Mainland Company Formation in Dubai & the UAE

For most commercial and professional activities, yes — no Emirati shareholder is needed. A limited list of activities with strategic impact still carries ownership restrictions or extra conditions, and some regulated activities need approval from their sector regulator. We check your exact activities against the current rules before anything is filed, so the structure you register matches what the authority allows.

An LLC is a separate legal entity: its shareholders’ liability is limited to their share capital, and it can have one or more owners, individual or corporate. A sole establishment is owned by one individual and has no separate legal personality, so the owner is personally liable for its debts. Civil companies suit partners in professional practices, and branches extend an existing UAE or foreign company.

In Dubai, the licence needs a tenancy registered on Ejari, and the size of that space largely determines how many visas the company can sponsor. Depending on the activity, the premises may be a full office, a shop or warehouse, or a business-centre desk that meets DET’s requirements. Other emirates apply their own premises rules. We match the space to your visa plans before you sign a lease.

Yes. Each emirate has its own economic department that issues mainland licences, with its own activity list, premises rules and fees. A company licensed in one emirate can serve customers across the UAE, but opening premises in another emirate needs a branch licence there. We help you decide where the head office should sit and handle the application in the emirate you choose.

Yes. A mainland licence lets you contract with federal and local government entities, and with semi-government bodies, as long as the work falls within your licensed activities. Government buyers usually also require registration on their own supplier or procurement systems, with documents such as a valid licence and tax registration. We check that your activities and records match what those registrations ask for.

Mainland companies such as LLCs must register with the FTA whether or not they make a profit; taxable income up to AED 375,000 is taxed at 0% and income above it at 9%. Resident businesses with revenue of AED 3 million or less can elect Small Business Relief for tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2026. A sole establishment owner becomes taxable once business turnover exceeds AED 1 million in a calendar year.