Business bank account in the UAE: 2 to 4 weeks from a complete application
We pick the bank for your UAE company's business account, prepare the application and answer the bank's questions.
Which bank is best for a new business in the UAE
A UAE company can hold a business account, whether it is registered on the mainland, in a free zone or offshore.
AED 99Accounts with no minimum balance
A new company pays least with an account that asks for no minimum balance. RAKBANK's RAKstarter charges no balance fee at all. Wio Business and Mashreq NEOBiz cost AED 99 a month, ADCB SmartStart AED 125 a month plus VAT.
AED 50,000A large local bank for trade
A company that trades goods, writes cheques or uses letters of credit belongs at a large local bank. Emirates NBD asks for an average balance of AED 50,000 in its Prime package, AED 200,000 in Preferred and AED 500,000 in Prestige, which brings a relationship manager.
Emirates NBD opens a business account free of charge: a bank's price is its monthly fee or the balance it asks you to keep.
Business accounts for a new company: six accounts compared
Figures from each bank's own site in October 2026.
RAKBANK, RAKstarter
- Monthly fee
- None
- Minimum balance
- None
- Best for
- A new company that wants an account in dirhams, dollars, euros or pounds
Wio Business, Essential
- Monthly fee
- AED 99
- Minimum balance
- None
- Best for
- Freelancers and small businesses, opened on a phone in 3 working days
Mashreq NEOBiz, Pro
- Monthly fee
- AED 99
- Minimum balance
- None
- Best for
- Start-ups with staff: free local and salary transfers
ADCB, SmartStart
- Monthly fee
- AED 125 plus VAT
- Minimum balance
- None
- Best for
- Start-ups and sole owners
Emirates NBD, Prime
- Monthly fee
- AED 99
- Minimum balance
- AED 50,000
- Best for
- Trading companies that use branches, cheques and trade services
Emirates NBD, Preferred
- Monthly fee
- None
- Minimum balance
- AED 200,000
- Best for
- Larger balances and more counter transactions
What clients write about Legarithm
4.8 on Google from 26 reviews.
We had long been looking for someone to register a company in the UAE and help with the account. With Legarithm it went as it should: a clear process, help with the documents, no red tape.
Everything is well coordinated and clear. Half an hour of the first meeting was more useful than two weeks of trying to work it out myself.
What a business bank account costs
Our fee covers the application. The dirham lines are the banks' own charges for plans and transfers outside the six accounts compared on this page.
Bank account application
Fixed in your quoteYou get the figure in writing by the end of the next working day.
Get a quote- Wio Business, Grow plan, a month
- AED 249
- Mashreq NEOBiz, Pro Plus plan, a month
- AED 199
- International transfer at Wio, Essential plan
- AED 52.50
- Corporate tax registration
- in your quote
- Accounting with the tax returns, a month
- from $350
What we do to open your corporate bank account in the UAE
Build the file
We collect the company documents, a description of the business, contracts or invoices and proof of where the money comes from, and check each page before the bank does.
File and follow up
We send the application, arrange the meeting or the video call and answer the compliance questions with you.
Tax number in the same step
Banks ask for the company's registration with the Federal Tax Authority. We register it for corporate tax while the bank reviews the file.
What a UAE bank checks before it opens the account
The bank identifies the company and its owners
A bank runs a know your customer (KYC) check before the first payment. It identifies the company, its beneficial owners (UBO), who own and control it, and the managers who will sign.
License, payments and the owner's visa
The bank then sets the license against what the company will invoice, and the payments you expect against the countries and currencies you name. Last, it weighs the owner's visa and address against the size of the business.
What the bank asks at the meeting
At the meeting the bank asks:
- what the company sells and who its customers are
- which countries the money comes from and goes to
- how much will pass through the account in a month
- where the first deposit comes from
Tax registration and the residence visa
Banks also ask for the company's tax registration and look at whether its VAT returns and its corporate tax return agree. An owner with a UAE residence visa has more banks to choose from, so where the plan allows we obtain the visa first: residence visas in the UAE.
Documents for a UAE business bank account
Documents
The company
- Trade license or certificate of incorporation
- Memorandum and articles of association
- Board resolution to open the account, naming the signatories
- Chart of the ownership, up to the individuals
- Contracts, invoices or a business plan
- Financial or bank statements for the last 6 to 12 months
Each owner, director and signatory
- Passport
- Emirates ID and residence visa, when you hold them
- Proof of address: a recent utility bill or tenancy contract
You send them in your account. We check each document the day it arrives and tell you what is missing.
See the platformBank account opening in Dubai, step by step
- day 11
Bank and account
We name the bank and the account for your payments, currencies and balance.
- then2
Documents
You upload the documents in your account. We write the description of the business and check the file. Papers of a foreign parent company are notarised and attested first: the full list is in how to open a UAE business bank account.
- then3
Application
We file online or at the branch. A digital bank takes the application in its app, and Mashreq NEOBiz says the form takes 10 minutes.
- one visit or one call4
Meeting
A large local bank meets the signatory in the UAE. A digital bank checks identity on a video call or in the app.
- 2 to 4 weeks in all5
Review and opening
The bank checks the owners, the activity and the source of funds, and we answer its questions with you. The account opens with online banking and cards.
After the account opens: what we keep up for you
The bank goes on checking three things: your trade license in the UAE, your payments and your books.
Keep the license current
Emirates NBD allows two months after the license expires, then charges AED 420 a month until the renewed one is on file. We renew the license and send it to the bank: license renewal and PRO services in Dubai.
Pay as you described
The bank compares the payments with the picture you gave at opening. When the business changes, we send the bank the new contracts.
Keep the books and the returns
Clean books and filed returns are part of the bank's file. We keep them, as set out on accounting in the UAE, and the tax dates are in corporate tax in the UAE.
Questions about a business bank account in the UAE
Which bank is best for a small business account?
Wio Business names its Essential plan, AED 99 a month, for freelancers and small businesses: a multicurrency account, two users and ten free local transfers a month. Mashreq NEOBiz Pro costs the same and adds free salary transfers.
Is there a free business account available in the UAE?
RAKBANK's RAKstarter has no minimum balance and no ledger fee. The other accounts without a minimum balance charge by the month: AED 99 at Wio and Mashreq NEOBiz, AED 125 plus VAT at ADCB SmartStart.
Can a foreigner open a business bank account in the UAE?
Yes. A mainland or free-zone company with foreign owners opens an account with a UAE bank. The file we prepare shows who owns the company, what it does and where the money comes from.
How long does it take to open a business bank account in Dubai?
2 to 4 weeks from a complete application for a mainland or free-zone company. The digital banks quote less: Wio 3 working days, Mashreq NEOBiz one day.
Do I have to visit the UAE to open the account?
A large local bank meets the signatory in person, so plan one visit. A digital bank checks identity in its app or on a video call after the license and your residence visa are issued.
Can an offshore company open a bank account in the UAE?
Yes, with a UAE bank or a bank abroad. The bank asks for more documents on ownership, and we prepare them with the offshore company itself.
Which currencies can a UAE business account hold?
Dirhams first. RAKBANK opens RAKstarter in dirhams, dollars, euros or pounds, Mashreq NEOBiz adds eight foreign currencies, and Wio puts a multicurrency account into its Essential plan.
Get a quote for your UAE company
Book a 30-minute call about your company
Your consultant Vladyslav Babaiev Opens in a new tab Business Setup Specialist
- We email you the Google Meet link.
- 30 minutes, free, no obligation to order.
- After the call we email you the checklist of documents for your country.
We reply by the end of the next working day with the cost and the dates for your case. The first call is free and confidential.
Also for a company in the UAE
Accounting in the UAE
Books, VAT and corporate tax returns from $350 a month
OpenCorporate tax registration in the UAE
Registration within 3 months, 0% up to AED 375,000, 9% above
OpenFree zones in the UAE
22 zones in seven emirates compared, formation from $7,000
OpenCompany formation in the UAE
Free zone from $7,000, mainland from $8,000, offshore from $3,000
OpenGuides to a company in the UAE
All guides to a company in the UAE
Updated 13 October 2026. Reviewed by Vladyslav Drapii, Founder.
