Business Setup in Dubai — Company Formation, Trade Licence and Visas
Setting up a company in the UAE is mostly a sequence of decisions: which free zone, which activities, how many visas, and what all of it costs across the first two years rather than the first month.
We handle that sequence end to end — the trade licence, the corporate documents, the establishment card, the residence visas and the attestation and translation that sit behind them. As authorised channel partners for the major UAE free zones, we are not tied to placing you in one particular zone.
This page sets out what a licence includes, what it costs, and what comes after it.
Free-zone licences from AED 3,699 · Authorised channel partners for 8 free zones · Tabby instalments available · Dubai, UAE
Your company, step by step
What is a UAE business licence, and what does it actually get you?
A trade licence is the instrument that makes your company a legal entity. It names your company, lists the activities you are permitted to carry out, and ties them to a registered address. With it you can open a corporate bank account, sign contracts, invoice clients and sponsor employees.
What it is not, on its own, is permission to live in the UAE. A licence and a residence visa are two separate applications with two separate costs, and your company needs an establishment card and an immigration file opened before it can sponsor anyone — including you.
That distinction is the single most common misunderstanding we deal with, and it is where most cost surprises begin.
Licences are usually issued against an activity category — commercial for trading, professional for services and consultancy, industrial for manufacturing, and e-commerce for online trade. The category drives which approvals you need and how much the licence costs.
Free zone or mainland: which one applies to you?
There are more than forty free zones in the UAE, each with its own fee structure, permitted activities and facility options. Broadly:
A free-zone company gives you full ownership, a registered address inside the zone, and a visa allocation tied to the facility you take. It is the usual route for consultancies, service businesses, e-commerce and companies whose customers are outside the UAE or are other businesses. A free-zone licence is ideal for start-ups, e-commerce and SMEs, and is a cost-effective way to begin your entrepreneurship journey.
A mainland company is licensed by the emirate’s Department of Economy and can trade directly with the UAE domestic market without a local distributor or service agent arrangement.
We set up both, and the honest answer to which one you need depends on who your customers are, whether you need a physical office, and how many people you plan to sponsor.
Why we quote a free-zone price but not a mainland one
A free-zone licence has a published, predictable fee, which is why we can tell you it starts at AED 3,699. A mainland licence does not. Its cost moves with the activities you register and with the rent on the office or warehouse the licence is issued against — and those inputs are not fixed by the government either. Anyone advertising a single flat mainland price is quoting one narrow scenario and will revise it once they know what you actually do.
So for mainland we scope first and quote second. It takes one conversation, and the number you get is the number you pay.
How much does a business licence cost in Dubai?
A UAE free-zone business licence starts at AED 3,699 with us. That covers the licence itself:
| Included in AED 3,699 | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Full ownership | 100% ownership, no local partner required |
| Flexi-desk address | The registered address the licence is issued against |
| Up to 10 business activities | The activities your licence permits |
| Memorandum of association | The company’s constitutional document |
That is a company that legally exists and can start trading. It does not include a residence visa — the licence-only package carries no visa allocation at all.
If you need visas, the package price changes accordingly:
| Package | Price |
|---|---|
| Licence only — no visas | AED 3,699 |
| Licence + 1 visa | AED 8,499 |
| Licence + 2 visas | AED 12,999 |
| Licence + 3 visas | AED 15,999 |
| Licence + 4 visas | AED 18,999 |
| Licence + 5 visas | AED 22,999 |
| Larger packages, up to 8 visas | On request, to AED 32,999 |
The jump from AED 3,699 to AED 8,499 for a single visa is the number most people are never shown before they commit. It is not a surcharge — it is what a residence visa genuinely costs to process. But it is the difference between a licence and a life in the UAE, and you should see it at the start.
Still outside these figures: the annual renewal, and attestation or translation where your documents need it. Which licence type you need is covered on our new trade license page, and the full cost breakdown sets out what a discounted quote usually leaves out.
Tabby instalments available.
Do I get a residence visa with my licence?
Not automatically. The visa is a separate application, and for most people it is the larger cost.
An investor or partner visa usually runs through an entry permit, a status change, a medical fitness test, Emirates ID registration and the visa stamping — each a distinct fee. Before any of that, your company needs its establishment card and immigration file opened.
How many visas you can hold is not unlimited. In most free zones the allocation is tied to your facility, and a flexi-desk package carries a small one. If you intend to hire, say so before you choose a package rather than after — moving to a larger facility later costs more than starting on the right one.
Our licence-only package at AED 3,699 includes no visas. The packages above add them in fixed counts, and how many you can hold beyond that depends on the facility you take.
Hiring food, hospitality, salon or healthcare staff? Their jobs can also need an Occupational Health Card, which we process too — see our OHC services in Dubai.
What does it cost to renew each year?
A trade licence is not a one-time purchase. The licence renews annually, and so do the establishment card, the flexi-desk or office agreement and each residence visa on its own cycle.
This is where first-year promotional pricing and real running cost separate. A quote that looks competitive in year one can carry a materially higher renewal, and renewal is the number you will pay every year afterwards. Ask for it before you sign, not at the eleven-month mark.
We quote renewal at the same time as setup, so the figure is in front of you from the start.
Can I sponsor my spouse and children?
Yes, once your own residence visa is issued and your company’s immigration file is open. Each family member is a separate sponsored visa with its own entry permit, medical, Emirates ID and stamping, and sponsorship carries conditions including an income threshold and suitable accommodation.
Family sponsorship also means documents. Marriage and birth certificates generally need attestation, and where they are not in Arabic or English they need legal translation — AED 35 per page for Arabic ↔ English and AED 140 per page for other language pairs. Government fees apply separately.
Because we handle attestation and translation in the same place, those documents do not need to go to a second provider. See family visa services for the full process.
What tax and compliance applies once I am trading?
A company that exists has obligations, and they carry cost. This is not specific to us or to any provider — it is what running a UAE company involves.
| Obligation | Rate |
|---|---|
| Corporate tax | 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000, 9% above it |
| VAT | 5% standard rate; registration compulsory above AED 375,000 turnover |
Free-zone businesses that meet their regulatory requirements continue to benefit from the incentives their zone offers, but they remain inside the corporate tax regime and must register and file. Bookkeeping, accounting and filing are a recurring cost whether handled in-house or outsourced.
VAT registration becomes compulsory once your taxable turnover passes AED 375,000 a year. Below that, registration is voluntary from AED 187,500. Thresholds and rates are set federally and can change, so confirm the current position with the Federal Tax Authority before budgeting against them.
How does your business setup process work?
- Scoping call — what you do, who your customers are, how many visas you need now and in two years
- Zone and structure recommendation — with the cost of each option across setup and renewal, not just setup
- Name reservation and initial approval — with the relevant authority
- Documentation — memorandum of association, corporate documents, and any attestation or translation required
- Licence issue — your company legally exists
- Establishment card and immigration file — so the company can sponsor
- Residence visas — entry permit, medical, Emirates ID, stamping, for you and your family
- Bank account introduction — see bank account assistance
Why choose Seal & Signature for business setup in Dubai?
- Authorised channel partners for the major UAE free zones — Innovation City, RAKEZ, Meydan Free Zone, UAQ Free Trade Zone, Ajman Free Zone, ANC Free Zone, IFZA and Shams
- The full cost up front — licence, visas and renewal quoted together, before you commit
- Attestation and translation in-house — the documents behind a company formation do not go to a second provider
- Advice against your activity, not our convenience — a consultant who recommends the same zone to everyone is recommending their own paperwork
- Based in Dubai, working across all seven emirates
Message us on WhatsApp at +971 55 937 1335 with what you plan to do and how many visas you need, and we will come back with the zone that fits, the licence cost, the visa cost and the renewal figure.
Frequently Asked Questions
A UAE free-zone licence starts at AED 3,699 for the licence itself — full ownership, flexi-desk address, up to 10 business activities and the memorandum of association. Residence visas, the annual renewal and family visas are separate costs.
No. The licence registers your company; a residence visa is a separate application. Your company also needs an establishment card and immigration file opened before it can sponsor anyone, including you.
It depends on the free zone and the facility in your package. A flexi-desk carries a small allocation. Tell your consultant your hiring plans before choosing a package.
Yes. The licence renews annually, as do the establishment card, the facility agreement and each residence visa on its own cycle. Ask for the year-two figure before you commit.
A free-zone company gives full ownership with a registered address inside the zone and a visa allocation tied to your facility. A mainland company is licensed by the emirate’s Department of Economy and can trade directly with the UAE domestic market.
Free-zone businesses meeting their regulatory requirements keep the incentives their zone offers, but they remain inside the corporate tax regime and must register and file. Headline rates are 0% up to AED 375,000 of taxable income and 9% above.
Yes — Tabby instalments are available on our business licence packages.
Yes, once your own residence visa is issued. Each family member is a separate sponsored visa, and marriage and birth certificates generally need attestation and often legal translation.
Start your company with the full cost in front of you
Tell us what you plan to do and how many visas you need. We will come back with the zone that fits, the licence cost, the visa cost and the renewal figure.
