Company Formation Across the UAE
Dubai and Abu Dhabi mainland, and every free zone we partner with. The work is not filling in forms — it is choosing the right jurisdiction before anyone fills in anything.
Start with the question that matters
Almost every expensive mistake in UAE company setup comes from choosing a jurisdiction before understanding the activity. A licence that cannot carry your activity is not a cheaper licence. It is a wasted one.
Our assessment walks you through six questions and gives you a jurisdiction, a shortlist and the approvals you will need. It takes two minutes and costs nothing.
Mainland
A mainland licence lets you trade anywhere in the UAE, bid for government work and open premises the public can enter. Most activities now allow 100% foreign ownership.
Dubai mainland
Licensed through the Department of Economy and Tourism. Required for brokerage, contracting, retail, clinics, recruitment and tourism. Read more
Abu Dhabi mainland
Licensed through ADDED. The route for government and semi-government procurement, energy services and heavy industry. Read more
Free zones
We are partnered with free zones across all seven emirates. In Dubai we lead with IFZA and Meydan for most clients, and we will tell you plainly when a different zone — or a different emirate — serves you better.
We do not work in DIFC or ADGM.
- IFZA — our usual first recommendation in Dubai
- Meydan Free Zone — strong Dubai address, fast issuance
- All free zones — the full comparison
What comes after the licence
Incorporation is the start of the relationship, not the end of it. We handle the establishment card, the immigration file, visas for you and your team, corporate tax and VAT registration, the bank account introduction, and the annual renewals.
On bank accounts
We prepare the file and make the introduction. Approval is the bank's decision and nobody can promise it. What we can do is tell you honestly, before you start, how your case is likely to look and what would strengthen it. See bank account opening for which banks suit which business.
Corporate tax registration, included
Every company we incorporate gets its UAE corporate tax registration with the Federal Tax Authority completed free of charge, as part of the setup.
Registration is mandatory for UAE companies whether or not any tax ends up being due. That includes businesses comfortably under the Small Business Relief threshold, and it includes free zone companies expecting to qualify for the 0% rate on qualifying income. The obligation is to register; the rate is a separate question answered later.
Why we do not charge for it
Because we are already filing your incorporation documents and we already hold everything the FTA asks for. Charging you again to retype it would be hard to justify. It also means the registration is done at the right time rather than remembered in a panic eleven months later.
Ask about company formation
Tell us what the business does and where you are thinking of basing it. We will come back with a route and a written cost.
Questions We Get Asked
Can a free zone company sell to customers inside the UAE?
Not directly. It can import and re-export freely, but reaching the onshore market means appointing a mainland distributor, opening a mainland branch, or paying the 5% customs duty through an agent. If UAE customers are the main market, mainland is usually the cheaper answer overall.
How long does incorporation take?
About three to seven working days in a free zone, five to ten on mainland. Regulated sectors — healthcare, education, tourism, financial services — need the regulator's approval first, which sits outside that timeline.
Can I put several activities on one licence?
Related activities usually sit on one licence. Unrelated ones may need a second licence or trigger additional activity fees, so it is worth deciding the full scope before the licence is issued rather than amending afterwards.
What is a flexi-desk, and is it enough?
A shared desk arrangement that satisfies the registered-address requirement at low cost, typically carrying an allocation of one to three visas. It is enough for a consultancy or holding company. It is not enough once you have staff on site every day.
Can I convert a free zone company to mainland later?
Not as a single filing. The practical routes are opening a mainland branch of the free zone company, incorporating a sister company on mainland and novating the contracts across, or deregistering and transferring the assets. All three cost more than starting in the right place.
Does a free zone company have to keep its office inside the zone?
Yes. The registered office must sit within the zone that issued the licence. You cannot licence in one zone and take premises in another.
What is an Instant Licence?
A mainland route that lets certain activities register in a single sitting, without a pre-registered lease or a notarised memorandum in the first year. It suits a narrow set of activities — we will say whether yours is one of them.
What comes after the licence?
Establishment card, immigration file, visas, corporate tax registration, a bank account and the first renewal. We handle all of it, and corporate tax registration is free for companies we incorporate.
Not Covered Above? Ask Us.
Send the question as you would ask it on the phone. One of the team answers it properly — not a template, and not a sales call dressed up as an answer.