Guide for founders abroad

Setting Up a Business in Dubai From Abroad: A Step-by-Step Guide for 2026

Starting a business in Dubai from the US, the UK or India, or from Pakistan or anywhere else? This guide puts the whole path in order: which structure fits, what you can do from home, when you need to fly in, what it costs, and how the residence visa and the bank account fit around the licence.

Updated October 2026 · Reviewed by Amir Aslam, founder of First Idea Consultant (founded 2015) · 14 min read

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The short answer

Yes, you can open a business in Dubai without living there, and you can own all of it. Most founders abroad make five decisions, in this order:

1Your activity. It decides which licence you need and which zones can issue it.
2Free zone or mainland. A free zone suits most service, consulting and online businesses; the mainland suits businesses that sell directly to customers in the UAE.
3How many visas. Each residence visa needs a slot on the licence, so plan for yourself and any staff.
4One trip to the UAE. The licence can be done online, but the visa medical test and Emirates ID biometrics happen in person.
5The bank account. A digital business account is usually quicker to open; a local bank usually wants to meet you in the UAE.

With us, a free zone company with one residence visa costs from AED 23,136 at Meydan or AED 23,436 at IFZA. A licence without a visa starts at AED 12,500 at Meydan and AED 12,900 at IFZA.

Setting up a business in Dubai from abroad

Can a foreigner start a business in Dubai without living there?

Yes. Under the UAE commercial companies law, foreign investors can fully own most mainland companies with no Emirati shareholder, although the Cabinet can set ownership limits for activities of strategic impact (u.ae). Free zone companies can also be fully foreign owned. You do not need to live in the UAE to own the company, and you do not need a residence visa to hold the licence.

What decides whether you travel is the visa, not the company. In zones such as IFZA and Meydan the licence is an online process. Becoming a UAE resident means a medical test and fingerprints in the UAE. Many founders keep living at home and use the Dubai company as an international base; others move once the visa is ready.

What you can do from home

Choose the activity and the free zone, and check that the company name is available.
Send passport copies, a photo and proof of your home address for the application and the compliance (KYC) check.
Sign the incorporation documents electronically, where the zone allows it.
Pay the zone and government fees by card or bank transfer.
Receive the licence and company documents by email.
Start an application with some digital business banks once the licence is issued.

What needs you in the UAE

The medical fitness test for the residence visa. u.ae says every applicant aged 18 or over takes one.
Emirates ID biometrics (fingerprints and a photo) for the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP).
Usually a meeting at the bank, if you want a local business account rather than a digital one.
Any signing in person that a mainland authority or your bank asks for.

Meydan says its partner visa typically takes 5 to 10 working days, depending on approvals, so many founders plan a single trip of around two weeks. Check your own government's travel advice before you book; for British nationals that is the FCDO travel advice for the UAE. To check which visa you travel on for that trip, see our guide to Dubai business visa requirements by passport.

Free zone, mainland or offshore: which suits you?

Most founders abroad choose between a free zone company and a mainland company. The difference is less about tax and more about who your customers are and where you will work.

Free zone and mainland compared
	Free zone (for example IFZA, Meydan)	Dubai mainland
Who it suits	Consultants, agencies, online and e-commerce businesses, holding companies and traders whose customers are mostly abroad or are other businesses	Shops, restaurants, contractors and businesses that sell directly to customers across the UAE or want government work
Ownership	Full foreign ownership	Full foreign ownership for most activities; the Cabinet can limit activities of strategic impact
Where you can trade	Internationally and inside the zone. Selling directly on the UAE mainland usually needs a mainland licence or a local distributor	Anywhere in the UAE and abroad
Licensing authority	The free zone authority	Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, plus any sector approvals
Office	A flexi-desk or shared desk is usually enough for the licence and a visa	A registered office lease; in Dubai it must be registered with Ejari
Residence visas	Set by your licence package and the space you take	Usually linked to the size of your office
Typical first step	Pick your activities from the zone's list and check the name	Choose the activity and legal form, reserve the trade name and get initial approval
Prices on our sheet	Yes, fixed packages for IFZA and Meydan	No. We quote each case in writing

Offshore companies, such as those registered with RAK ICC, are holding or international trading vehicles. They do not trade inside the UAE and do not usually come with residence visas, so they rarely fit a founder who wants to live in Dubai.

For the zones we set up in, see our guide to a Dubai free zone licence. If the mainland fits better, our page on company registration in Dubai explains that route and its documents. For the mainland route itself, read our guide to business setup in Dubai mainland, and for the legal form most foreign owners use there, see how a UAE LLC works.

How to start a business in Dubai, step by step

This is the order a free zone setup follows when you are abroad. The mainland adds an initial approval, a Memorandum of Association and an office lease, all of which the Ministry of Economy and Tourism lists among its official steps. The timings below are only those the authorities themselves publish; everything else depends on how quickly documents move.

Setup timeline
Step	Who does it	Typical time
1. Choose the activity	You, with our help	Your decision; no official timing
2. Pick the free zone or the mainland	You	Your decision; no official timing
3. Reserve the name and apply	We file on the zone's portal	Depends on the zone's compliance review
4. Sign the documents	You, often by e-signature	As soon as you sign
5. Licence issued	The free zone authority	u.ae says within 14 working days of approval; Meydan says its standard licences are issued within a day
6. Visa, medical and Emirates ID	The zone, the immigration authorities and you, in person	Meydan says typically 5 to 10 working days, depending on approvals
7. Bank account	The bank	Set by each bank's compliance review

These are typical timings, not promises. Public holidays, extra approvals for regulated activities and incomplete documents all add time.

1. Choose the activity

Everything follows from the activity on your licence: which zones can issue it, whether you need an extra approval and what your bank will ask. Write down what you will actually sell and to whom, then match it to the zone's activity list. Meydan lists more than 2,500 activities and lets you combine activities from up to three groups.

Regulated work, such as financial services, healthcare or education, needs a sector approval in addition to the licence and can rule some zones out.

2. Pick the jurisdiction

Use the comparison above. If most of your customers are outside the UAE or are businesses, a free zone is usually the simpler and cheaper route. If you will sell directly to UAE consumers or open a shop, the mainland is usually the right answer. When in doubt, tell us what you sell and we will say which route fits and why.

3. Reserve the name and apply

Trade names follow official rules. u.ae says a name must include the legal form, must not offend public morals or use religious references, and must not copy an existing name. Prepare two or three options.

We then file the application with your passport, photo, address proof and activity details, and the zone runs its compliance (KYC) check on every shareholder.

4. Sign the documents

The zone issues the incorporation documents, such as the Memorandum or Articles of Association and the shareholder resolutions, for signature. Free zones such as IFZA and Meydan usually allow electronic signing from abroad. On the mainland, u.ae notes that the Memorandum of Association is prepared and attested by UAE law firms, courts or a notary public.

5. Licence issued

Once the fees are paid and the approvals are in, the zone issues the licence and the company documents. From this point the company exists: it can sign contracts and send invoices, and it must register for corporate tax with the Federal Tax Authority.

Your company can then be looked up on the official registers. Our guide to the Dubai company registry shows how anyone, including your bank and your customers, checks a UAE company from abroad.

6. Visa, medical and Emirates ID

For a residence visa the company first gets an establishment card, which opens its immigration file. You then receive an entry permit, fly in (or change status if you are already in the UAE), take the medical test and give your Emirates ID biometrics. The visa is issued once every check is clear. The visa section below covers each stage.

7. Bank account

Banks want to see the licence, and many want the Emirates ID as well, so the account normally comes last. A digital business account can often be opened with less paperwork; a local bank usually needs a meeting in the UAE. Read the bank section below before you book your flight, so the bank meeting falls inside the same trip.

How much does it cost to set up a business in Dubai?

These are our fixed package prices for IFZA and Meydan, the two Dubai free zones on our price sheet. Each total already includes the zone and government fees for that package. IFZA and Meydan are separate packages, so you pick one zone; the two prices are never added together.

Package prices (AED)
Package	What is included	IFZA	Meydan	Meydan price in INR / GBP / USD
Basic	Free zone licence, no residence visa	AED 12,900	AED 12,500	about INR 329,000 / GBP 2,580 / USD 3,400
Standard	Licence plus one residence visa, with the medical test and Emirates ID	AED 23,436	AED 23,136	about INR 609,000 / GBP 4,770 / USD 6,300
Premium, digital bank	Standard, plus help opening a digital business account and one personal account	AED 28,436	AED 28,136	about INR 741,000 / GBP 5,800 / USD 7,660
Premium, local bank	Standard, plus help opening a local business account (you attend in person) and one personal account	AED 33,436	AED 33,136	about INR 873,000 / GBP 6,830 / USD 9,020
Gold	Standard, plus a year of corporate services, a local business account with a relationship manager, a digital business account and two personal accounts	AED 48,436	AED 48,136	about INR 1,268,000 / GBP 9,930 / USD 13,110

Home-currency figures are indicative only and rounded, at the rate on 7 October 2026 (ECB reference rates, with the dirham at 3.6725 to the US dollar). You pay in AED.

Our professional service fee inside these totals is promotional: AED 0 on Basic (regularly AED 1,000) and AED 2,000 on Standard and Premium (regularly AED 3,500); Gold includes a professional fee of AED 5,000 (regularly AED 10,000). Corporate tax registration is included free from Standard upwards.

Bank account opening is subject to the bank's KYC, compliance review and final approval.

What the one-visa Standard package is made of

Item	IFZA	Meydan
Trade licence	AED 12,900	AED 12,500
Visa allocation	AED 2,000	AED 1,850
Establishment card	AED 2,000	AED 2,000
Residence visa (IFZA lists it as a manager or employee visa)	AED 3,750	AED 4,000
Medical test, normal service	AED 400	AED 400
Emirates ID biometrics, normal service	AED 386	AED 386
Our professional service fee (promotional)	AED 2,000	AED 2,000
Total	AED 23,436	AED 23,136

Optional extras

Change of status inside the UAE, if you are already in the country: AED 1,600
VIP medical test instead of the normal one: AED 750
Help getting an earlier biometrics appointment: AED 600

Mainland companies, DMCC and other zones are not on our price sheet, because the cost depends on the activity, the office and the approvals. Send us your activity on WhatsApp and we will reply with a written quote. To compare options yourself first, try our business setup cost calculator.

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Year-two costs to budget for

Licence renewal

The zone charges its renewal fee every year. We do not charge our professional service fee on renewals; only the authority fees apply.

Visa renewal

u.ae says a sponsored residence visa can be valid for 1, 2 or 3 years, depending on its type. Renewal usually means a new medical test and Emirates ID, so budget for both.

Accounting and bookkeeping

Corporate tax returns are built on your accounts, so keep books from day one. The cost depends on how many transactions you have.

Corporate tax and VAT

Every company registers for corporate tax, even when no tax is due, and keeps filing returns for each tax period. VAT registration is required once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000 a year, according to the Federal Tax Authority.

Office and bank fees

Moving from a flexi-desk to a real office, and any monthly fee or minimum balance your bank sets, are running costs to plan for.

What documents do you need?

For a free zone company with individual shareholders, the list is short. Zones and banks can ask for more, especially for regulated activities or when another company is the shareholder.

For the licence

A clear colour copy of your passport, with plenty of validity left
A passport-style photo on a white background
Proof of your home address, such as a recent utility bill or bank statement
Your UAE visa or entry stamp, if you are in the UAE when you apply
A short business plan or activity description, where the zone or the activity calls for one
For a company shareholder: its certificate of incorporation, articles and a board resolution, usually attested

For the residence visa

The licence and establishment card (we handle these)
Your passport and photo
The medical test and Emirates ID application, both done in the UAE

For the bank account

The licence and company documents
Your passport, and your visa and Emirates ID where the bank requires them
A CV or profile that shows your experience in the activity
Personal bank statements and an explanation of where the starting capital comes from
Contracts, invoices or letters from expected customers or suppliers, if you have them

Attestation usually means a document is certified in your home country and then by the UAE embassy there, so that UAE authorities accept it. Leave time for it if you set up through an existing company.

How do you get a residence visa as the owner?

As a shareholder named on the licence, you can sponsor your own residence visa through the company. Meydan describes the steps as an establishment card for the company, the visa application, the medical test and biometrics, and then the residence permit. Meydan says its partner visa is usually issued for two to five years, while u.ae says sponsored residence visas run for 1, 2 or 3 years depending on the type, so check the term for your zone and visa.

Two rules matter if you will keep living abroad. First, u.ae says a residence visa is cancelled automatically if you stay outside the UAE for more than 180 days in a row. Investors holding valid residence visas are among the groups that page lists as exempt, but confirm your own case before you rely on it. Second, the visa makes you a UAE resident for immigration purposes, not automatically for tax at home (see the tax section).

Once you hold the visa you can usually sponsor your spouse and children, subject to the income and housing rules in force. Our page on the UAE investor visa through your own company walks through the visa routes, costs and timing in more detail.

Opening a business bank account from abroad

This is the step founders most often underestimate. UAE banks run their own compliance checks, separate from the licence, and they look closely at new companies with foreign owners. Expect questions about your activity, your experience, where your money comes from and who your customers will be.

You have two routes. A digital or fintech business account is usually the quicker one to open and suits service businesses that invoice abroad. A local bank account gives you a full UAE banking relationship, but it requires you to attend in person, so plan the meeting into your visa trip. Our Premium package includes help with either route.

Bank account opening is subject to the bank's KYC, compliance review and final approval. For options that work before you land, read our guide to opening an international bank account online.

Tax: UAE corporate tax and your home country

In the UAE

Corporate tax is 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above it, for financial years starting on or after 1 June 2023 (Ministry of Finance).
A qualifying free zone person can pay 0% on qualifying income if it meets the conditions; other income is taxed at 9%.
All taxable persons, free zone companies included, must register for corporate tax and get a tax registration number.
VAT is 5%. Registration is mandatory once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000 over 12 months, and voluntary above AED 187,500 (Federal Tax Authority).
The UAE does not levy income tax on individuals (u.ae).

At home

A Dubai company does not switch off your home country's tax rules. Where you live, and where the company is really managed from, usually matter more than where it is registered.

United Kingdom

Your UK tax residence is decided by the Statutory Residence Test, which HMRC explains in its RDR3 guidance. If you stay UK resident and run the company from the UK, UK tax can still apply to you and possibly to the company.

United States

The IRS says US citizens and resident aliens living abroad are taxed on their worldwide income. The foreign earned income exclusion may reduce the bill, and owning a foreign company brings its own US reporting.

India and Pakistan

Both countries generally tax their residents on worldwide income, and residence turns largely on the days you spend there. Foreign investment rules may also apply when you send money to a Dubai company, so check with a chartered accountant at home.

This is general information, not tax advice. Speak to a tax adviser in your home country before you set up, especially if you will keep living there.

Common mistakes founders make

Choosing the activity by price

A licence that does not match what you actually do causes trouble at the bank and at renewal. Pick the activity first, then the zone.

Too few visa slots

If you plan to hire, or to add a partner to the licence, check how many visas the package and office allow before you sign. Adding them later takes longer than planning them now.

Budgeting only for year one

Renewal, visa renewal, bookkeeping and tax filing come back every year. Plan for them from the start.

An unready bank file

Most account delays come from missing explanations: no CV, no source of funds, no picture of who the customers are. Prepare these before the licence is issued.

Assuming the visa ends tax at home

A UAE residence visa does not by itself end tax residence in the UK, the US, India or anywhere else.

Booking the trip too early

Fly in once the entry permit is ready, so the medical test, the biometrics and the bank meeting fit into one visit.

Frequently asked questions

How do I start a business in Dubai as a foreigner?

Choose your activity, decide between a free zone and the mainland, reserve a trade name and apply with your passport, photo and proof of address. Once the licence is issued, apply for your residence visa, which needs a medical test and Emirates ID biometrics in the UAE, and then open the business bank account. In free zones such as IFZA and Meydan, everything up to the licence can be done from abroad.

Can I open a company in Dubai without living there?

Yes. You can own a free zone company, or most mainland companies, without being a UAE resident, and the licence does not require a residence visa. You only need to travel if you want a residence visa, and usually for a meeting at a local bank.

How much does it cost to start a business in Dubai?

With us, a free zone licence without a visa costs AED 12,500 at Meydan or AED 12,900 at IFZA. With one residence visa it costs AED 23,136 at Meydan or AED 23,436 at IFZA, including the zone and government fees for that package. Mainland costs depend on the activity and the office, so we quote them in writing.

How long does it take to set up a company in Dubai?

It depends on the zone and on how quickly documents are signed. u.ae says a free zone licence is issued within 14 working days of approval, and Meydan says its standard licences are issued within a day. Meydan says the partner visa that follows typically takes 5 to 10 working days, depending on approvals. Bank accounts follow each bank's own review.

Can a foreigner own 100% of a company in Dubai?

Yes, in most cases. u.ae says the commercial companies law lets foreign investors fully own mainland companies without an Emirati shareholder, although the Cabinet can set ownership limits for activities of strategic impact. Free zone companies can be fully foreign owned.

Do I need to visit Dubai to set up a business?

Not for the licence in zones that work online, such as IFZA and Meydan. You do need to be in the UAE for the residence visa medical test and Emirates ID biometrics, and usually for a meeting at a local bank. Most founders plan one trip for these.

Which business should I start in Dubai?

Start from what you already do well and where your customers are. The activity decides the licence, the zone and what your bank will ask, so describe your business plainly and match it to an activity list rather than following a trend. We can check whether your activity fits a free zone before you pay anything.

How do I open a company in a Dubai free zone?

Pick a zone that licenses your activity, choose your package and number of visas, send your passport, photo and address proof, sign the documents and pay the fees. The zone issues the licence and you then apply for visas. Our Dubai free zone licence page compares the zones we work with.

Tell us what you want to set up

Send us your activity, your home country and how many visas you need. We usually reply within a couple of hours with the zone we would suggest and a written price.

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