Mainland Company - Global Connections

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MAINLAND COMPANY

A Mainland Company in UAE allows you the freedom to start and operate your business freely across the UAE and internationally.

 
Opening a company on the UAE mainland (onshore), an Emirati sponsor or a local service agent used to be mandatory for most cases until just recently. However, this has been changed and even mainland companies now can be owned 100% by foreign shareholders. The company formation in Dubai mainland does not require a minimum capital to start with.

The main benefits of establishing an onshore company include:
   
• Choose premises in any area of Dubai (except free zones)
 
• Operate within a wide range of business activities
 
• Trade anywhere inside or outside the UAE

COSTS OF SETTING UP IN DUBAI


  • A nominal fee issued by the Department of Economic Development (DED) allows entrepreneurs to be initially operative for six months. This is a one-time expense, allowing entrepreneurs to start their business while completing their documents.  
  • Trade name fees, for the name a business is run under. Depending on the selected name, the costs may vary. The costs of registering a trading name include i) reservation fees, ii) commercial name fees, iii) foreign company name fees, etc.
  • Renting a physical office, which is mandatory for operating business onshore in Dubai.
  • DED Fees, which include annual charges depending on the type of business, and a one-time LLC registration fee plus a Mainland trade license fee. The license costs vary from business to business, and in some cases, even a deposit is requested by DED.  
  • Commercial License Fee, should be paid annually for engaging in commercial activities.
  • Dubai Chamber of Commerce Fees, which is another fee that should be covered annually. The fees vary based on the business activities run under an LLC.
  • Commercial Services Improvement Fees, which should be paid annually.
  • Administrative Services Fee, this fee is a one-time expense issued for all the paperwork and documentation carried out by DED.
  • Attestation of Memorandum of Association (MoA), which is signed between the LLC shareholders, and its cost depends on the share capital mainly.
  • Drafting the LLC contract, which should be available both in Arabic and English.
 Based on the business activities, there may be some additional fees:
  • General trading company formation, which is a one-time fee.
  • Contracting license, which is another one-time fee.
  • Charges the real state brokers company receive, issued by the Economic Department.
  • Government charges, including 5% of office rent and 20% of warehousing.
                           

Onshore/Mainland Prices starting from AED 25,000

Average business setup timeframe 3-4 weeks
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