Business services
in Dubai.

The core path is: (1) decide the business activity, (2) pick jurisdiction (mainland/free zone/offshore), (3) choose the legal form, (4) reserve a trade name and get initial approval, (5) sort premises/Ejari (or use an Instant Licence that waives first-year Ejari on mainland), (6) get any external approvals, (7) pay fees and issue the trade licence, then (8) do the immigration establishment card and visas. The exact steps, cost and time depend on your activity and jurisdiction.

Yes, in most free zones and for many mainland cases the company can be formed remotely, often via Power of Attorney, with documents attested and couriered. What you cannot do remotely is the visa medical and Emirates ID biometrics - those need you physically in the UAE. So the licence can be done from abroad; the residence visa needs a visit.

Mainland (licensed by DET) can trade anywhere in the UAE market, deal directly with the local market and bid for government contracts, and 100% foreign ownership is now allowed for most activities. Free zone gives 100% ownership, easy setup and often cheaper packages, but to sell directly into the UAE onshore market you generally need a local distributor/agent or a mainland branch; it is ideal for export, services and holding. Best choice depends on your target market.

It varies. Free-zone packages (licence + flexi-desk + a set number of visas) often have a lower, more predictable entry price, especially for zero-visa or few-visa service businesses. Mainland can be competitive too - an Instant Licence waives first-year Ejari - but visa quota is tied to office size. There is no single winner; the cheaper option depends on activity, number of visas and whether you need onshore/retail presence. We price both for your case.

Dubai has many free zones (IFZA, Meydan, DMCC, DAFZA, Dubai South, Dubai Internet and Media City, DHCC for health, DIFC for finance, and others), each specialised by sector and price. Which one is best depends on your activity (some zones only license certain sectors), visa needs, office needs and budget. We shortlist zones that license your activity and compare their packages.

That is now outdated. Since the 2021 Commercial Companies Law reform, 100% foreign ownership is allowed on Dubai mainland for most activities - no mandatory 51% Emirati partner - except a limited strategic-impact activity list. Free zones always gave 100%. So ownership alone is no longer the deciding factor; market access, cost and visas usually are.

There is no single fixed number - the total is a sum of components (name reservation, initial approval, DET/free-zone licence fee, MOA notarisation, Ejari/office, plus Knowledge Dirham AED 10 and Innovation Dirham AED 10 per chargeable transaction, and 5% VAT on service fees). DET licence fees are activity- and legal-form-dependent and computed at application time. Free zones publish fixed packages. Give us your activity, jurisdiction and visa count and we will build an itemised quote.