Dubai's Free Zones give international founders a fast, well-regulated route into the UAE market. You get 100% foreign ownership where the zone permits it, a clear licensing process, modern offices and infrastructure, and a UAE trade licence that partners, platforms and banks recognise.
We handle the whole setup: choosing the right Free Zone and licence for what you actually do, reserving your name, filing your incorporation, arranging your office or flexi-desk, and supporting your establishment card, visas and bank account applications. You get a straight assessment of costs and obligations up front, and honest guidance on whether a Free Zone, a mainland licence or an offshore structure fits your plans best.
A Free Zone is a designated economic area within the UAE that operates under its own licensing authority and its own business setup rules. Each zone issues its own trade licences, maintains its own company registry, sets its own office and visa requirements, and approves its own list of permitted business activities.
A Free Zone company is a company incorporated with one of these authorities. It is a UAE legal entity with a UAE trade licence, its own corporate documents and, in most cases, the ability to sponsor residence visas for owners and staff.
Free Zone companies are commonly used for trading and general trading, professional and consultancy services, technology and software, e-commerce, media and creative services, marketing and advertising, logistics and freight, manufacturing and light industry in the relevant zones, education and training, healthcare in specialist zones, financial and professional services in the financial zones, and holding companies for shares, property or intellectual property.
Which of these you can do depends on the zone you choose and the licence you hold. Zones specialise: a media zone will not licence freight forwarding, and a commodities zone is not the natural home for a healthcare clinic. Matching activity to zone correctly at the start avoids re-licensing later.
How Free Zone companies are owned and structured
Free Zones generally allow full foreign ownership with no requirement for a UAE national partner, though some specialist zones and regulated activities carry additional conditions.
A single-shareholder company structure.
Two or more shareholders, individual or corporate.
A UAE presence for a company already registered elsewhere.
Matched to what your business actually does
Most Free Zone authorities offer a range of facility options: flexi-desk and shared workspace through to private offices, warehouses and light industrial units. You can start small and scale as the business grows.
Your visa allocation is usually linked to the facility you take: a flexi-desk supports a small number of visas, while a leased physical office or warehouse supports more. Warehouse and industrial activity always requires physical space, and substance requirements for tax purposes may also be relevant to how much presence you maintain. We match the facility to your licence and visa needs rather than defaulting to the cheapest option.
What to expect on residency for you, your staff and your family
Nine steps, from consultation to ongoing compliance
We map what your business actually does to the activity lists of the relevant authorities, and confirm which zones can licence it, flagging any activities needing external regulator approval.
We compare the realistic options on cost, visa allocation, office rules, banking suitability, audit requirements and market access, then recommend a zone, a licence type and a company structure.
We check availability against the authority's naming rules and reserve your approved name.
We prepare and file the application with passport copies, proof of address, shareholder and director details, business activity description and any attested corporate documents for corporate shareholders.
We complete the incorporation pack, including the memorandum and articles of association, board and shareholder resolutions, specimen signatures and registers of shareholders, directors and beneficial owners.
We arrange the facility your licence and visa allocation require and complete the lease documentation with the authority.
The authority issues your trade licence, certificate of incorporation, share certificates and lease. Your company now legally exists and can contract, invoice and apply for banking.
We apply for your establishment card, process residence visas (entry permit, medical screening, Emirates ID, visa stamping), and prepare your corporate bank account application.
We manage annual licence, lease and establishment card renewals, visa renewals, bookkeeping, audited financial statements where required, corporate tax and VAT registration and filing, and economic substance and beneficial ownership filings where applicable.
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We give you a precise checklist for your case up front
Passport copies and photographs, proof of residential address, UAE visa page and entry stamp if already in the country, a No Objection Certificate from a current UAE sponsor in some cases, and a CV or professional profile with attested qualifications for professional licences.
Attested or apostilled corporate documents where a company is a shareholder, plus bank reference or statements where the authority or bank requires them.
Typically 5 to 15 working days for the trade licence and incorporation documents once your paperwork is complete and any external approvals are in place. Residence visas usually add 2 to 4 weeks after the establishment card is issued. Corporate bank account opening runs separately and commonly takes 3 to 8 weeks. Document attestation from outside the UAE can extend the front end of the timeline, so starting six to eight weeks before you need to be operational gives you room.
Costs vary widely by zone, licence type, facility and visa count. Budget for three separate layers: government and authority fees for the licence, lease and establishment card; visa costs per person including medical and Emirates ID; and professional fees for setup, accounting, audit and tax compliance. Renewal costs matter as much as year one. We provide a written, fixed-scope quotation covering first-year and recurring costs so you can compare zones on a like-for-like basis.
Free Zone structuring done right, from setup to renewal
We match your activity to the zone that will actually approve it and suit your banking and visa needs, not just the cheapest headline price.
Licence, visas, establishment card, banking, accounting and tax handled under one roof.
A written, fixed-scope quotation covering first-year and renewal costs, provided before work begins.
We tell you plainly when a mainland licence or an offshore structure would serve you better than a Free Zone.
Direct answers to the questions we hear most often
Aug 31, 2026
Setting up a business in the UAE as a foreigner in 2026? Learn how to choose the right free zone, obtain a licence, secure visas, open a corporate bank account, and budget for the often overlooked costs of doing business.
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Setting up a business in the UAE as a foreigner in 2026? Discover how to choose the right free zone, obtain the necessary licence, secure visas, open a corporate bank account, and plan for overlooked costs, compliance requirements, and other essential expenses involved in launching and operating your business.
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Jul 24, 2026
Understand what it takes to qualify as a Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP) in the UAE and maintain the 0% Corporate Tax benefit. Explore key requirements, including qualifying income, adequate substance, the De Minimis Rule, audited financial statements, Transfer Pricing compliance, and Designated Zone documentation.
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