Setting up a company in Dubai
Free zone or mainland, what each one really costs, and which banks open the account afterwards.
The licence fee in the advert is the smallest line on the bill. Add the visa allocation, the establishment card, the medical, the Emirates ID, an office or a flexi-desk, and then the renewal a year later. We price the whole thing across three years before you commit to a zone, and we tell you which zones banks are currently opening accounts for without a fight.
How we help
- 01A three-year cost for every zone on your list, not the first-year headline
- 02Which zone fits your activity, so you do not pay twice to change it later
- 03Which banks currently open accounts for that zone, and what they ask for
- 04How many visas the licence includes and what each extra one costs
- 05When mainland is the cheaper answer, and when it is not
What people are asking right now
Ranges from the market, not live listings. We move them when the market moves.
| Zone | Includes | From | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meydan Free Zone | 1 visa | AED 12,500 + | fast, popular with consultants |
| IFZA Dubai | 1 visa | AED 12,900 + | cheapest mainstream route |
| SHAMS (Sharjah) | 1 visa | AED 9,000 + | cheapest overall, Sharjah address |
| DMCC | 1 visa | AED 34,000 + | prestige, commodities, strong banking |
| DIFC | 1 visa | AED 30,000 + | common law, finance and legal |
| Mainland (DET) | per visa | AED 15,000 + | sell to the local market directly |
Swipe sideways for the rest
Tell us what you need
The more concrete you are, the more useful our answer.
Questions people ask first
What does the cheapest real setup cost?
Around AED 9,000 to 13,000 a year for a one-visa licence at SHAMS, IFZA or Meydan, once the establishment card and the visa are counted. Anything advertised well below that is usually a licence with no visa allocation.
How long does it take?
The licence itself takes two to five working days in most free zones. Visa and Emirates ID add two to four weeks. The bank account is the part that can drag, sometimes six weeks.
Do I have to live in Dubai?
No, but a residence visa lapses if you stay outside the UAE for six months at a stretch, and banks look closely at owners who are never here.
Other things we help with
Buying property in Dubai
What the portal price leaves out, and what a purchase costs from signature to key.
What we trackRenting an apartment in Dubai
What a flat in that tower actually goes for, and how not to hand a year of rent to the wrong person.
What we trackThe Golden Visa, without the sales pitch
Which routes exist, what each one really requires, and which are quietly harder than they look.
What we trackHealth cover in Dubai, and what it skips
The legal minimum, what it does not cover, and where paying more actually buys something.
What we trackYour first six weeks in Dubai, in order
Emirates ID, bank account, licence, DEWA, school places. What comes first and what it costs.
What we trackOpening a bank account in Dubai
Personal or corporate, which banks say yes to whom, and what actually causes a rejection.
What we trackThe freelance permit, priced honestly
Who it fits, what it costs in year one and at renewal, and where it falls short.
What we trackCrypto in the UAE, licensing included
What VARA actually regulates, what needs no licence at all, and what a licence costs.
What we trackGetting into the night you actually wanted
Tickets, tables and the weeks when the whole city drops its prices.
What we trackThe good ones, as they appear.
Free, no sign-up, leave whenever.
@dxbradar