Business
Company Formation in the UAE
Mainland, free zone and offshore company setup handled end to end — trade licence, visas, establishment card, corporate documents and PRO services.
Most of the cost of setting up a company in the UAE is decided before anything is filed, by the choice of jurisdiction and the list of activities on the licence. Those two decisions determine what visas you can issue, whether you can invoice mainland clients, and what your renewal looks like every year after.
Company formation here is not one process. It is three, and picking the wrong one is expensive in ways that only surface months later.
Mainland, free zone or offshore
Mainland gives you the broadest ability to trade inside the UAE and to work directly with government and mainland clients. Free zone suits businesses whose customers are outside the UAE or within the same zone, and each zone has its own authority, its own document route and its own visa allocation. Offshore is a holding structure rather than an operating one, and it does not carry residence visas.
The right answer follows the business, not the other way round. Who invoices you, where your customers are, how many people you need to sponsor, and whether you need a physical office are the questions that decide it.
Activities on the licence
The activity list is the part clients underestimate. It governs what you may legally do, and some activities require approval from a regulator before the licence is issued at all. Adding an activity later is possible but means an amendment, so it is worth getting the list right at the start rather than filing the minimum and expanding.
What comes after the licence
A trade licence on its own does not let you operate. The establishment card and immigration card are what allow the company to sponsor anyone, and until they exist no visa can be issued — including the owner's.
From there the sequence runs to investor or partner visas, then employee visas, each with its own medical and Emirates ID steps. PRO work is the ongoing part: renewals, amendments, and the government transactions that keep the licence and the visas valid.
Banking
Corporate account opening is the stage that most often stalls a new company, and it is largely a documentation exercise. Banks assess the structure, the activity and the substance behind the application. Preparing the corporate documents properly, with the right attestations where shareholders or parent companies are foreign, is what separates an account opened in weeks from one that drags.
Where a foreign shareholder or a parent company is involved, their documents usually need attestation before a UAE authority or bank will rely on them — the work we already do daily.
What's included
- Mainland, free zone and offshore company setup
- Trade licence issuance and renewal
- Investor and partner visa assistance
- Establishment card and immigration card
- Employee visas and PRO services
- Corporate bank account assistance
- Corporate document preparation and government approvals
- Attestation of foreign shareholder and parent company documents
How it works
- 01 Consultation on jurisdiction and activities
- 02 Name reservation and initial approvals
- 03 Trade licence issued
- 04 Establishment and immigration cards
- 05 Investor, partner and employee visas
- 06 Corporate bank account and ongoing PRO support
What we need from you
- Passport copies for all shareholders and managers
- Emirates ID and visa copies where applicable
- Proposed company name and activity list
- Attested parent company documents where a corporate shareholder is involved
- Proof of address and any regulator approvals the activity requires
Questions and answers
It follows your customers. Mainland gives the broadest ability to trade inside the UAE and with government entities. Free zone suits businesses selling outside the UAE or within the same zone, and each zone has its own authority and visa allocation. We work it out from who invoices you and how many people you need to sponsor.
Yes, once the establishment card and immigration card are in place — those are what allow the company to sponsor anyone, including the owner. Offshore structures are the exception: they are holding vehicles and do not carry residence visas.
It depends on the jurisdiction and the activities, because some activities need approval from a regulator before the licence is issued. We give you a realistic sequence at the consultation rather than a single headline number.
Yes. It is largely a documentation exercise — banks assess the structure, the activity and the substance behind it. Preparing the corporate documents correctly, including attestation where shareholders or parent companies are foreign, is what keeps an application moving.
Its constitutional documents and board resolutions generally need attestation before a UAE authority or bank will rely on them. That is our core work, so the corporate file and the attestation are handled together rather than passed between firms.
The trade licence, establishment card and visas each run on their own cycle and each has to be renewed. PRO support covers those transactions, along with amendments such as adding an activity or changing a shareholder.
Ready to start?
Tell us what you need and we will set out the order of work.