Construction & Contracting · Commercial licence · Code 4210003
مقاولات إنشاء الأنفاق وإصلاحها
How to set up a Tunnels Contracting business in Dubai: the approvals, premises and ownership rules for activity code 4210003, and each step to the trade licence.
Restricted activity
Tunnels Contracting is licensed only with approval from Roads & Transport Authority & Civil Defence. Each application, and each renewal, is decided case by case and includes security vetting. Scout doesn't give automated advice on defence and security activities: talk to an adviser who handles restricted approvals.
Last updated · Licensing authority: Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), Dubai. Fees change, so confirm the current amount with the authority before you pay.
ISIC classification: Construction of roads and railways (4210)
Typically requires Designated Zone status for VAT purposes
About this activity
Heavy underground civil engineering for roadway tunnels, subterranean pedestrian underpasses, mountain rock blasting, and tunnel lining maintenance.
Regulatory requirements
Tunnels Contracting can be licensed on the mainland in 3 emirates, under a commercial licence. The government licence fee starts at AED 1,000 in Abu Dhabi; we haven't confirmed the fee in the other emirates yet. Office rent, visas and any external approvals are paid on top of the licence fee.
Across the 50 Construction & Contracting activities we hold fees for, starting fees run from AED 250 to AED 3,500 (median AED 1,000). This activity sits at the median.
Confirm the activity and legal form
Apply under activity code 4210003 (Tunnels Contracting) on a commercial licence. Choose the legal form, most often a limited liability company (LLC) or a sole establishment, and list any other activities you plan to add.
Reserve a trade name and get initial approval
Apply to the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) to reserve the trade name and receive initial approval. Initial approval confirms the government has no objection to you starting the business.
Get the external approval
This activity needs approval from Roads & Transport Authority & Civil Defence before the licence is issued. Apply once you have initial approval; the authority may inspect your premises or ask for qualifications.
Secure the right premises
The activity calls for commercial office & industrial yard. Sign a lease and register it with Ejari; the registered tenancy is part of the licence file.
Sign the founding documents
Sign the Memorandum of Association (or the sole-owner equivalent) setting out the owners and their shares.
Pay the fees and collect the trade licence
Pay the licence fee, which starts at AED 1,000 in Abu Dhabi, plus market and registration charges, and DET issues the trade licence.
After the licence
Get the establishment card, apply for residence visas, open a corporate bank account and register for Corporate Tax with the Federal Tax Authority. Register for VAT once taxable turnover passes AED 375,000 a year.
See the documents you'll need and what to do after you incorporate.
The approving authority's rules
Read what this authority requires of a tunnels contracting business, chapter by chapter, in Lexara.
The duties every new UAE company meets, whatever its activity. Each links to a short explainer series with the law behind it.
Beneficial owner register
Within 60 days of the company existing, keep a register of its beneficial owners and of its partners or shareholders, and file them with the registrar.
Corporate tax
Register for corporate tax within three months of incorporation, and file each return within nine months of the end of the tax period.
VAT
Register for VAT once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000, then issue tax invoices and file returns for each tax period.
Staff
Hiring people brings the federal labour law: the contract and probation, hours, leave and wages, the employee file, and ending employment properly.
Records
Keep accounting records that show the company's financial position for at least five years after the end of each financial year; tax records have their own periods.
Keeping the licence
In Dubai, renew the licence in the last month before it expires, and tell the Department of Economy and Tourism within ten working days when the facts behind it change.
Reserve a trade name and get initial approval from DET under activity code 4210003, get approval from Roads & Transport Authority & Civil Defence, register premises with Ejari, sign the Memorandum of Association and pay the licence fee. DET then issues the trade licence.
The government licence fee starts at AED 1,000 in Abu Dhabi. Office rent, visas, and any external approvals are paid on top of the licence fee.
Yes. Tunnels Contracting is open to 100% foreign ownership on a Dubai mainland licence, so you don't need a local partner.
Yes. Besides DET, the activity needs approval from Roads & Transport Authority & Civil Defence. This is usually the longest step, so start it as soon as you have initial approval.
The activity calls for commercial office & industrial yard, registered with Ejari.
We hold licensing data for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah. The lowest starting fee we hold is in Abu Dhabi.
Leave your details and an adviser who handles restricted-activity approvals will call you back about a new licence, a renewal or the approval file. This form is for licensing a company; to buy, inspect or service equipment, contact a licensed supplier directly. There's no charge to ask.