every jurisdiction recommendation is modelled against corporate tax, VAT and audit consequences, not just setup speed and cost.
One consultant throughout
The same senior person handles your scoping call, your licence, your visas and your first filing. No hand-offs, no repeating yourself.
No hidden fees
Government charges are itemised separately and passed through at cost. What we quote is what you pay.
Deadline tracking built in
Renewals, filings and visa expiries go into a compliance calendar from day one and are flagged well ahead of time.
Banking that actually opens
We prepare business profiles and source-of-funds packs the way compliance teams want to read them — which is why they get approved.
In-house licensed auditors
Your books, tax filings and audit stay under one roof. One version of your numbers, defensible under scrutiny.
Cost & selection
What setup costs, and how to pick a consultant
The cheapest licence is rarely the cheapest outcome. Here is the honest arithmetic.
The advertised entry prices are real, but they describe a zero-visa licence. Once you add a visa and the establishment card, a realistic free zone first year sits between AED 18,000 and 25,000. Mainland runs higher again once premises and Ejari are included.
The genuinely low-cost credible options are IFZA and Meydan in Dubai, and SHAMS in Sharjah. For warehousing or light industrial work, RAKEZ is cheaper than anything in Dubai. The full breakdown, including what packages leave out, is in our Dubai setup cost guide.
One caution on chasing the cheapest number: a licence that leaves you selling to mainland UAE customers can cost far more in corporate tax than it saved. Structure first, price second.
Choosing a business setup consultant
Formation is a five-day process with a five-year consequence, and most consultants are paid by the free zones they recommend. Three questions expose the difference.
- “Where should my customers be for this structure to work?” If the answer does not involve qualifying income, your tax position has not been considered.
- “What does year two cost?” Renewal, audit, bookkeeping and filings. A year-one quote alone is incomplete.
- “Are you tied to particular zones?” Commission changes advice.
We are not tied to any zone, and we handle the audit and tax afterwards — see how we work as business setup consultants.
Business setup in Dubai and across the UAE: choosing a consultant
Business setup in Dubai is a crowded advisory market, and the incentives in it are not aligned with yours. Most business setup consultants in Dubai earn a commission from the free zone they place you in, which is why the recommendation is so often the zone paying the best rate rather than the zone that suits your business.
We are chartered accountants first, and that changes the conversation in one specific way: we model the tax and audit consequence of a structure before recommending it, because we are the ones who will have to audit it afterwards. If business setup in Dubai mainland serves you better than a free zone, we will say so, even though the free zone pays us and the mainland does not.
The same applies wherever you are looking — business setup in the UAE generally, business setup in Abu Dhabi, or business setup in Sharjah. Our consultancy page sets out how we work, and what setup really costs covers the line items quotes tend to leave out.
Free zones we set up and audit in
We form and audit companies across IFZA, Meydan, DMCC and DWTC in Dubai; SHAMS and SPC in Sharjah; RAKEZ in Ras Al Khaimah; Ajman Media City; UAQ Free Zone; and Masdar City in Abu Dhabi. Each page sets out the licence cost, the activity list, the banking reality and the audit requirement for that specific zone, because those four things differ far more between zones than the marketing suggests.
If you are still deciding, the honest short version is this: Dubai zones cost more and buy you address and banking credibility; the northern emirates and Sharjah zones cost less and ask more of your bank application. Which is right depends on whether anyone in your business chain will ever look at your address. We will tell you what we actually think, including when the cheap option is the correct one.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers, with the caveats that actually matter.
The lowest entry point is usually a free zone package with no visa allocation and a flexi-desk, which can start near AED 12,500 in year one. But cheapest and correct are not always the same thing. If your customers are UAE businesses or government entities, a low-cost free zone licence will block the work you actually want to win, and you will pay again to restructure. We price the option that fits your revenue model, then show you where the genuine savings are.
Yes. Since the amendments to the Commercial Companies Law, full foreign ownership is permitted for the large majority of mainland commercial and professional activities, and has always been standard in free zones. A small list of strategic-impact activities still requires Emirati participation. We confirm your specific activity code against the current positive list before you commit to a structure.
You need a registered address, but not necessarily a private office. Mainland licences require a tenancy contract registered through Ejari, and the space determines how many visas you can sponsor. Free zones typically offer flexi-desk or shared-desk options that satisfy the requirement at a fraction of the cost. We match the office solution to your visa count rather than selling you space you will not use.
A commercial licence covers buying and selling goods — trading, retail, general trading, e-commerce. A professional licence covers services delivered through expertise: consultancy, IT services, marketing, engineering, education. The distinction affects ownership rules, capital expectations and in some cases which authority approves you. Choosing the wrong one is one of the most common and most expensive setup mistakes we correct.
Visa quota is driven by your office space and, in free zones, by the package you select. As a rough guide, a flexi-desk typically supports one to three visas, while mainland quotas are calculated on square metres of registered office space. If you know your headcount plan, tell us early — sizing the office correctly at setup is far cheaper than amending it in month four.
Yes, and it is a meaningful part of our work. Common fixes include amending activity codes, converting between licence types, restructuring shareholding, migrating between free zones or to mainland, reconstructing backlogged accounts and regularising missed FTA registrations. We start with a diagnostic review so you know the full picture and cost before committing to remediation.
Not for most free zone incorporations — these can be completed remotely with notarised and attested documents, and you only travel for medical testing and Emirates ID biometrics when you activate your visa. Mainland setups usually require either your presence for MOA notarisation or a properly attested power of attorney. We tell you which applies before you book flights.
The licence is the start, not the finish. You then need the establishment card and immigration file, visa processing, a corporate bank account, an accounting system, VAT registration if you cross the threshold, and corporate tax registration regardless. AONE BIZ handles all of it in sequence, which is why our clients rarely miss a first-year deadline.
Keep exploring
Related services
Most clients pair this service with one or more of the following.
Mainland Company Formation
DED trade licence with unrestricted access to the UAE domestic market and government contracts.
Free Zone Company Formation
Compare IFZA, Meydan, DMCC, SHAMS and RAKEZ on cost, visas, activities and audit requirements.
UAE Corporate Tax
Registration, Small Business Relief, Qualifying Free Zone Person analysis and annual filing.
Get an honest answer on where to set up
Twenty minutes with a senior consultant will save you months of correcting a structure that was never right for your business.
Talk to us
Start with a free, no-obligation consultation
Send us your activity, target customers and visa requirement. We will come back with a jurisdiction recommendation and an itemised cost range — usually the same working day.
- One business hour response during working days.
- Fixed, itemised quotations — government fees shown separately from our fee.
- One named consultant from first call through to licence, visa and first filing.
- No obligation. If the UAE is not right for you yet, we will say so.
Request your free consultation
Takes under a minute. No obligation, no sales script.