Business Setup
Dubai Free Zone Business Setup
Free zone business setup in Dubai starts with one decision that the rest of it follows from: which zone. There are dozens, and they are not interchangeable. Activity lists, visa allocations, premises rules and renewal costs all differ, so we shortlist the zones that fit what you actually intend to do, licence you in the one you choose, and tell you where that leaves you for corporate tax.
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Why it matters
Why the zone you pick matters more than the licence price
Choosing a free zone on headline price is the most common and most expensive setup mistake, because the price rarely reflects what the business will actually need.
Zones differ more than they appear
Activity lists, visa quotas, premises rules and renewal costs all vary. The cheapest licence is often not the cheapest year.
Free zone status has tax consequences
Whether you can hold qualifying treatment depends on your income and substance, not on the zone alone.
Mainland trade may need a route
Selling into the UAE market from a free zone requires a structure. Better to know before licensing.
What we provide
What free zone company setup in Dubai covers
Zone comparison
Candidate zones compared on activity, visa allocation, premises and total first-year cost.
Licensing
Application, documentation and incorporation with the chosen authority.
Visas and facilities
Establishment card, visas and the flexi-desk or office the licence requires.
Corporate tax position
An early read on whether qualifying free zone treatment is realistic for your activity.
Bank account support
Application prepared with the substance questions banks ask of free zone entities anticipated.
Post-licence registrations
Corporate tax registration and, where your turnover requires it, VAT registration handled once the licence is issued.
Renewal and ongoing compliance
What the zone will ask for each year, including where audited financial statements are a condition of renewal.
How it works
How a free zone setup runs, step by step
Shortlist
Your activity, visa numbers, premises needs and customers turned into a shortlist of zones that can actually licence it.
Compare
The shortlist costed side by side on the first year and the renewal year, not on the headline package price.
Licence
Name reservation, application, documents and incorporation filed with the authority you choose.
Establish
Establishment card, visas and the flexi-desk or office the licence is issued against.
Register and bank
Corporate tax registration completed and the bank application prepared with the substance questions already answered.
Outcomes
What you get from the engagement
A zone chosen on total cost and fit, not headline price
Visa allocation matched to your hiring plans
Your tax position understood before you licence
Banking prepared for rather than attempted afterwards
One team from the zone decision through to the first return
Who it is for
Who a Dubai free zone suits
Businesses trading internationally from a UAE base
Consultancies and service firms with overseas clients
E-commerce and technology companies
Foreign groups establishing a regional entity
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Dubai free zone setup: common questions
There is no single answer — it depends on your activity, how many visas you need, whether you need physical premises and who your customers are. We shortlist against those and show you the comparison.
Not directly in the way a mainland company can; it generally requires a route such as a distributor or a mainland branch. If UAE customers are central to your plan, that changes the recommendation.
It depends on meeting the qualifying conditions, which turn on your income and your substance rather than on the zone. We give you an early read and can review it properly as a separate engagement.
The zones price differently, and the package that looks cheapest in year one is often not the cheapest by renewal once visas and premises are counted. We cost your shortlist across both years before you commit, and quote our own fee separately.
It depends on the zone and on the premises you take, and the allocation is one of the things that separates otherwise similar packages. Tell us how many people you expect to sponsor and we will filter the shortlist on it.
Both exist, and the choice is tied to your visa allocation rather than free of it. A flexi-desk suits a small team; more visas generally means more space, which is why premises and headcount get decided together.
Yes. Corporate tax registration applies regardless of the rate you end up on, VAT registration applies once your turnover reaches the threshold, and several zones require audited financial statements at renewal. We handle all three.
Related
Services that go with a free zone setup
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