A Mainland company is a company registered with the UAE Department of Economic Development (DED). This means that if you choose to conduct business in the UAE Mainland, you will need to register a business entity with the DED, which will then issue a business licence for doing business in the UAE.
Mainland companies can take various legal forms that have specific requirements for registration procedures, operations and corporate structure.
A Limited Liability Company (LLC) is a flexible form of enterprise that combines elements of partnership and corporate structures.
An LLC must have 1 to 50 shareholders, each of whom is liable only to the extent of his or her share in the capital of the company.
An LLC can convert into any other legal form, with the exception of public shareholding company.
Dubai Mainland Company registration includes the following steps:
Some activities require special approval from the various authorities (federal and local).
(either originals or notarized copies):
The shareholders need to additionally provide:
for the company and making a lease agreement.
Every Dubai Mainland company must have an office within the Emirate of Dubai. The minimum office space for one licence is 100 square ft.
The following documents are prepared for submission to the registration authority:
Upon registration, the Regulator issues the following documents:
A company seal is also issued.
The total time to register a Dubai Mainland company is 4 weeks, on average.
Upon registration of the company, you can proceed with visas and bank account opening. A company can open a bank account both at a UAE bank and at a foreign bank – please contact your GSL consultant for details.
The UAE does not have such concept as a residence permit. UAE migration rules require the issuance of residence visas which in practice are similar to a residence permit.
A residence visa can be obtained on the following grounds:
The number of residence visas depends on the business package chosen during registration of the company.
An investor visa and a work visa are normally issued for 2 years. Upon expiration, a visa can be renewed.
Application for residence visas includes the following steps (a visa can only be applied for after registration of the company):
1. Opening an Establishment Card (the migration file of the company) – 3 - 5 days. This document is necessary for the company to be able to apply for residence visas in the future.
2. Submitting documents for a residence visa and obtaining an Entry Permit (permission to enter the country) – 5 - 7 days.
To obtain a residence visa, an individual must enter the UAE with an Entry Permit.
If at the time of issuing of Entry Permit the applicant is already in the UAE, then in order to complete the issuance of a residence visa without leaving and re-entering the country, it is necessary to change the status of the visa. The service of changing the status of a visa is provided upon request and is subject to additional charges.
3. Visiting the UAE to obtain a residence visa – in most cases, a visa can be obtained within 5 working days.
The applicant needs to:
After receiving a passport with a residence visa inserted into it, one can leave the country.
4. Obtaining a resident ID-card - ID Emirates.
The card is issued a few days after the issuance of a visa. Personal presence is not required to receive it.
From 1 January 2018, the UAE introduced a Value Added Tax.
VAT as a general consumption tax applies to all transactions with goods and services unless such transaction is exempted or taxed at 0% rate.
The standard VAT rate in the UAE is 5%.
Registration as a VAT taxpayer is required in the following cases:
It is possible to initiate a voluntary registration after exceeding the threshold of taxable transactions in the amount of AED 187 500 (~ USD 50 000).
Registration with the UAE Federal Tax Administration and allocation of the company’s Tax Reference Number (TRN) takes 20 business days, on average.
A federal corporate tax was introduced in the UAE on 1 June 2023.
Mainland companies are subject to this tax:
There is also tax relief for small businesses.
Before registering a company, we recommend that you consult a specialist of the non-resident audit department and a tax adviser to assess the company’s tax burden and discuss subsequent administration of the company.
Every company registered in UAE Mainland must keep accounting records sufficient to confirm its financial position and reflecting up-to-date information about the assets and liabilities of the company. It is also necessary to prepare annual financial statements of the company and have them audited.
The company’s first accounting period begins on the date of incorporation and lasts 6 to 18 months. Every subsequent accounting period lasts exactly 12 months from the end-date of the previous period.
At each reporting date, company directors must prepare financial statements of the company, including auditor’s report, and present them to the annual general meeting within 3 months of the financial year-end.
Companies that have subsidiaries (more than 50%-owned) are required to prepare consolidated financial statements for the group.
A company must annually renew its licence, by paying a relevant fee, and its office lease agreement.
The company’s renewal date is the anniversary of the issue of the licence. In the case of late payment, the Regulator reserves the right to charge fines, as well as suspend the licence.
Upon renewal, an updated licence is issued.
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Services
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Fees (USD)
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Dubai Mainland company registration, including[2]:
- company incorporation (name check; collection, preparation and submission of documents for incorporation; selection of a licence; delivery of original corporate documents); - liaising with government authorities regarding all matters of the company; - maintaining the company’s online service portal; - monitoring changes in legislation, informing about changes and the need to revise the activities / structure of the company; - compliance check; - postal services (collection / delivery of documents and other correspondence); - company seal. The above cost also includes the state fees invoiced by the registration authority for the registration of the company and the issuance of the license; they are paid according to the invoice issued. Other options are available upon request. |
14 500
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GSL fees for finding an office for the company and registering the lease agreement with authorities.
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10% of the rent (one-off)
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GSL fees for finding a local partner and signing and subsequently registering an agreement with such local partner.
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10% of the partner’s fees (one-off)
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Annual renewal of the company, including:
- liaising with government authorities regarding all matters of the company; - maintaining the company’s online service portal; - monitoring changes in legislation, informing about changes and the need to revise the activities / structure of the company; - keeping track of the deadlines and making payments for the company renewal and the office lease agreement; - postal services (collection / delivery of documents and other correspondence). The above cost also includes the state fees invoiced by the registration authority for the renewal of the license. Other options – upon request. |
12 500
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Obtaining a residence visa (cost of one visa – investor visa), including:
- Government fees (Entry Permit, Medical Fitness Report & Emirates ID, Visa Stamping on the Passport); - preparing, executing and agreeing the necessary documentation with the migration authority; - accompanying the client to a medical clinic for medical examination; - accompanying the client to the Federal Migration Service for fingerprinting and biometrics; - submitting to the migration authority documents for issuing and stamping a visa; - filing an application for and obtaining a residence card; - selecting an insurance company for medical insurance (if required); - transport expenses. |
4 200
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Obtaining a residence visa for the investor’s family member, including:
- preparing, executing and agreeing the necessary documentation with the authorities; - accompanying the applicant to a medical clinic for medical examination; - accompanying the applicant to the Federal Migration Service for biometrics; - submitting to the migration authority documents for issuing a visa; - filing an application for and obtaining a residence card; - selecting an insurance company for getting health insurance. Note: that the following expenses are payable by the applicant additionally: - cost of health insurance; - translation and consular legalization of documents that prove the relationship; - payment of all government fees related to the issuance of a visa and ID card. |
2 900
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Renewal of a residence visa (cost of one visa – investor visa).
Renewal of a residence visa (investor visa is issued for 2 years) requires taking the same actions and paying the same fees as upon initial application. |
4 200
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Renewal of a residence visa for the investor’s family member (cost of one visa)
Renewal of a residence visa (investor visa is issued for 2 years) requires taking the same actions and paying the same fees as upon initial application. |
2 900
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Assistance with opening corporate and personal bank accounts, including[3]:
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== services of:
- analysing the company’s structure, its activities / business model / turnover OR, in the case of a personal account, information on the individual’s sources of funds / residence / account balance; - selecting banks individually for you – up to 3 options; - preparing descriptions of banks indicating the criteria by which they were selected; - preparing a description of further steps in the account opening procedure; |
500 (Stage I)
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== services of:
- collecting and analysing the corporate and other documents required to be submitted to the selected bank; - putting together a detailed account opening application, including complete information on the company, its owners and counterparties; - sending the application to one of the banks of your choice; - preparing a detailed description of all further steps in the account opening procedure; - preparing for an interview; - accompanying you to a personal / online meeting with a banker if necessary; - interacting with the bank at ALL stages; |
1 500 (Stage II)
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== payment of the remainder of the full fee – after receiving notification from the bank that the application is under final review by the bank’s compliance team;
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500 (Stage III)
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== an additional success fee is charged if the account is opened faster than the average standard procedure time, which is:
- for corporate accounts – 3 months, - for personal accounts – 1 month. |
+10% to the fee
for the service |
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Compliance fee
Payable in the cases of: - renewal of a company, - liquidation of a company, - transfer out of a company, - issue of a power of attorney to a new attorney, - change of manager / shareholder / beneficial owner, except the change to a nominee manager / shareholder, - signing of documents. |
350 (standard rate – includes the check of 1 individual)
+ 150 for each additional individual (manager, shareholder, or beneficial owner) or legal entity (manager or shareholder) if such legal entity is administered by GSL + 200 for each additional legal entity (manager or shareholder) if such legal entity is not administered by GSL 450 (rate for High Risk companies, includes the check of 1 individual) 100 (signing of documents) |
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Keeping company’s accounting records. Maintaining a systematic archive of company documents and providing them to the client upon request.
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200 / hour
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Preparing financial statements, conducting audit, and submitting financial statements to the government authorities.
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400 / hour[4]
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Tax advice on VAT and other matters.
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from 300 / hour
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VAT registration.
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1 500
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Preparing and submitting VAT returns.
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200 / hour
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[1] VAT of 5% is applied.
[2] The cost of package may vary depending on the number of shareholders, type of licence, and size of office (office size dictates how many residence visas a company can have).
[3] For more details on how fees for account opening assistance are charged, please contact your GSL consultant.
[4] The fees for preparing financial statements and conducting audit are charged based on the time spent at hourly rates ranging from USD 100 to 400, depending on the type of work and qualification of a specialist involved, but not less than USD 1 900 – fees for audited financial statements with a minimum number of transactions.