Business License in Dubai
A commercial license in Dubai is the trade license that authorises buying and selling goods - retail, wholesale, trading, import and general trading - and you obtain it from the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) for a mainland company or from a free zone authority for a free zone company. It
Business License in Dubai
A trade license in Dubai is the official permit that lets your company legally carry out its business activity, and you obtain it either from the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) for a mainland company or from a free zone authority for a free zone company. For most activities
Company Formation
Yes - as of 2026 a foreigner can own 100% of most UAE companies. Free zones have always allowed full foreign ownership, and the UAE mainland opened up through the 2021 reforms to the commercial companies law, which removed the long-standing requirement that an Emirati national hold at least 51%
VAT
Value Added Tax (VAT) in the UAE is charged at a standard rate of 5%. Registration becomes mandatory once your taxable supplies and imports exceed AED 375,000 over the previous 12 months, or are expected to exceed that figure within the next 30 days. Businesses can register voluntarily once
Visas
Short answer: no, you do not need to hold a UAE residence visa to own or license a company in Dubai - but a visa is what unlocks day-to-day life as a resident. You can be the 100% owner of a free zone or mainland company while living abroad,
Corporate Tax
UAE corporate tax is charged at 9% on taxable profit above AED 375,000, and 0% on the portion at or below AED 375,000. Even if your business owes nothing because it sits under that threshold, registration with the Federal Tax Authority and filing an annual corporate tax return
Banking
Yes - a non-resident founder can open a corporate bank account in the UAE, but it is almost always the slowest part of the whole setup. Once your company exists on paper, expect roughly 2 to 8 weeks from application to a fully active account, depending on the bank, your
Business Setup
As of 2026, setting up a company in Dubai typically costs between approximately AED 12,500 and AED 35,000 (roughly USD 3,400 to USD 9,500) for the first year, depending on whether you choose a free zone or mainland structure, the number of visas you need, and