Our Services
Company Setup in Dubai
and the UAE
Setting up in the UAE starts with one decision: mainland or free zone. Get it right and the licence, banking and visa plan work together. Get it wrong and you pay for it later, in cost, time or a structure that does not fit how you actually trade.
Start a ConversationOverview
Before You Pick a Licence,
Look at the Business
Most people start their UAE company setup by comparing licence prices. That is the wrong starting point. The right one is your business model: where you will sell, invoice, employ people, hold stock, sign contracts and receive payment.
Those answers point you toward mainland or free zone, and toward the activity, ownership and office structure that supports it. Choose the licence first and the business model second, and you often end up paying to fix things: a mismatched activity code, a free zone that cannot serve UAE clients directly, or a visa allocation that runs out before your team does.
We start with structuring, not sales. Before recommending a jurisdiction, we also check how the resulting structure is likely to be viewed by banks, since a licence that cannot open a working bank account is not much of a licence at all.
What We Map Before Filing
The Structuring Checklist
- Where your customers and revenue actually sit
- Activity permissions, ownership and legal form
- Office requirement and visa allocation
- External approvals for regulated activities
- How the structure is likely to be viewed by banks
- Your actual Corporate Tax position, not an assumption
The Core Decision
Mainland or Free Zone
Both routes offer 100% foreign ownership on most activities. The real difference is where you can trade and how the licence is priced and taxed.
| Mainland | Free Zone | |
|---|---|---|
| Selling to UAE customers | Direct, no restrictions | Usually needs a distributor or dual licence |
| Government contracts | Eligible | Generally not eligible |
| Foreign ownership | 100% on most activities | 100% |
| Office requirement | Physical office with Ejari registration | Flexi-desk usually sufficient |
| Corporate Tax | 0% up to AED 375,000 profit, 9% above | 0% on Qualifying Income for a QFZP; other income can be taxed at 9% |
| Typical licence time | 3 to 10 working days | 2 to 7 working days |
| Typical year-one cost | AED 28,000 to 50,000+ | AED 20,000 to 40,000, higher for established zones |
As a general rule: if most of your revenue will come from customers based in the UAE, mainland is usually the better fit. If your customers sit outside the UAE, free zone is usually the more cost-efficient route. Every rule has exceptions once visas, banking and tax are factored in, which is why we assess this per business rather than by default.
Cost
What Setup Actually Costs
A single "Dubai company setup price" is close to meaningless. Cost depends on activity, jurisdiction, legal form, office requirement, visa count, shareholder structure and any external approvals. What we can give you is a realistic range by scenario, plus a clear split between government cost and our professional fee.
Low headline prices are common in this market. What they often exclude is the establishment card, immigration file, medical, Emirates ID and visa costs that come later. We quote all of it upfront.
Indicative Ranges
Year-One Cost by Scenario
- Entry-level free zone, no visa: AED 5,500 to 13,500
- Free zone, Dubai address, one visa: AED 20,000 to 40,000
- Established zone (DMCC, JAFZA, DAFZA): AED 35,000 to 100,000+
- Mainland, licence only: AED 12,000 to 22,000
- Mainland, all-in with one visa: AED 28,000 to 50,000+
- Per residence visa: AED 3,500 to 6,500+
Annual renewal typically runs 60 to 85% of year-one cost. Aurum's professional fee is quoted separately from government and authority fees, so you always see what is a fixed third-party cost and what is ours.
Remote Setup
Can You Set Up Without
Visiting the UAE
For many structures, yes. Incorporation, document signing and much of the notarisation process can be handled remotely, including Power of Attorney arrangements notarised by video conference, depending on the authority and document origin.
Where presence is unavoidable, we sequence it into a single trip. If you need a residence visa, medical fitness and Emirates ID biometrics normally require you to be physically present, and some banks prefer an in-person meeting before approving a corporate account. If you do not need a residence visa, many holding and international trading structures can be completed entirely without a UAE visit.
Where Presence Is Usually Required
- Medical fitness test for a residence visa
- Emirates ID biometrics
- Some banks' in-person account opening meeting
- Certain mainland structures with foreign corporate shareholders, where a UAE-resident manager may be required at incorporation
Corporate Tax
Free Zone Does Not Automatically
Mean 0% Tax
A Qualifying Free Zone Person can benefit from a 0% Corporate Tax rate, but only on Qualifying Income, and only where substance, activity and transfer-pricing conditions are met. Income that falls outside those conditions is generally subject to 9%. Dealing with a UAE mainland customer does not automatically disqualify that income either, it depends on the activity and the detailed rules.
Mainland companies pay 0% Corporate Tax on taxable profit up to AED 375,000 and 9% above that threshold, with no exemption route available.
What Slows Setups Down
The Delays We See Most Often
Activity Chosen Too Early
Picking a licence before checking the real business model, customer base and banking need.
Incomplete KYC
Missing or inconsistent documents, especially for corporate shareholders and multi-layer ownership.
External Approvals
Regulated or controlled activities that need sign-off from a separate authority before filing can proceed.
Bank KYC Gaps
Unclear source of funds or an unsupported business plan, which slows account approval after the licence is issued.
We run a structuring and compliance check before filing, give you one clear document list, confirm external approvals early, and build the banking and visa plan into the incorporation decision rather than treating it as a step that comes afterwards.
Beyond a Standard Trading Licence
When You Need More Than
One Entity
- Holding company. Separates ownership of operating businesses, investments or property from trading risk.
- Special Purpose Vehicle. Ring-fences a single asset, transaction or investment.
- Offshore company. For international holding where no UAE operating presence is needed. Cannot hire staff or trade inside the UAE.
- Branch or representative office. Extends an existing foreign company into the UAE without incorporating a new legal entity.
- Regional subsidiary. A common route for overseas companies entering the UAE market under their own brand.
We only recommend a multi-entity structure where it solves a genuine business, tax or liability need, not as a default add-on.
After Incorporation
The Licence Is the First
Compliance Date, Not the Last
Visas & Emirates ID
Immigration file, employment and dependent visas, Emirates ID and status changes.
Corporate Banking
Bank account preparation, shortlisting and onboarding support.
Tax & UBO
Corporate Tax registration support, VAT assessment and UBO record maintenance.
HR & Payroll
Employment setup, establishment files and labour-related registrations, where required.
We keep a compliance calendar running across licence renewal, immigration, tax and statutory filings, so nothing is left to be discovered at the next deadline.
Why Aurum
Why Clients Choose Aurum
for Company Setup
We Structure Before We Sell
We ask where you sell, invoice, employ and hold funds before we recommend a licence type. The cheapest option on paper is not always the one that fits your business.
Banking Assessed Upfront
We check how a proposed structure is likely to be viewed by banks before you commit to a jurisdiction, not after your account application is declined.
We Stay Involved After Filing
Visas, tax registration, UBO records and renewals are handled under one compliance calendar, not left for you to track across separate providers.
What Clients Say
In Their Own Words
"We had already been quoted a licence price by another agency before we spoke to Aurum. Once they walked through how we actually invoice our clients, it became clear the cheaper option would have caused problems with our bank later. We paid slightly more upfront and avoided that entirely."
Indian Founder, Trading Business Free zone setup with banking supportCommon Questions
Company Setup FAQs
Free zone entry-level packages usually start lower, from around AED 5,500 for a no-visa licence. Once you add a Dubai office, a visa and annual renewal, the gap between mainland and free zone narrows considerably, and the right choice usually comes down to where your customers are, not the sticker price.
No. Only a Qualifying Free Zone Person benefits from the 0% rate, and only on Qualifying Income, subject to substance and activity conditions. Other taxable income can be subject to 9%. We assess this before you choose a jurisdiction.
For many structures, yes. Incorporation and document signing can often be handled remotely. A residence visa normally requires you to be present for medical fitness and Emirates ID biometrics, and some banks prefer an in-person meeting. We confirm what applies to your situation before you begin.
Plan for 2 to 8 weeks after your company documents are ready. Straightforward digital-bank applications can be quicker, while complex files can take 8 to 12 weeks or longer. Approval is always at the bank's discretion, and no consultancy can guarantee it.
For mainland companies, yes, a physical office with Ejari registration is required. Most free zones accept a flexi-desk arrangement, though visa quota can depend on the premises type and package you choose.