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A practical 2025 guide to launching a UAE company — jurisdictions, costs, timelines and pitfalls.
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Step 1: Choose Your Jurisdiction
Step 2: Pick Your Activity
Step 3: Reserve Trade Name
Step 4: Get Initial Approval & Sign Documents
Step 5: Issue Licence, Visa, Bank
A practical 2025 guide to launching a UAE company — jurisdictions, costs, timelines and pitfalls.
Step 1: Choose Your Jurisdiction
Mainland for UAE-wide trading, free zone for low-cost 100% ownership, offshore for holding.
Step 2: Pick Your Activity
DET and free zone authorities maintain activity lists. Get this right — changing later is expensive.
Step 3: Reserve Trade Name
Name approval takes 1–2 days and costs AED 600–1,000.
Step 4: Get Initial Approval & Sign Documents
Submit KYC, sign MoA, lease office space.
Step 5: Issue Licence, Visa, Bank
Pay government fees, apply for residence visa, open corporate bank account.