Establishment project · Gulf licence

United Arab Emirates

Free zones and mainland · Middle East

Company, registered office, banking file and annual upkeep, run by us, with a local correspondent where we have one.

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Entity type

FZ-LLC · LLC

Capital

Variable

Incorporation time

2–4 weeks

Banking

Accessible

From

2,490 €

25.2°N 55.3°EDubaï

Who this jurisdiction suits

0 % up to AED 375,000 of profit, then 9 % — and 0 % personal income tax.
Two-year residence visa for the investor and family.
Twenty free zones, one of which matches your activity precisely.

What it does not solve

Corporate tax registration mandatory even at nil rate, with accounts to keep.
The zone determines everything: choosing wrongly forces a full rebuild.

Conditions to meet

Corporate taxation

0 % up to AED 375,000 then 9 % · registration mandatory even at nil rate

Share capital

Variable

Incorporation time

2–4 weeks

Banking access

Accessible

Good with a serious substance file. Very high know-your-customer requirements since 2023.

Substance requirement

Real presence required

The registered office takes the form of a flexi-desk or an office, depending on the zone and your visa quota. Some zones require a closed office beyond two or three visas. The zone determines the cost, and choosing the wrong one forces a full rebuild.

Physical office

Closed office by zone, on quotation. Mandatory above a certain visa quota.

Services and prices

Starting prices, excluding tax, for a standard file. Government fees are rebilled at cost, with receipts and no commission. The firm price is set after the scoping call, once your situation is known.

Company formation

9,990 €one-off

Registered office

2,490 €then 2,490 € per year

Bank account opening

3,490 €one-off

Renewal and upkeep

3,490 €then 3,490 € per year

Residence and tax residence

4,990 €one-off

See the other 10 services in this jurisdiction

Registered office and mail

3,490 €then 3,490 € per year

Virtual office

4,990 €then 4,990 € per year

Real office

14,990 €then 14,990 € per year

Accounting, filings and audit

3,990 €then 3,990 € per year

Redomiciliation

7,990 €one-off

Change of agent

2,490 €one-off

Dissolution and strike-off

4,990 €one-off

Compliance, KYC and beneficial owners

2,490 €then 2,490 € per year

Regulated activity licences

29,990 €then 11,990 € per year

Will and succession in the UAE

7,990 €one-off

A real file departs from these amounts: a structure with several shareholders, indirect ownership or a regulated activity is not costed like a standard file.

Financial licences — United Arab Emirates

Commercial / digital bank licence · Banks and credit institutions

From 299,990 €then 119,990 € per year

Exchange licence — exchange-only category · Currency exchange, MSB and money transmission

On requestafter review of the file

Exchange + transfers / remittance licence · Currency exchange, MSB and money transmission

On requestafter review of the file

Virtual Asset Service Provider licence · MiCA, CASP and digital assets

On requestafter review of the file

Virtual assets licence · MiCA, CASP and digital assets

On requestafter review of the file

All 113 financial licences →

The twenty free zones

Compare the 20 zones

Registered office and premises

Registered office

Official address on the register, receipt of administrative mail.

+ Mail handling

Scanned within one business day, monthly physical forwarding, alert on any official notice.

Virtual office

Local number answered in your company's name, messages relayed.

Physical office

Closed office by zone, on quotation. Mandatory above a certain visa quota.

Documents required

Valid passport with at least six months remaining
Identity photograph in the local official format
Proof of address less than three months old
CV and description of the activity
Proof of source of funds
Copy of the current entry visa or entry stamp, where applicable

How it runs

Scoping and choice of zoneThe zone determines your permitted activities, visa quota, office requirement and renewal cost. An error here forces a full rebuild.
Name reservation and initial approvalFiling the trade name and obtaining the zone authority's prior approval.
Licence issueSigning the articles, paying government fees, issue of the licence and establishment card.
Visa and identityVisa quota, entry under establishment visa, medical examination, biometrics and issue of the local identity card.
Tax and bank accountCorporate tax registration, setting up the mandatory accounting, banking file and presentation to institutions.

Where these figures come from

Recorded on 21 September 2026, jurisdiction by jurisdiction. Rates and thresholds move, and they depend on your shareholding, your activity and your residence: we revalidate every point with a licensed adviser on the ground before committing you. That is what makes a figure quoted here still hold on the day you sign.

AquaSands

What we do for you

Company, registered office, banking file and annual upkeep, run by us, with a local correspondent where we have one.

Arbitration

We compare this jurisdiction with the two or three others that answer the same need, and tell you which one holds for your activity and your residence.

Incorporation

Articles, name reservation, filing with the register and collection of the official documents, through a local correspondent or our team, named before signature.

Registered office

Address on the register, mail handling, virtual office or real premises according to what local regulation actually requires.

Banking file

Preparation of the file the local institutions expect and introduction to at least two of them. No account opening is guaranteed.

Substance

The elements that make the arrangement defensible before your home tax authority: effective management, contracts, genuine presence.

Annual upkeep

Renewals, periodic filings, beneficial ownership register, deadline alerts. This is where structures get lost.

Start now

United Arab EmiratesBook a 20-min call