Business setup and company formation in the UAE: mainland, free zone or offshore
Business setup in the UAE with Legarithm: we form your company and file for its license, which a free zone issues in 1 to 5 working days.
Package
AED 2,150
before VAT
- License application and articles, done remotely
- Establishment card and the owner declaration
- No travel: online KYC and e-signature
Most popular
AED 5,450
before VAT
- Corporate tax registration
- A 1-hour consultation and a dedicated manager
- A calendar of your deadlines
AED 9,350
before VAT
- VAT registration
- A 2-hour consultation with a senior tax adviser
- Express processing and a personal manager
The license takes 1 to 5 working days from the day we have your documents.
Compare the packages
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.
Why the UAE: 0% or 9% tax and a route to a residence visa
100% Foreign ownership
In free zones and for most mainland activities, with no local sponsor.
0% / 9% Corporate tax
0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and on qualifying free-zone income, 9% above.
Visas For owners, staff and families
Mainland and free-zone companies sponsor residence visas for owners, staff and their families.
0% Personal income tax
On salary, dividends and capital gains, for people who are tax resident in the UAE.
5% VAT
Registration is required once turnover passes AED 375,000 and possible from AED 187,500.
FTA Tax registration
We register the company with the Federal Tax Authority as soon as it has its license.
Which UAE free zone fits which business
Freelancers and consultants
A media or service license at Shams in Sharjah lets you apply for a residence visa and a company bank account.
E-commerce and digital
RAKEZ in Ras Al Khaimah sells an e-commerce license with a flexi-desk, and the company can apply for visas.
Trading and commodities
DMCC in Dubai suits trading companies, which can apply for more visas as they hire.
Finance and fintech
DIFC in Dubai and ADGM in Abu Dhabi are financial free zones with their own regulator and common-law courts.
Business setup in the UAE: legal forms and who each suits
FZCO or FZ-LLC, a free-zone company
- Owners
- From 1 shareholder a person or a company
- Who it suits
- A founder who invoices clients abroad and wants a residence visa
- What the authority issues
- A zone license: FZCO in IFZA or DAFZA, FZ-LLC in RAKEZ
LLC, a mainland company
- Owners
- From 1 owner
- Who it suits
- Shops, restaurants, clinics, contractors and importers
- What the authority issues
- A license from the emirate's economic department
Branch
- Owners
- The parent company
- Who it suits
- A foreign company that opens under its own name
- What the authority issues
- A branch license from a free zone or the mainland authority
- Owners
- From 1 shareholder with 1 director
- Who it suits
- A group or a family that holds shares, property, trademarks or patents
- What the authority issues
- A certificate of incorporation from an offshore registry, RAK ICC or JAFZA: no license, no visas
What a UAE company gives you and what it asks of you
What you get
- Every share in your name: 100% foreign ownership in the free zones, in the offshore registries and, since 2021, in more than 1,000 mainland activities
- 0% corporate tax on the first AED 375,000 of taxable income and 9% above it, and 0% on the qualifying income of a free-zone company
- A free-zone or offshore company registered with no trip to the UAE
- Visa places sold with the license: AED 1,850 each at Meydan, up to 50 at Shams
- The 10-year golden visa in the UAE with AED 2,000,000 in property or a deposit
What it asks of you
- A desk: a flexi-desk in a free zone, or at least 100 square feet in Dubai's mainland with the lease recorded in Ejari for AED 220
- A visa count before the license, because the zone's package or the floor space sets the number of places
- Audited accounts every year at DMCC, JAFZA and DAFZA, and for a mainland company
- Books under IFRS, kept for 7 years
- One trip for each residence visa, for the medical test and the Emirates ID fingerprints
What a UAE company costs: free zone, mainland or offshore
Three packages on every license, from AED 2,150 to AED 9,350 for the incorporation, before VAT. The license of the zone and its government fees are paid to the zone at cost, on top. A residence visa and the bank application are priced in the same three packages.
Smart package
The filing and the paperwork, done remotely
- License application with the zone: name check, initial approval, license issue
- Memorandum and articles of association, share certificate
- Establishment card for licenses with visas
- Ultimate beneficial owner declaration
- Fully remote: online KYC and e-signature, no travel
Business package
Most popularSmart plus tax registration, a consultation and a dedicated manager
- Everything in Smart
- A 1-hour consultation on activities, shareholding and the choice of zone
- Corporate tax registration with the Federal Tax Authority
- A calendar of your license, visa, corporate tax and VAT deadlines
- A dedicated manager and priority handling
VIP package
Business plus VAT registration, express handling and a senior tax adviser
- Everything in Business
- A 2-hour consultation with a senior tax adviser
- VAT registration, mandatory or voluntary
- Corporate or multi-level shareholders: document review and attestation guidance
- Express processing and a personal manager on messenger
After the company is open
from AED 1,300 a monthAccounting, corporate tax and VAT filings.
- License renewal, every year The authority charges from AED 4,888 in a free zone and AED 12,000 to 15,000 on the mainland. An offshore registry charges AED 2,500 to 3,950. We remind you and renew it on time.
- Company secretary Registers, resolutions and filings kept up to date for you.
When you need it
- Residence visa, each
- from AED 1,450
- Bank account application
- from AED 1,800
- Corporate tax registration
- AED 1,850
- VAT registration
- AED 1,300
How a UAE company is set up: what happens and when
Counted in working days from the day your documents reach us.
Route, activity and name
day 1We help you choose mainland, free zone or offshore and the emirate to fit your activity, your budget and the visas you need. Then we reserve the trade name.
Trade license
1 to 5 working daysWe file the application with the authority of the route you chose. It issues the license, and the company can trade.
Establishment card and visas
1 to 3 weeksWe apply for the establishment card, then for the residence visas and Emirates IDs of owners and staff.
Tax registration and bank application
2 to 4 weeksWe register the company for corporate tax with the Federal Tax Authority and send the bank application.
Foreign owners in the UAE: ownership, visas, office, travel
A foreigner can hold every share in any free zone or offshore registry and, since 2021, in more than 1,000 mainland activities. Banking, telecommunications and defence follow their own rules.
A free zone sells visa places with the license: AED 1,850 each at Meydan, up to 50 on one license at Shams. On the mainland the floor space sets the number: residence visas in the UAE. With AED 2,000,000 in property or a deposit an owner takes the 10-year golden visa in the UAE.
A free-zone license needs a flexi-desk, a shared desk the zone rents out. A mainland company in Dubai leases at least 100 square feet and records the lease in Ejari, the tenancy register, for AED 220. The two routes are weighed in free zone vs mainland in the UAE.
Free-zone and offshore companies are registered with no trip to the UAE. A mainland license in Dubai asks the foreign applicant for an entry permit or visa. A residence visa takes one trip: a medical test and fingerprints.
Documents for a UAE company
Tick what you already have.
Each owner and director
Send me this checklist
One page by email: what each owner sends, what we prepare, in which order.
A company as shareholder
Bank account for a UAE company
We prepare the bank application: the license, the establishment card, a business profile and the ownership documents, checked before they go to the bank. An account opens in 2 to 4 weeks.
Partners
After company formation in the UAE: what the company renews and files
Five duties follow the license, and we file every one.
| Duty | When | Our service |
|---|---|---|
| License renewal | Once a year. DET, Dubai's economy department, closes a mainland renewal on the day it is filed | Trade license in Dubai |
| Corporate tax | Registration within 3 months of incorporation, then a return within 9 months of each year end, even at 0% | Corporate tax registration in the UAE |
| VAT | A registered company files a return within 28 days of each quarter's end | VAT registration in the UAE |
| Books | Records under IFRS, the international accounting standards, kept for 7 years | Accounting in the UAE |
| Visas | Each residence permit lasts 2 years, then we renew it | License renewal and PRO services in Dubai |
With revenue up to AED 3 million a company can elect Small Business Relief and pay no corporate tax, for tax periods ending by 31 December 2029.
Five slips that slow a new UAE company down
Each one has a deadline or a limit in the tax law or in the zone's rules.
3 monthsCorporate tax registration
The clock starts at incorporation, and a free-zone company registers too. We file the application in 1 to 3 days: corporate tax registration in the UAE.
Up to 50Visa places counted late
A free zone sells places with the license: up to 50 at Shams, AED 1,850 a place at Meydan. On the mainland the floor space sets the number, so we count your people before we choose the license.
100 sq ftA mainland license without a lease
A Dubai mainland company leases at least 100 square feet and records the lease in Ejari for AED 220.
1 yearA license that lapses
A license is renewed every year, and DMCC, JAFZA and DAFZA ask for audited accounts at the renewal. DET closes a mainland renewal on the day it is filed.
9 monthsNo return for a company at 0%
The return is due within 9 months of the end of the tax period, tax or no tax. Our accountants file it: accounting in the UAE.
A platform where you open
and run a UAE company online
Your whole company is in your pocket. Sign documents, check the books and write to your accountant from your phone.
Your Company FZCO
- License expected 1–5 days
- Next deadline prepared
- Last month closed on time
- Passport copy Uploaded
- Passport-size photo Checked
- Application form Sign
- Proof of address Upload
You upload scans and sign the forms in the account. We keep the certificates and registers here afterwards, ready for a bank or an auditor.
The Legarithm team
We prepare your documents, check them before they are filed and keep your books.
Legal
Christina Agapiou Corporate Lawyer
Vasiliki Chatzigeorgiou Compliance Officer
Iryna Hrabovetska Associate
Anastasiia Kolomiiets Associate
Ivanna Plieshivtseva Junior Associate
Vladyslav Khamenushko Paralegal
Alisia Navrotska Paralegal
Vladyslav Syliava Paralegal
Finance and accounting
Ioannis Akritidis Accountant
Elizaveta Pytkina Accountant
Nataliia Dobrynina Accountant
Anna Kyrylova Finance specialist
Questions about a company in the UAE
Do I have to travel to the UAE to open a company?
No. A free-zone license is issued remotely. For a residence visa you come once, for the medical test and the Emirates ID.
Which UAE free zone is the cheapest?
Of the zones we work with, Fujairah Creative City has the lowest license fee: AED 3,999 a year without a visa. Ajman NuVentures starts at AED 4,888, Ajman Media City at AED 4,999 and Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone at AED 5,500. All 22 by fee: UAE free zone comparison.
Is there a minimum share capital in the UAE?
For most activities, no. DMCC asks for AED 50,000 and DAFZA for AED 1, and a mainland memorandum states the amount the owners choose.
How much does it cost to start a company in the UAE?
The license is paid at cost to the zone, DET or the registry, and our fee is one of three packages: the company from AED 2,150, a residence visa from AED 1,450 and the bank account from AED 1,800, which makes AED 5,400 in Smart. Zone fees start at AED 3,999 a year, DET's mainland license is AED 12,000 to 15,000 and RAK ICC charges AED 3,250 to register an offshore company. For Dubai's budget line by line, see company formation in Dubai.
What are the steps to form a company in the UAE?
On the mainland the economic department of the emirate takes five steps in order: the trade name, the initial approval, the memorandum, the office lease and the license. A free zone issues its license once you sign the memorandum and the desk lease online. Then come the visas, the tax registration and the business bank account in the UAE. For Dubai's fees at each step, see company formation in Dubai.
Free zone, mainland or offshore: which one should I choose?
Choose by where your customers are. Customers inside the UAE point to a mainland company, which trades with any customer in the country and abroad. Customers abroad and a residence visa for you point to a free-zone company. Shares, property or trademarks held for a family or a group point to an offshore company, which takes no license and no visas. Free zone vs mainland in the UAE weighs the two routes that trade.
Do I need to live in the UAE to open a company?
No. A free-zone or offshore company is registered with no trip to the UAE: you sign the memorandum and the desk lease online. A mainland license in Dubai asks a foreign applicant for an entry permit or a residence visa. A residence visa takes one trip for the medical test and the Emirates ID fingerprints. Where you live decides your own tax residence, not the company: 183 days in the UAE within 12 months make you resident.
Does a UAE company need an audit?
A mainland company has its yearly statements audited, and the zones DMCC, JAFZA and DAFZA ask for audited accounts every year. The tax law adds two cases: revenue above AED 50 million, and a free-zone company that claims the 0% rate. The deadlines are in which companies in the UAE must be audited.
Does a UAE company make me a UAE tax resident?
Not on its own. You become resident after 183 days in the UAE within 12 months, or after 90 days when you hold a residence permit and have a home, a job or a business there. The proof is the tax residency certificate in the UAE, which the Federal Tax Authority issues and we apply for.
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.
Guides to a company in the UAE
Videos about a company in the UAE
The film shows your first months with Legarithm in 74 seconds. The short videos open on YouTube.
1:43After registration: bank, taxes, free zone Opens on YouTube
2:44Structure, banking and tax residency Opens on YouTube
1:16When to set up a UAE company Opens on YouTubeUpdated 9 November 2026. Reviewed by Vladyslav Drapii, Founder.
