Business
Business in the UAE
Why Welcome To Emirates
One platform for the whole company, not one desk of it
Most of what stops a business in its first year here is not the licence. It is the account that will not open, the premises that do not match the licence, the books nobody started and the permit that was applied for in the wrong order. We do the licence and then we do the rest of it.
- Formation, banking, premises, trading, acquisition and tax — arranged through one contact rather than six.
- Offices in Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Ajman, under a single contract.
- A recommendation you can argue with, including when it is that the route you had in mind is the wrong one.
What we do
Establish. Bank. Operate. Trade. Acquire. Optimise.
Six things a company coming to the Emirates has to arrange, in the order they actually happen. We do all six, and we are just as willing to do one.
Company formation
Whether through a free zone or a mainland setup, incorporation or acquisition, we handle every step of establishing your company.
- Free zone
- Mainland
- Incorporation
- Acquisition
- Full setup support
Bank accounts
Opening a corporate account is the step that stops most new companies: the criteria are strict and they are not the same at every bank.
- Bank selection
- Application support
- Matched to how you actually trade
- Ongoing support
Offices and business premises
Flexible workspace under one contract, in the emirate your customers are in rather than the one your licence was cheapest in.
- Dubai
- Sharjah
- Abu Dhabi
- Ajman
- Flexible solutions adapted to the business
Trading and procurement
Sourcing, moving and paying for goods, with the regulatory side handled at every step rather than at the end.
- Competitive sourcing
- Logistics
- Secure payments
- Strategic advice
- Regulatory compliance
Company acquisitions
Where buying beats building, we run the acquisition from the first target list to the week after completion.
- Identify suitable targets
- Access to opportunities
- Due diligence
- Legal and administrative coordination
- Acquisition support
- Integration support
Tax and accounting support
The obligations that begin in the first month and are easiest to get wrong: the books, the filings and the deadlines.
- Local tax guidance
- Compliance
- Bookkeeping
- Financial reporting
- Tax and cost optimisation
- Ongoing support
Tell us what you are building
One conversation is usually enough to know which structure to open, what it will take and which of the services above you actually need. Nothing is filed before you have seen the whole picture.
Book a consultationHow we help
From the first conversation to the first invoice
The order matters more than the speed. Each step exists because the one after it cannot be done without it.
The conversation before the paperwork
What you sell, who buys it, where they are and who will need a residence permit. This is what decides the structure, and it is the only part that cannot be delegated.
A recommendation, with the reason for it
We come back with the structure we would open, the activity it should be licensed for and what it will and will not let you do — including where we think another route would serve you better.
The licence file
Incorporation documents, passports, the premises arrangement and any approval your activity needs from a regulator beyond the registrar. We assemble it; you sign it.
Establishment card, permits and Emirates ID
The company’s own registration with immigration comes first. The shareholder and staff permits, the medicals and the Emirates ID files all follow from it.
Banking, books and the year that follows
The corporate account is opened against the licence and the premises. Bookkeeping, corporate tax registration and the licence renewal start from day one, not at the year end.
Choosing the right structure
We assess the business first, then recommend the structure
Not the other way round. Before we name a free zone or an emirate, we look at five things:
- What the business actually does
- Where its customers are
- Where it will operate from
- What it plans to grow into
- What its activity is regulated by
Then we tell you which structure fits what you are trying to do, and why the other one does not. The comparison below is what that recommendation is drawn from.
| Point of comparison | Free zone | Mainland |
|---|---|---|
| Suits a business that | Sells outside the UAE — export, consulting, software, holding, a regional head office. | Sells inside the UAE — retail, hospitality, contracting, professional services with local clients. |
| Where you may sell | Within the zone and internationally; into the local market through a distributor or a further arrangement. | Directly across the emirate and the wider UAE, with no intermediary. |
| Licensed by | The free zone authority, which is also your registrar, your landlord and your visa desk. | The economic department of the emirate, with other authorities involved depending on the activity. |
| Premises | Taken inside the zone, from a desk up to warehousing. | Taken where your customers are; the registered tenancy is part of the licence file. |
Fees, ownership rules, visa quotas and processing times differ by zone, by emirate and by activity, and they change. We quote them for your case rather than publishing a figure here that would be wrong for most readers.
Growth, network and investment
Once the company exists, the work changes
The three services below are the ones clients come back for: a way into a new market, the people already in it, and the capital to move faster than trading income allows.
Expansion and market entry
We develop growth plans to help you enter new markets, build your presence and take the strategic opportunities the market offers.
- Growth strategies
- Market entry
- Market development
- Strategic opportunities
Business network
We connect you with key partners to build your business and the lasting relationships that the local market runs on.
- Access to influential networks
- Strategic partners
- Introductions in the local market
Investment and capital
We identify companies suited to your acquisition goals, and we introduce founders to investors who back businesses moving to the Emirates.
- Companies for acquisition
- Business angels
- Investment connections
Questions
What we are asked before the first meeting
Free zone or mainland — which one do I need?
It is decided by who buys from you, not by which is quicker to open. We look at the business first and come back with a recommendation and the reasoning behind it. The comparison above is there so the recommendation makes sense when you get it.
How long does a setup take, and what does it cost?
Both depend on the activity, the authority and the emirate, and both change. We give you a timetable and a written quotation for your own case once the activity and the structure are fixed — before anything is filed. We do not publish a figure here that would be wrong for most readers.
Can you open the bank account as well?
Yes, and it is usually the step that needs the most preparation. In practice a corporate account is opened against a licence, premises and a clear account of where the money comes from, so we assemble that alongside the formation rather than after it, and we put you in front of the bank that fits how you actually trade.
Do you handle residence permits for me and my staff?
Yes. The company’s registration with immigration comes first, and the shareholder and employee permits, medicals and Emirates ID files follow from it. We run that file with the formation rather than treating it as a separate job.
I already have a UAE company. Can you take it over?
Yes. Bookkeeping, corporate tax registration, filings and licence renewals can be taken on for a company that is already trading, and so can a change of premises or a restructuring of the licence. Tell us what is in place and what is not working.
I would rather buy a business than start one.
Then we run it as an acquisition: target list, access to what is available, due diligence, the legal and administrative coordination, and the integration afterwards. Buying beats building more often than founders expect, particularly where a licence and a customer list come with it.
Market
UAE real estate: what was actually registered
Registered transaction totals for the first half of 2026, as published by each emirate’s own land or real-estate authority. Each figure links to the announcement it comes from.
Dubai
AED 419.94 billion
112,850 transactions
Off-plan sales accounted for AED 139.75 billion across 58,840 transactions; completed property for AED 146.69 billion across 27,160.
Source: Dubai Land Department, 20 July 2026
Abu Dhabi
AED 117 billion
volume up 61.7% year on year
Sales made up AED 86.1 billion across 16,838 transactions. Foreign direct investment reached AED 13.8 billion, from investors of 116 nationalities.
Source: Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre, 23 July 2026
Sharjah
AED 29.5 billion
59,460 transactions, up 9.3%
Growth measured against the first half of 2025, across the emirate as a whole rather than a single district.
Source: Sharjah Real Estate Registration Department, 15 July 2026
Ajman
AED 10.8 billion
6,815 transactions
Property trading accounted for 5,435 transactions worth AED 7.64 billion; mortgages for 969 worth AED 1.88 billion.
Source: Ajman Land and Real Estate Regulation Department, 15 July 2026
These are totals for whole emirates over one half-year, and they record what was registered — not what any single property did or will do. They are not a forecast, and we do not quote guaranteed yields. For what a specific building or community has actually been selling at, ask us and we will show you the records.