How to Set Up a Business on the Dubai Mainland

Who runs this process

Before you start

• A clear idea of the business activity or activities you will carry out, because the activity drives the licence type, the legal form, and any special approvals
• A passport valid for at least six months for every shareholder and manager, plus a UAE entry stamp or residence visa copy and Emirates ID if you are already in the country
• If you are on a UAE residence visa sponsored by another employer, a No Objection Certificate from that sponsor may be required before you can be listed as an owner or manager
• Enough budget for the licence, the office lease and its Ejari registration, notary and name fees, and the establishment card, all of which vary by activity and location

The journey

Each step is marked by who acts: YouEmployerYou + employer Steps on the highlighted spine sit inside the 30-day window.

1. 1
   YouInvest in Dubai platform or a DET service center

   Choose your business activity, legal form, and trade name

   You, the investor, on the Invest in Dubai platform or at a DET service center

   Start by picking the exact business activity or activities you will run, chosen from the official list of more than two thousand activities. The activity decides your licence type, which for a mainland company is commercial, professional, industrial, tourism, agricultural, or crafts. It also decides your legal form, such as a sole establishment, a limited liability company (LLC), a civil company for licensed professionals, or a branch of an existing company. The form must match the activity. At the same time, reserve a trade name that follows the naming rules: it cannot already be registered, cannot breach public morals, and must carry the abbreviation of the legal form, such as LLC. For most commercial and industrial activities you can now own 100% of the shares as a foreign investor.

   You get

   A confirmed business activity and legal form, and a reserved trade name valid for a set period

   Typical time

   same day for the activity and name (indicative, confirm on the portal)

   Fee

   Fee varies, confirm at the official portal · paid by you (A trade name reservation carries a DET fee, and extra fees apply for a foreign or non-Arabic name. Amounts change, so confirm the current fee on the Invest in Dubai platform)

   Watch out for

   • Choosing an activity that does not match your intended legal form, which forces a restart
   • Assuming every activity qualifies for 100% foreign ownership: a shortlist of activities of strategic impact still needs Emirati participation

   Civil Company: A civil company is used by licensed professionals such as doctors, engineers, lawyers, and consultants. It is a professional structure rather than a commercial one, and a non-GCC owner usually appoints a Local Service Agent rather than taking an Emirati shareholder.

   Professional: Professional licences cover services that rely on the owner's qualifications. Many can be 100% foreign-owned but are set up with a Local Service Agent instead of a national partner.

   Full guide: Choose your business activity, legal form, and trade name

2. 2
   YouInvest in Dubai / DET

   Get DET initial approval and any special approvals

   You, through Invest in Dubai; special approvals come from the relevant regulator

   Submit the application for initial approval, which is the government's confirmation that it has no objection to you starting the business. Initial approval lets you proceed with setup but does not by itself allow you to trade. Foreign investors also need security approval from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs at this stage. If your activity is regulated, you must obtain the relevant special approval or No Objection Certificate before the licence can be issued, for example from the Central Bank for financial services, the health authority for clinics, or the transport regulator for certain transport activities. Activities that need no external approval can often be issued as an instant licence.

   You get

   A DET initial approval and any activity-specific approvals or NOCs

   Typical time

   often issued instantly for standard activities (indicative, confirm on the portal)

   Fee

   Fee varies, confirm at the official portal · paid by you (An initial approval fee applies (a figure of around AED 120 is commonly cited but is not confirmed here), plus any fees charged by external regulators for special approvals. Confirm the current amounts on Invest in Dubai and with the relevant regulator)

   Deadline

   Initial approval is valid for a limited period (commonly cited as six months) within which you must complete the remaining steps. Confirm the current validity on the Invest in Dubai platform. (confirm on the portal)

   Watch out for

   • Treating initial approval as permission to trade: you cannot operate until the full trade licence is issued
   • Starting a regulated activity without lining up the external approval, which stalls the whole file

   Professional: Some professional activities, such as engineering, legal, or medical consultancy, need a No Objection Certificate or accreditation from the sector regulator on top of DET initial approval.

   Industrial: Industrial activities usually need approval from the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology and may require an environmental or civil defence sign-off before the licence issues.

   Full guide: Get DET initial approval and any special approvals

3. 3
   YouYour office or warehouse, registered through Ejari

   Secure premises and register the Ejari tenancy

   You, with the landlord and the Dubai Land Department Ejari system

   A Dubai mainland company needs a physical business address. Sign a lease for an office, shop, or warehouse suited to your activity, then register that tenancy contract in Ejari, the Dubai Land Department system that logs commercial and residential leases. DET checks the Ejari registration before it issues the licence, and the size and type of premises can cap how many staff visas you can later sponsor. If your activity qualifies for an instant licence with a notarized MOA, you may be allowed to operate from a virtual office for the first year instead of a full lease.

   You get

   A signed commercial lease and a registered Ejari certificate for the business address

   Typical time

   a few days once the lease is signed (indicative, confirm on the portal)

   Fee

   Fee varies, confirm at the official portal · paid by you (Rent depends entirely on the premises, and Ejari registration carries its own fee. Confirm the current Ejari fee through the Dubai Land Department or Invest in Dubai)

   Watch out for

   • Leasing premises that are not zoned or approved for your activity, which DET will reject
   • Skipping Ejari registration: an unregistered lease will not be accepted for the licence

   Sole Establishment: A one-owner sole establishment or a small professional firm may qualify for a shared desk or virtual office package that still satisfies the address requirement.

   Industrial: Industrial and warehousing activities need premises zoned for that use, which usually means a warehouse or industrial plot rather than a standard office.

   Full guide: Secure premises and register the Ejari tenancy

4. 4
   You + employerNotary Public (Dubai Courts or a DET-approved notary)

   Draft and notarize the MOA or Local Service Agent agreement

   You and any partners, before a Notary Public

   Companies with more than one owner, and LLCs, need a Memorandum of Association (MOA) that sets out the shareholders, their share split, the capital, and how the company is managed. The MOA is signed by all partners and notarized. A professional firm or a civil company owned by a non-GCC national instead signs a Local Service Agent agreement, which appoints a UAE national as agent for a fixed annual fee without giving them any share of the profit or ownership. A single-owner sole establishment needs no MOA. Getting the wording right here matters, because the MOA governs profit shares, decision-making, and what happens if a partner exits.

   You get

   A notarized MOA, or a notarized Local Service Agent agreement for a professional or civil company

   Typical time

   one to two weeks (indicative, confirm on the portal)

   Fee

   Fee varies, confirm at the official portal · paid by you (Notary fees for an MOA are often charged as a percentage of the share capital, and a Local Service Agent is paid an agreed annual fee. Confirm the current notary tariff before you sign)

   Watch out for

   • Using a generic MOA template that does not reflect the real profit split or exit terms agreed between partners
   • Confusing a Local Service Agent, who takes a fee and no ownership, with a shareholding national partner

   Sole Establishment: A sole establishment has a single owner and does not need an MOA, so this step is skipped, though a professional sole establishment owned by a foreigner still needs a Local Service Agent agreement.

   Llc: An LLC can have between one and fifty shareholders. A single-owner LLC still records its structure in a memorandum, giving the owner limited liability that a sole establishment does not.

   Branch: A branch of an existing UAE or foreign company does not issue an MOA; it registers under its parent, and a foreign parent's branch typically appoints a Local Service Agent.

   Full guide: Draft and notarize the MOA or Local Service Agent agreement

5. 5
   YouInvest in Dubai / DET

   Pay the fees and collect your DET trade licence

   You, on Invest in Dubai, within the payment window

   With initial approval, the Ejari-registered lease, the notarized MOA or agent agreement, and any special approvals in hand, submit the final application and pay the licence fees. Pay within 30 days of the payment voucher being issued, because if you miss that window the application is cancelled and you start over. Once paid, DET issues the trade licence, which is your legal permit to operate. The licence shows the company name, legal form, activities, owners, and expiry date, and it must be renewed every year. Keep the digital licence and the DET commercial register extract safe, because banks, landlords, and government portals will ask for them.

   You get

   An issued DET trade licence and a commercial register entry for the company

   Typical time

   one to two days after payment (indicative, confirm on the portal)

   Fee

   Fee varies, confirm at the official portal · paid by you (Total mainland licence fees vary widely by activity and are commonly cited in the region of AED 15,000 to AED 30,000 once market fees and the licence itself are added, but this is not confirmed here. Confirm the exact fee on Invest in Dubai)

   Deadline

   Pay the trade licence fee within 30 days of the payment voucher being issued, or the application is cancelled.

   Watch out for

   • Missing the 30-day payment window, which cancels the whole application
   • Using an unlicensed setup agent and paying fees into an account you cannot verify: check the agent's own trade licence first

   Commercial: Commercial trade licences cover buying and selling goods. A general trading licence, which covers many product categories at once, is available to LLCs and usually costs more.

   Full guide: Pay the fees and collect your DET trade licence

6. 6
   YouMOHRE and GDRFA Dubai

   Open the establishment card and apply for your investor visa

   You, through MOHRE and GDRFA after the licence is issued

   The trade licence lets the company exist, but you still need immigration status. Register the company with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation to open the labour file and get the establishment card, and open the immigration establishment card with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs. With those in place you can apply for your own investor or partner residence visa as an owner, and later sponsor staff and family. The number of visas you can obtain is linked to your office space. Once you have your residence visa and Emirates ID, you can open a corporate bank account and register the company for corporate tax.

   You get

   A labour establishment card, an immigration establishment card, and an investor or partner residence visa

   Typical time

   one to a few weeks (indicative, confirm on the portal)

   Fee

   Fee varies, confirm at the official portal · paid by you (The establishment card, investor visa, medical test, and Emirates ID each carry their own fee. Confirm current amounts with MOHRE and GDRFA Dubai)

   Watch out for

   • Assuming the trade licence alone gives you residency: you still need the establishment card and a separate investor or partner visa
   • Forgetting to register the new company for corporate tax after the licence is issued, which carries its own deadline

   Llc: In an LLC, listed partners can apply for partner or investor visas, and the company sponsors employees against its labour quota.

   Full guide: Open the establishment card and apply for your investor visa

Documents checklist

Where this goes wrong

What comes next

• Register the new company for UAE corporate tax on EmaraTax
• Open a corporate bank account for the company
• Renew the trade licence before it expires each year
• Hire staff and run the employment residence visa process