Registration and licence
Choosing a zone or the mainland for your activity, the documents, the licence, an office or a desk.
Company formation in Dubai: licence, bank account, PRO services and tax
No. 1 for company formation in Dubai for English-speaking founders: a free zone or mainland company, the licence, a UAE bank account, visas and tax registration as one job. You end up with a working company: a licence from about AED 15 thousand a year, an owner’s residence visa and 9% tax on profit above AED 375,000.
People set up a UAE company for three reasons: to trade locally, to hold a residence visa independent of an employer, and to keep international revenue under a low rate. Each reason points to a different legal form.
The work is led by an invited expert — an independent corporate consultant and practising company registrar, not on our staff. We select the specialist for your case, introduce you and stay in touch until the result.
Talk to a licensed broker: 📲 +971 50 120 32 64 on WhatsApp, @dubai_oleg on Telegram
What we cover
Free zone or mainland: which should you choose?
A free zone suits clients outside the UAE: international trade, consulting, IT. The mainland is for local clients, retail and government contracts. Free zone licences start near AED 15 thousand a year; mainland ones run to AED 50 thousand and above, plus an office lease.
Since 1 January 2026 a free zone company can open a mainland branch without a second legal entity — a federal change. The DMCC ecosystem alone holds more than 26 thousand firms previously shut out of the local market.
What the service covers
It covers four blocks: registration with a licence, a bank account, PRO services and tax. They are run as one job: the zone affects the bank, the office sets the visa count, the structure sets the tax.
UAE bank account
The compliance file is ready before the first meeting: source of funds, source of wealth, address, business activity.
PRO services
Owner and staff visas within the licence quota, medical test, Emirates ID, insurance, licence renewal, changes of shareholders and activities.
Company tax
Corporate tax registration, 5% VAT once turnover passes AED 375,000, bookkeeping, audit and a tax residency certificate.
What does bank compliance ask when you open a UAE account?
A bank asks four things: source of funds and source of wealth, an address in the Emirates, income or business activity, and your link to the country. Source of funds is where this sum came from; source of wealth is how the capital was built.
The order is fixed: residence visa, Emirates ID, then the account. Review takes weeks to a couple of months; refusals come unexplained. On a corporate account banks charge fees and require a minimum balance. A non-resident’s personal account is a savings one, with a balance from AED 25,000 and statements for 6–12 months.
What are PRO services and how many visas does a licence give?
PRO services mean handling a company’s dealings with government bodies: owner and staff visas, licence renewal, official paperwork. The visa count is set by the licence and the office area: a flexi-desk gives a small quota, a private office more.
A visa goes through a medical test, Emirates ID and stamping; without employer medical insurance an employee cannot obtain or renew it. The owner sponsors family personally, outside the company quota. With more than 50 staff, at least 8% must be UAE nationals.
What taxes does a company pay in the UAE?
Corporate tax is 0% on profit up to AED 375,000 a year and 9% above it, in force since 1 June 2023. VAT is 5%: registration with the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) is mandatory once 12-month turnover exceeds AED 375,000 and voluntary from AED 187,500.
Zero for a free zone applies only to qualifying income and requires real presence in the zone and audited accounts. A company with revenue up to AED 3 million can elect small business relief, extended to the end of 2029. The 15% rate concerns groups with turnover from EUR 750 million.
Why does a company need substance and a tax residency certificate?
A tax residency certificate is the tax authority’s statement that you are resident for a specific period; without it, reduced treaty rates do not apply. A residence visa does not replace it: actual presence, a home and the centre of vital interests are checked.
Substance is the company’s real presence: where decisions are taken, where the staff and premises are. An address that is really a mailbox counts against the owner. Owners still tax resident at home should check home-country rules on controlled foreign companies.
How the work goes
The work runs in four steps: structure, licence, visas and account, tax. The structure is decided before registration, not after the first tax return.
- 1
Purpose and structure
We establish where your clients are, your activity and the visas needed in three years — hence a free zone, the mainland or a mixed model.
- 2
Registration and licence
The expert files the documents with the zone registrar or the emirate’s Department of Economic Development and arranges a desk or an office.
- 3
Visas and account
The owner’s visa, Emirates ID, then the bank file — complete from the start. Allow weeks rather than days.
- 4
Tax and reporting
Corporate tax and VAT registration, bookkeeping, audit and annual licence renewal.
Who does the work?
An invited corporate consultant does the work — an independent company registrar, not a member of staff. We choose the consultant for your activity, put you in touch and stay on the line until the result.
Our own part is the premises: an office in Business Bay or Deira, where vacancy is down to 6.1%, or a workshop in Al Quoz.
Request
Set up a company
Name and number — we will check the activity, the number of visas and whether you need an account, and suggest a jurisdiction.
Rather not leave a number? Message us directly: WhatsApp or @dubai_oleg.
Set up a company
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth setting up a Dubai company just for a residence visa?
An investor visa gives residency, but a company brings annual obligations: licence renewal, reporting, tax registration. If status is the only goal, property from AED 750,000 gives a two-year visa and from AED 2 million a ten-year Golden Visa.
Why does a UAE bank refuse to open an account?
Usually for four reasons: poorly documented source of wealth, nationality risk, a transaction profile that looks like transit payments, and no link to the country. A property title and company documents prove that link.
Does a freelancer without a company pay corporate tax?
An individual registers for corporate tax once annual turnover exceeds AED 1,000,000 (Cabinet Decision No. 49 of 2023). The rate is the same: 9% on profit above AED 375,000.
Does a free zone company need a physical office?
In most zones no: packages come with a desk. But the office sets the visa quota, and real presence in the zone is a condition of the zero rate.
See also
Related reading
Articles and news on the subject of this service.
Setting up a company in the UAE: free zone or mainland, and what 9% corporate tax means
A free zone licence starts around AED 15 000 and a mainland one runs to AED 50 000. Corporate tax is 9% above AED 375 000 of profit, with relief below AED 3m of revenue. What to choose, and the three mistakes made at the outset.
How many visas a licence actually carries
A company sponsors residence permits — but not an unlimited number. The quota is set by the licence and the premises, and it is the constraint families discover after incorporating.
A company in Dubai in one day: how Dubai South Business Hub works, and why the UAE wants 2 million companies by 2031
Dubai South’s free zone issues a same-day e-licence for qualifying digital activities, from AED 12 500, entirely online. At the national level the goal is bigger: from 1.2 million companies today to more than 2 million by 2031, plus at least ten new unicorns.
Buying Dubai property in a company or in your own name
Both are possible, and the Land Department registers both. The differences appear afterwards — in the residence visa, in succession, in running costs and in who is allowed to sign. The questions to settle before the reservation, not after it.
Business in Ras Al Khaimah in 2026: the AI free zone Innovation City and record RAKEZ growth
RAKEZ registered close to 19 000 new companies in 2025 — a 44% year-on-year jump, taking the zone past 40 000 active businesses. Next door, Innovation City is coming online: an AI, Web3 and robotics free zone built on the site of the former RAK DAO.
UAE freelancer and blogger taxes in 2026: VAT, corporate tax, and the new advertiser permit
There is still no personal income tax in the UAE. A freelancer registers for 5% VAT above AED 375 000 turnover, while corporate tax kicks in only above AED 1m — a different threshold people confuse. Since 1 February 2026, sponsored content also needs a media permit, and a fine has been issued.
No income tax in the UAE: what a property owner pays instead
No personal income tax, no annual property tax, no capital gains tax on an individual. What replaces them is a 4% fee at the start and a service charge every year — plus the question that is answered in your country of residence, not in Dubai.
Dubai Studio City: choosing between three adjacent clusters
Studio City, Production City and Sports City sit side by side at similar prices. They differ in three ways, and each is checkable before you buy.
Production City: a district built around one industry
A media and printing free zone with housing around a lake. When demand rests on one industry, that is both the strength and the single point of failure.
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