JAFZA offshore company formation: registered in 5 to 7 working days
We register your offshore company in JAFZA, Dubai, to own property and shares, through a registered agent. Our fee, fixed in your quote, covers the agent and a company secretary.
JAFZA offshore Jebel Ali, Dubai
- AED 10,000 JAFZA fee to register, paid once
- 5–7 Working days for JAFZA to register
- AED 2,500 JAFZA fee to renew, a year
What a JAFZA offshore company is
11,000Businesses in the zone behind the register
JAFZA is the Jebel Ali Free Zone: the flagship free zone of DP World beside Jebel Ali Port in Dubai and the largest customs bonded zone in the Middle East. More than 11,000 businesses from over 100 countries work there. Alongside its trading companies the zone keeps a register of offshore companies.
1 certificateOf incorporation in place of a trade license
An offshore company in the UAE is a limited company that owns assets and does its business outside the country. It receives 1 certificate of incorporation in place of a trade license and needs neither an office nor staff here. JAFZA registers such a company through its registered agents, and we file through one.
AED 10,000Fees, time and ownership
JAFZA charges AED 10,000 to register the company and AED 2,500 a year after that, and processes a registration in 5 to 7 working days. Our fee covers the registered agent and a company secretary. The owner, an individual or a company of any nationality, holds 100% of the shares.
JAFZA offshore company formation, step by step
- day 11
Purpose and owners
You tell us what the company will own and who stands behind it. We draw the ownership chart that the agent and the bank will ask for.
- day 12
Three names
You give us three names in order of preference, and we submit them.
- 2–4 days3
Documents and signatures
You upload passports, a CV and proof of address, and sign the application and the specimen signature form.
- 5–7 working days4
Filing through the registered agent
The agent files the application with the memorandum and articles. JAFZA processes it and issues the certificate of incorporation.
- 2–5 days5
Owners' register and tax number
We record the beneficial owners (UBO) and obtain the company's registration number from the Federal Tax Authority. VAT registration in the UAE is compulsory once taxable sales and imports pass AED 375,000 in 12 months.
- after registration6
Bank account
The application for a business bank account in the UAE, or for one abroad, goes in with the ownership chart from step one. We answer the bank's questions with you until the account is open. What the bank asks for is in documents and steps for a UAE business bank account.
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 Jebel Ali offshore company is used for
The company buys and holds freehold property in the areas of Dubai that are open to it. JAFZA issues the no-objection letter for AED 200 in one working day, and the Dubai Land Department registers the title.
It owns the shares of your companies in the UAE and abroad, so a sale of the group becomes the sale of one company.
It buys from suppliers and sells to customers outside the UAE.
It registers the rights in its own name and licenses them to the companies that use them.
A consultant with clients in several countries invoices all of them from one Dubai entity.
The company keeps a corporate account with a UAE bank or with a bank abroad, in the currency of your choice.
What JAFZA asks of an offshore company
- Shareholder, director, secretary
- One of each is the minimum, and one person may hold all three roles. A shareholder may be an individual or a company, and we arrange the secretary when you want one from us.
- A registered agent
- A registered agent is the one channel to JAFZA for an offshore company: for the registration, for every later change and for the yearly renewal.
- A registered address in Dubai
- The agent's office serves as the registered address, so the company has an address in Jebel Ali with no lease.
- Three name options
- You propose three names in order of preference, and JAFZA approves one of them.
- Attested papers for a corporate owner
- When the shareholder is a company, its certificates, memorandum and resolution are notarised and attested by a UAE embassy before the filing.
What a JAFZA offshore company costs
The dirham lines are JAFZA's own fees. Our fee, before VAT, covers the registered agent and the company secretary, and accounting is priced by the month.
JAFZA fee to register an offshore company
AED 10,000Get a quote- JAFZA fee to renew, a year
- AED 2,500
- Specimen signature, each
- AED 50
- No-objection letter to own property
- AED 200
- Certificate of good standing
- AED 200
- Letter of incumbency
- AED 400
- Our fee, with the agent and the secretary
- in your quote
- Accounting and the tax return, a month
- from $350
JAFZA's fees for later changes, with its processing times
| Change | JAFZA fee | JAFZA's time |
|---|---|---|
| Yearly renewal | AED 2,500 | 1 working day |
| Transfer of shares | AED 200, and AED 500 to amend the memorandum | 5 to 7 working days |
| Change of activity | AED 200, and AED 500 to amend the memorandum | 5 working days |
| Letter on the officers or on good standing | AED 200 | 1 working day |
| Moving a company in from another jurisdiction | AED 10,000 and AED 1,000 | 5 to 7 working days |
| Conversion into a free zone company | AED 3,000, and AED 5,000 to register it | 21 working days |
JAFZA offshore or RAK ICC
| Point | JAFZA offshore | RAK ICC |
|---|---|---|
| Home of the registry | Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai | Ras Al Khaimah |
| To register | AED 10,000 | AED 3,250 |
| To renew, yearly | AED 2,500 | AED 3,950 |
| Five years of registry fees | AED 20,000 | AED 19,050 |
| Processing | 5 to 7 working days | 2 working days |
| Secretary | Required | Optional |
| Letter for a Dubai property | AED 200 | AED 1,250 |
| Becoming an operating company | Conversion into a JAFZA free zone company | A subsidiary in the free zone of Ras Al Khaimah |
Dubai property, conversion, the yearly duties and the tax return
- Buying property in Dubai through the company
- The company applies to JAFZA for a no-objection letter, which is ready in one working day. With the letter the Dubai Land Department registers the freehold title in the company's name. When you sell, you transfer either the property or the shares of the company that owns it.
- When the company needs an office and visas
- JAFZA converts an offshore company into a JAFZA free zone company, an FZE or an FZCO, which holds a license, leases premises and sponsors visas. It charges AED 3,000 for the conversion and AED 5,000 for the registration and takes 21 working days. Our page on the residence visa shows what follows.
- Every year
- The agent renews the registration for AED 2,500. A renewal filed late costs AED 120 for every 30 days, and we file before the expiry date. The company keeps its register of beneficial owners current. No economic substance (ESR) filing is due: that regime ended with the financial year to 31 December 2022.
- Corporate tax return
- The company files a corporate tax return: 0% on the first AED 375,000 of taxable income and 9% above. The rates and the return are explained in the UAE corporate tax rate and who pays it. We prepare the return from $350 a month with the books.
Documents for Jebel Ali offshore company formation
Documents
An individual shareholder or officer
- Passport copy
- CV of the founder
- Specimen signature
- Proof of address: a utility bill or a bank statement
- National identity card, for a UAE national
A company as shareholder
- Certificate of registration, attested
- Certificate of good standing, attested
- Certificate of incumbency naming the ultimate owner
- Memorandum, board resolution and power of attorney, attested
You send them in your account. We check each document the day it arrives and tell you what is missing.
See the platformQuestions about JAFZA offshore company formation
What are offshore companies in the UAE?
Companies registered in the UAE to hold assets and to do business outside it. Two registries accept them, JAFZA in Dubai and RAK ICC in Ras Al Khaimah: our page on an offshore company in the UAE compares the two.
How many companies are located in JAFZA?
More than 11,000, with 130,000 jobs between them. In 2024 they generated $190 billion in trade.
Can a JAFZA offshore company own property in Dubai?
Yes, freehold property in the areas open to it. The JAFZA no-objection letter costs AED 200 and takes one working day. The Dubai Land Department then puts the title in the company's name.
How many directors does a JAFZA offshore company need?
One. JAFZA asks for at least one shareholder, one director and one secretary, and the same person may be all three.
Does a JAFZA offshore company pay corporate tax?
It registers with the Federal Tax Authority and files a yearly return, and we do both for it: corporate tax registration in the UAE. Taxable income up to AED 375,000 is taxed at 0% and the part above it at 9%.
Can I get a UAE residence visa with a JAFZA offshore company?
After a conversion, yes. JAFZA turns the offshore company into a free zone company in 21 working days, and that company sponsors visas.
How long does JAFZA offshore company formation take?
JAFZA processes a registration in 5 to 7 working days from the agent's filing. Allow 2 to 4 days before that for documents and signatures.
Are the owners of a JAFZA offshore company public?
No. JAFZA and the register of beneficial owners hold the names, and neither is open to the public.
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.
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Updated 19 October 2026. Reviewed by Vladyslav Drapii, Founder.
