01 / MAINLAND DET / MAINLAND
Dubai mainland
A mainland company is registered outside Dubai’s free zones, under the relevant mainland licensing framework.
THE UAE PRO / COMPANY FORMATION / DUBAI
Your idea has potential.
Give it the right foundation.
Before choosing a company setup, understand your business activity, operating plans and practical requirements. Start by shaping a clearer Founder Brief.
WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS?SELECT TO EXPLORE
LAUNCH ARCHITECT / WORKSPACEINTERACTIVE / 01
YOUR STARTING POINTStill exploring
Business activity under discussion Planning illustration, not an official approvalIDEA → PLAN → DISCUSS
START WITH ACTIVITY. CONSIDER THE WHOLE BUSINESS.Explore founder brief
01 / THE STARTING POINT
Activity first.
Structure second.
Two businesses may need very different arrangements even when both intend to operate in Dubai. Our planner helps you organise the right questions; it does not automatically select or approve a legal structure.
01Business activity
Define what the company intends to do.
02Where you operate
Consider market, premises and practical needs.
03People & visas
Include partners and future residence needs.
02 / BUSINESS IDEA LAB
Build your Founder Brief.
Choose what you know. “Unsure” is a valid starting point. Your answers stay in this page until you choose to send an enquiry.
01
What are you planning to do?
Select the business activity group.
02
Where will you serve customers?
Choose what best describes your expected market.
03
How many initial owners?
Include partners only if already planned.
04
Will you need residence visas?
A consideration for founders or staff, not an approval check.
05
Do you need business premises?
Workspace requirements depend on activity and setup.
03 / BUSINESS SETUP ROUTES
Two environments.
One informed decision.
Understand the difference before choosing where to establish. No route is automatically eligible, cheapest or suitable based on a few answers.
02 / FREE ZONE ZONE AUTHORITY VARIES
Dubai free zone
A free-zone entity is licensed by its selected zone authority, with activity and market-access requirements specific to that zone.
COMPARE AN IMPORTANT DETAILSELECT A TOPIC
MAINLAND CONSIDERATION
Serving the UAE market
Mainland businesses can generally trade directly across the UAE within their licensed activities. Check activity restrictions and any further approvals.
FREE-ZONE CONSIDERATION
Market access needs checking
Free-zone companies can operate within their licensed scope, but direct mainland trading or service activity can require additional licences, permits or an authorised arrangement.
Official references, not invented route rankings
General references only. Licensing, ownership, taxes, workspace and visa rules must be checked against the applicable activity, jurisdiction and authorities.
YOUR FOUNDER BRIEF / WHAT TO CLARIFY
Questions worth asking.
Before choosing a route.
01
You can explore both routes even while your requirements are undecided. Nothing here is an eligibility result.
These are discussion prompts based on your answers, not eligibility, legal or tax advice.
REVIEWED ROUTES / LIVE CATALOGUEChoose a focus to inspect listings
Start with a route to explore.
Choose mainland or free zone above. Published records only appear for the relevant jurisdiction.
04 / COST ANATOMY
Every cost has a reason.
And a responsibility.
A business licence is rarely one universal price. Explore the figures our team has actually reviewed, and see which costs still need clarification.
THE UAE PRO / COST BLUEPRINT04 / LIVE DATA
SELECTED PLANNING CONTEXTBoth routes / planning stageIllustrative categories, not a government calculation
No hidden estimatesNO GUARANTEED PACKAGE TOTAL
REVIEWED PRICE COMPONENTS
0 listedWhat the published data says.
No individual setup route selected. Select a published route above to inspect its route-specific fees.
01
Official authority feesPublished official charges; individual applicability requires confirmation.
0 itemsNo reviewed price entries for this category and context. Confirm the amount in an individual quotation.
02
Third-party + service quotesCustomer-facing combined amount, not an unmodified government fee.
0 itemsNo reviewed price entries for this category and context. Confirm the amount in an individual quotation.
03
The UAE Pro service chargesOur published assistance charge, kept separate from authority fees.
0 itemsNo reviewed price entries for this category and context. Confirm the amount in an individual quotation.
COMPLETE SETUP QUOTATIONProvided after review
Published components may represent alternatives, partial costs or optional services. We do not add them into a misleading total, and unpublished fees are not treated as zero.
Request an itemised quote05 / SMART DOCUMENT BRIEF
Better prepared.
Without the paperwork maze.
Explore reviewed documents relevant to your published activity and chosen route. Save the items you'd like to discuss with us—without uploading sensitive files.
Context matters more
than a generic checklist.
Requirements may change with the activity, licence, shareholders, premises, visa plans and reviewing authority. These are reviewed discussion points, not a complete or final official checklist.
REVIEWED PREPARATION ITEMS0 in this context
ROUTE IN YOUR BRIEFBoth routes / planning stage
ACTIVITYSpecific activity not selected
No verified document items for this exact context yet.
Select an owner-published route and business activity above, or ask our team to review your situation. We won't invent a mandatory document list.
Request a personal document reviewSelection is local to this page and does not confirm that you have, need or have submitted these documents. No files are collected here.
06 / YOUR FORMATION JOURNEY
From idea to action.
Without the guesswork.
A credible sequence for planning your company setup. Choose a checkpoint to understand the conversation ahead; this is not a submitted application or real-time approval timeline.
FORMATION ROADMAP / EXPLORATORY05 CONVERSATIONS TO PLAN
CHECKPOINT 01 / EXAMPLE VIEW
Define the activity.
Describe what your company will actually do, who it serves and any regulated operations.
Confirm precise licensable activities before choosing a structure.
No artificial completion percentages, eligibility scores or approval promises.
07 / CONNECTED SERVICES
The licence is one chapter.
Life continues after.
Depending on your business and personal circumstances, you might need support beyond incorporation. Explore only what is relevant—no mandatory extras or bundled assumptions.
01 / PREMISES / IF APPLICABLE
Ejari & workspace
A real address deserves a clear plan.
Explore tenancy registration assistance separately where your lease, property and licensing context call for it.
Relevant only if your eventual tenancy arrangement needs registration.
Explore Ejari & workspace 02 / ADMINISTRATION / IF APPLICABLE
PRO services
Keep the next steps organised.
Explore administrative and government-process support after your exact licence and approvals are clear.
Available to discuss if follow-up administrative processes are needed.
Explore PRO services 03 / FAMILY / ONLY IF NEEDED
Family visa
Build beyond the business.
Explore family sponsorship support if your family circumstances and residence status make it relevant.
Business formation never by itself guarantees family sponsorship eligibility.
Explore Family visa One coordinated conversation. Each service remains separately scoped, priced and subject to review.
Tell us what you need08 / CLEAR ANSWERS
Good questions.
Better decisions.
Answers change with the context you share. These are starting points, not personalised legal, tax, licensing or immigration advice.
Ask something specific01Do I need to decide on mainland or free zone immediately?
No. Start with your business activity and market. The mainland and free-zone comparison above helps frame questions, but it cannot choose or approve a licence for you.
Official set-up options02Why does my business activity matter so much?
The precise activity influences your licence type, legal form and any other approvals. A broad category selected here is only a starting point.
UAE government licensing steps03Does initial approval mean I can start trading?
No. An initial approval is not a licence to practise the business activity. Trading should start only when the applicable licence and any required permissions are in place.
Government guidanceFor exact costs, required documents and eligibility, request a review of your intended activity and authority.
09 / THE FOUNDER CONSULTATION
A clear idea deserves
a real conversation.
THE UAE PRO / FOUNDER DESK
You've explored the options. Now share your plan with our team so we can discuss the right questions, verify the details, and outline a practical next step.
YOUR WORKING FOUNDER FILEUNSUBMITTED / LIVE
YOUR STARTING POINT
Still exploring.
Here's the context you've prepared. It stays on this page until you choose to send your enquiry.
01 / MARKETTo confirm
02 / FOUNDERSOne founder
03 / JURISDICTIONComparing both routes
04 / VISASTo confirm
05 / PREMISESTo confirm
06 / DOCUMENTS0 selected for discussion
WHAT SHOULD WE FOCUS ON FIRST? OPTIONAL
OR SPEAK TO THE TEAM
Independent administrative assistance. No licence or visa approval is promised, and no documents are uploaded here.
YOUR DETAILS / YOUR OWN WORDSLet's make your
Let's make your
next move clearer.
Your Founder Brief is prefilled below. Read it, add your own question, or replace it with a personal message. Nothing is sent until you press Send enquiry.
Details are used to respond to your enquiry. No payment or approval is requested through this form.