UAE company incorporation and statutory registration.

1. 1

   Choose where to set up

   Free zone or mainland, and which one, depends on your activities, where your customers are, how many visas you need and your budget. Some activities also need a regulator's licence: the DFSA or FSRA for financial services, VARA for virtual assets in Dubai, the Central Bank for payments.

   Get an AI setup advisory (Scout) Compare free zones Mainland vs free zone

2. 2

   Apply for the licence and incorporate

   You apply to the free zone authority or the emirate's economic department, yourself or through a setup adviser. Expect to provide shareholder passports, a business description and, for a company, its constitutional documents.

   Incorporation document checklist Talk to a setup adviser

3. 3

   Register with the authorities after the licence

   • Corporate Tax: companies register with the Federal Tax Authority and get a Corporate Tax registration number.
   • VAT: registration is mandatory once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000 in 12 months, and voluntary from AED 187,500.
   • Beneficial owners: keep a register of your ultimate beneficial owners and file it with the registrar (Cabinet Decision No. 109 of 2023).
   • AML: real estate agents, dealers in precious metals and stones, corporate service providers, auditors and other DNFBPs register on goAML.

   After you incorporate

4. 4

   Keep up from day one

   Licence renewals, tax returns and AML duties start straight away. Comply works out which apply to your company from its licence and activities and tracks the deadlines.

   About Comply

A general guide, not legal or tax advice. Rules and fees change; check the current position with the authority or an adviser before you act.