Your UAE company, set up by people who've done it 850 times.
Foreign founders trust us with the activity selection, the licenses, the EJARI, the visas — the whole maze. We turn 90 days of bureaucracy into a 30-minute conversation.
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Foreign founders served
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Days average to trade license
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Success rate, no rejections
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Hidden fees — fixed-price packages
Three paths to a UAE license
We work across all three jurisdictions. Mainland is the most common path for foreign founders — and the focus of the journey below.
Mainland
Real estate, retail, government contracts, full UAE market access
Ownership
100% foreign ownership available for most activities
Holding companies, asset protection, international structuring
Ownership
100% foreign ownership, no UAE residency required
Setup
3–7 days
International banking access
No physical office required
Asset and IP protection
Confidential ownership
The Mainland Path
Seven steps from idea to trade license.
Every stage demystified. We carry the file end-to-end — you stay focused on building the business.
01 / 07Choose your business activity
The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism approves more than 2,000 distinct business activities, and each one comes with its own capital floor, external approvals, visa quota, and bank-account appetite. Picking the wrong activity doesn't just delay you — it forces costly amendments six months in. We start by mapping what you actually plan to do, today and two years from now, to the activities that maximize your visa quota and minimize friction.
What we handle
Map your business model to compliant DED activity codes
Flag activities that trigger external approvals
Pick combinations that protect your visa quota
Pre-clear the activity with our DED contacts
What you provide
A 30-minute conversation about your business — current and planned
Typical timeline
Same day as your kickoff call
Common pitfall
Founders default to "general trading," thinking it covers everything. It rarely does — and it doubles the annual fee.
DED's trade name registry has strict rules: no religious references, no political terms, no foreign trademarks, and any non-Arabic word triggers an extra layer of approval. A rejected name doesn't just need resubmitting — it adds a week to your timeline. We submit three pre-checked alternatives so the first one clears.
What we handle
Pre-check your candidates against the live DED registry
Offer three compliant alternatives
Submit and track the reservation
Renew the name if formation slips past 6 months
What you provide
Approve one of the names we propose, or share your own and we'll vet it
Typical timeline
24–48 hours
Common pitfall
Names containing foreign words require Ministry of Economy sign-off — easy to miss, and it adds a full week.
Initial Approval is the keystone of the whole formation — the government's "no objection" confirming you, as a foreign founder, can run this activity in this name. Without it you can't sign an EJARI, open a bank account, or move toward a license. The activity you chose in Step 01 also dictates which external authorities weigh in: KHDA for education, SIRA for security, CBUAE for finance, Civil Defence for industrial work.
What we handle
Compile and submit the full Initial Approval package
Pre-clear external approvals with the relevant authority
Respond to DED clarifications on your behalf
Carry your file end-to-end
What you provide
Passport copy, recent photo, and proof of address
Typical timeline
3–5 working days
Common pitfall
Activities like "consulting" or "investment advisory" silently trigger external approvals that add 2–4 weeks. We anticipate them in Step 01 — most agents don't.
Every Mainland company needs a registered physical address, and your visa quota is anchored to its size: roughly one visa per nine square metres. Solo founders use a flexi-desk; teams need a real office. The trap is that DED only accepts addresses from registered providers — the cheap "virtual office" packages sold online get rejected at inspection.
What we handle
Match the office or flexi-desk to your target visa quota
Negotiate rates with DED-listed providers in Business Bay, JLT, Downtown, or DIFC
Confirm the address passes DED inspection
What you provide
Tell us how many visas you'll need (founder, family, employees) — we size the space accordingly
Typical timeline
1–2 days for a flexi-desk; 1–2 weeks for a private office
Common pitfall
"AED 1,500/year virtual office" listings on Facebook are not DED-registered. Every one we've audited has failed inspection.
EJARI is the Dubai Land Department's mandatory registration of your tenancy contract. It turns your office lease into a government-recognised document — and DED won't issue your trade license without it. The hidden risk is data alignment: the owner name, unit number, and Makani code on your tenancy must match what's filed with the DLD exactly, or the EJARI is rejected and the whole submission stalls.
What we handle
Verify your tenancy contract against DLD records before submission
Register the EJARI with the Dubai Land Department
Reconcile any mismatched owner or unit data
What you provide
Sign the tenancy agreement we negotiate
Typical timeline
24–72 hours
Common pitfall
One transposed digit in the Makani code voids the EJARI and the matching trade license submission. We verify before submitting.
This is the final review. Your full package — Initial Approval, EJARI, Memorandum of Association, shareholder details, external approvals — goes to DED for trade license issuance. The MOA is drafted in both Arabic and English, with shareholder splits, capital, and management roles defined precisely. Typos here are not minor — they're a week's delay each.
What we handle
Compile the full submission package
Draft your bilingual MOA
Legally review every line before filing
Respond to DED clarifications within hours, not days
What you provide
Sign the MOA — in person or via Power of Attorney if you're remote
Typical timeline
5–7 working days at DED
Common pitfall
DED reviewers reject submissions for a single typo. Every MOA we submit goes through legal review first.
Your trade license is issued — the company legally exists. From there, residency visas unlock the rest of the UAE for you: Emirates ID, a real bank account, real estate ownership, school enrolment, ten-year tax-free residency. We don't stop at the license. We carry you through investor visa, medical, biometric, Emirates ID, and a warm bank introduction.
What we handle
Investor visa application
Medical and biometric appointments
Emirates ID issuance
Warm intro to a UAE bank — Emirates NBD, Mashreq, ADCB, or RAK
Ongoing renewals via PRO services
What you provide
One visit to the UAE for medical and biometric — typically a 3-day window we coordinate around your calendar
Typical timeline
7–10 working days from license issuance
Common pitfall
Founders who attempt their own visa run after license issuance often misfile and lose the visa for six months. This is where most DIY attempts collapse.
From Decision to Operations in Three Weeks
What we handle, when.
Day 0
Discovery
Activity, jurisdiction, ownership structure locked in.
Day 3
Documents Filed
Trade name reserved, initial approvals submitted.
Day 7
License Issued
Trade license + establishment card in your name.
Day 14
Bank & Visas
Corporate account opened, residence visas in process.
Day 21
Operations Live
Tax registration, accounting, and team onboarding complete.
What's included, end to end
One fixed price covers every authority, every signature, and the first year of renewals.
Trade License
Mainland, Free Zone, or Offshore — your choice
Investor Visa
10-year residency, Emirates ID, family sponsorship
No. We use Power of Attorney for the formation itself, so the entire trade license can be issued while you're abroad. One short visit (typically a 3-day window) is needed at the visa stage for medical and biometric — we coordinate around your calendar.
Most Mainland activities have no minimum capital requirement. A handful of regulated activities — banking, insurance, education — carry capital floors set by their regulators. We confirm exact requirements against your specific activity in the kickoff call.
Roughly 10–14 days to a Mainland trade license, plus 7–10 days for visa issuance after the license. Free Zone formations are typically 5–10 days. We give you a written, day-by-day timeline at the start so there are no surprises.
Yes — spouse, children, and parents can all be sponsored on an investor visa. We handle the dependent visa applications alongside the founder's visa as part of the package.
Some founders use the company to purchase property; others buy personally on their investor visa. Both routes have tax and exit-planning trade-offs. Our real estate division advises on which structure fits your situation, before you sign anything.
The UAE charges 0% personal income tax. Corporate tax is 9%, and only on profits above AED 375,000 — most early-stage founders pay nothing. Free Zone companies can qualify for 0% on qualifying income. We connect you with our accountants for a precise read on your structure.
Trade licenses are renewed annually with DED. We handle the renewal each year as part of our PRO services so you never miss a deadline or face a fine.
Both are routine amendments. We handle MOA updates, shareholder additions, and activity changes on an ongoing basis. The earlier you tell us your two-year plan, the cheaper this is — which is why we ask in Step 01.
30 minutes. Total clarity.
Book a free consultation. We'll map your activity, your visa, your timeline, and your costs — in writing.
