Offshore company formation in Dubai and the UAE from $3,000
We register an offshore company with RAK ICC in Ras Al Khaimah or JAFZA in Dubai, from $3,000, to hold shares and property. RAK ICC takes 3 to 5 working days and JAFZA 5 to 7.
Three ways to set up a company in the UAE
- Free zonefrom $7,000license in 1 to 5 working days
- Mainlandfrom $8,000license in 1 to 2 weeks
- Offshorefrom $3,000registered in 3 to 7 working days
What an offshore company in Dubai is
Registered with one of two registries
An offshore company in the UAE is registered for business outside the country with one of two registries. One is RAK ICC, the international corporate centre of Ras Al Khaimah, under the RAK ICC Business Companies Regulations. The other is the offshore register of JAFZA, the Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai, under the JAFZA Offshore Companies Regulations, described on JAFZA offshore company.
What it holds and whom it serves
The company holds shares, property, intellectual property and bank accounts, signs contracts with clients abroad and belongs to its foreign owners in full. Its customers are outside the UAE. Trade with customers in the country goes through a free-zone or mainland company, which the offshore company can own. The company receives a certificate of incorporation in place of a trade license.
An offshore company needs no office and no staff. A registered agent files with the registry and gives the company its registered address, and we arrange both.
What a UAE offshore company holds
The offshore company owns your subsidiaries in the UAE and abroad and receives their dividends. A group then has one parent.
A RAK ICC or JAFZA company registers freehold property with the Dubai Land Department in its own name. RAK ICC issues the no-objection certificate for each property for AED 1,250.
The company owns the rights and licenses them to the businesses that use them.
It opens accounts with a UAE bank or a bank abroad, in the currency you choose.
RAK ICC also registers foundations, used to pass assets to the next generation: AED 1,500 to register, AED 1,500 a year to renew and AED 750 a year for the license.
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.
Which offshore company is best in Dubai: RAK ICC or JAFZA
| Name | RAK ICC | JAFZA offshore |
|---|---|---|
| Registry | RAK International Corporate Centre, Ras Al Khaimah | Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai |
| Registered in | 3 to 5 working days | 5 to 7 working days |
| Registry's fee to register | AED 3,250 | AED 10,000 |
| Registry's fee each year after | AED 3,950 | AED 2,500 |
| Registry fees over five years | AED 19,050 | AED 20,000 |
| Officers | One director and one shareholder | One director, one shareholder and a secretary |
| Certificate of incumbency | AED 1,000 | AED 400 |
| Moving an existing company in | AED 3,250 | AED 1,000 on top of the registration |
| Chosen for | Holding shares in a group and family assets | Holding freehold property in Dubai |
What offshore company formation costs with us
Our prices are before VAT. RAK ICC charges AED 3,250 to incorporate and JAFZA AED 10,000 to register.
Offshore company, registered
from $3,000Get a quote- Registered agent and address, a year
- in your quote
- Corporate tax registration
- in your quote
- Accounting and the yearly tax return, a month
- from $350
- Bank account application
- in your quote
Offshore company setup in Dubai, step by step
- day 11
Registry and name
We recommend RAK ICC or JAFZA for what the company will hold and reserve its name.
- 2 to 4 days2
Documents
In your account you upload passports, proof of address, a CV and a note on where the funds come from. We check them before filing.
- 3 to 7 working days3
Registration
We draft the memorandum and articles and file them through the registered agent. The registry issues the certificate of incorporation.
- 2 to 5 days4
Owner register and tax number
We file the register of beneficial owners and register the company with the Federal Tax Authority.
- after registration5
Bank account
We prepare the bank application and answer the bank's questions with you until the account is open.
Corporate tax and the yearly filings of an offshore company
0% and 9%Resident for corporate tax
A company incorporated in the UAE is resident for corporate tax, an offshore company included. It pays 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above, on income from any country. How a holding's dividends are taxed is in our guide to who pays UAE corporate tax and how it is calculated.
3 monthsRegistration and the yearly return
We register the company with the Federal Tax Authority within 3 months of incorporation: a registration filed late costs AED 10,000, the charge in force since 1 March 2024. The return is due within 9 months of the end of each financial year, also when the tax is nil. The tax registration and its fines are on corporate tax registration in the UAE.
Each year4 duties of an offshore company
- The renewal with the registry each year: AED 3,950 in RAK ICC, AED 2,500 in JAFZA
- The register of beneficial owners (UBO), updated within 15 days of a change, and within 2 weeks at RAK ICC
- Accounting records and one corporate tax return
- The registered agent and the registered address
We track the four dates in your account, keep the records and file each one: accounting in the UAE.
A bank account for an offshore company
In the UAE or abroad
The registries allow an account with a UAE bank or a bank in another country, in the currency you choose.
What the bank reads
Who owns the company, what it holds and where the money comes from. We put the structure chart, the ownership documents and the purpose of the company into one file.
A holding above an operating company
Banks know the pair: a free-zone company trades and holds the main account, and the offshore company owns its shares. The banks are compared on business bank account in the UAE.
Offshore, free zone or mainland: which company for which job
An offshore company: shares, property, rights and accounts, with no office and no visas.
A free-zone company, from $7,000: it has a license, a flexi-desk and residence visas for its owner and staff.
A mainland company, from $8,000: it trades with any customer in the country and bids for government work.
An offshore company that owns the shares of your free-zone or mainland company. We register the two together, and our guide free zone vs mainland in the UAE helps to pick the one that trades.
Documents for an offshore company
Documents
Each owner and director
- Passport copy
- Proof of address from the last 3 months
- CV or professional profile
- Bank or professional reference letter
- Short note on the source of funds
A company as shareholder
- Certificate of incorporation and good standing
- Memorandum and articles of association
- Register of directors and shareholders
- Board resolution approving the new company
- Attestation by a notary and the UAE embassy
You send them in your account. We check each document the day it arrives and tell you what is missing.
See the platformQuestions about offshore company formation in Dubai and the UAE
How much money is required to open a company in Dubai?
From $3,000 before VAT for an offshore company, from $7,000 for a free-zone company and from $8,000 on the mainland. The mainland sets no standard minimum share capital.
Does a UAE offshore company pay corporate tax?
Yes, at the rates of any UAE company: 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above. We register it with the Federal Tax Authority and file the return every year.
Can I move an existing offshore company to the UAE?
Yes. Both registries take in a company from another jurisdiction, and it keeps its history and its assets. JAFZA charges AED 1,000 on top of the registration fee, RAK ICC AED 3,250.
Can I get a UAE residence visa through an offshore company?
A visa comes through a free-zone or mainland company. We register one beside your offshore holding and file the visa.
Are the owners of an offshore company public?
No. The registry and the register of beneficial owners hold the names of shareholders and directors, and neither is open to the public.
Do the Economic Substance Regulations (ESR) apply to a UAE offshore company?
Not to a company formed today. Cabinet Resolution No. 98 of 2024 limited ESR to financial years from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2022, so a new offshore company files no notification and no report. For a company that held shares in those years we check that both were filed: Economic Substance Regulations in the UAE.
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
RAK ICC offshore company
Registered in 3 to 5 working days, registry fee AED 3,250
OpenJAFZA offshore company
The Dubai registry for holding property, registry fee AED 10,000
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.
