Dubai trade licences are commercial, professional, industrial or tourism, and your activity decides which. Fees, activity examples and the mistakes that make founders pay twice.
Your office type can set your visa quota and affect bank approval. Flexi desk vs virtual office vs Ejari office compared by cost, visas and banking, with a which-when table.
Mainland company quotes range from AED 15,000 to 80,000 because they price different things. Line-by-line costs, a three-year budget (AED 60,000-110,000) and how to cut the bill.
Meydan beats IFZA by AED 400 on a bare licence but loses by AED 2,970 with one visa. Free zone costs ranked both ways, plus the audit cost most lists ignore.
Standalone ESR filings were cancelled for financial years ending after 31 Dec 2022. What changed, what is still risky for 2019-2022, and how substance now affects your 0% corporate tax rate.
You can incorporate a UAE freezone company entirely from abroad — but opening a working corporate bank account almost always still means one in-person trip. What’s genuinely remote and what isn’t.
The AED 50 million audit threshold for UAE free zone companies is gone. Every Qualifying Free Zone Person now needs an audit, regardless of revenue — deadlines, approved auditor lists, and what it costs by free zone.
Every UAE company — mainland or free zone — must declare its Ultimate Beneficial Owner and keep it updated within 15 days of any change. Filing deadlines, registers required, and penalties up to AED 100,000.
Since March 2025, freezone companies can legally sell to mainland UAE clients through a permit or dual licence — no mainland office required for most of them. What the three options cost and which one fits.
