Company Registration in Ajman Free Zone - Business Starting & Setup

Established in 1988, Ajman FZ is located in the administrative center of the emirate of the same name. Ajman is situated 40 kilometers from Dubai and thanks to the large port it is one of the centers for organizing the transportation of goods. Developed infrastructure and a plenty of commercial real estate available for rent made Ajman FZ one of the most attractive zones for registering trading and manufacturing companies.

According to the UAE legislation, the following restrictions apply to company names:

• Sensitive words include: Insurance, Bank, Building society, Co-operative, Fund, Municipal, Chamber of Commerce, Trust, Royal, Chartered, Finance, Mutual Fund, Emirate and Emirates;
• Company name should end with word “Limited” or “Ltd”;
• The companies can use English or Arabic for their names.

Company registration in Ajman FZ includes the following steps:

• Select a company name to be checked for availability (at least 2 names), the structure of the company (directors, members) and type of licence;
• Pay fees for services;
• Provide the documents for directors and shareholders (either originals or notarized copies);
• Prepare and submit a set of documents for company registration: company registration application (signed by the shareholder), specimen signature card (signed by the shareholder and director), Security Approval form (filled out and signed by each director and shareholder);
• Receive the certificate of registration, articles and seal in the specified address.

The UAE does not have public company registries that would contain details of shareholders or directors. Information about free zone companies can only be obtained at the request of a local court.

The register of shareholders and directors of the company is not accessible to third parties.

Upon registration the company and the Free Zone administration necessarily sign an office lease agreement. The address of such office is considered the official registered office address of the company. At the same time, the company is free to rent additional offices, industrial premises or warehouses in the territory of Ajman FZ.

Companies are required to have a common seal.

The redomiciliation of companies either to or from the UAE is permitted.

The director (manager) can only be an individual, the minimum number of directors is one. There are no requirements as to the residency of directors. Directors’ details are submitted to the Free Zone administration, but are not accessible to third parties.

Ajman FZ does not have a requirement to appoint a company secretary.

The minimum number of members / shareholders in a company is one, they can be individuals or legal entities, and there are no residency requirements. In the SEZ Ajman there is no requirement for the mandatory presence of a local shareholder in the structure of the company.

If the shareholder is an individual, then such a person must be over 21 years old.

Despite that many jurisdictions consider creating a public register of beneficial owners, the UAE does not have one yet. This means that there is no open access to the beneficial ownership information. It is stored by a service provider, namely a company registration agent, trustees, lawyers, accountants and other professionals, subject to strict confidentiality. Information about the beneficial owner can only be disclosed to regulatory authorities (for example, during inspections for its availability) or by court order.

The minimum authorized capital is AED 185 000 (~ USD 50 300), however the Free Zone administration does not currently request confirmation of its payment when registering the company.

The company normally issues 185 shares of AED 1 000 each.