Key takeaways
- To open a bank account in the UAE as a resident, you usually need a passport, residence visa and Emirates ID, and many banks ask for proof of income.
- Minimum balances differ by bank and by account, so no single figure applies.
- A residence visa and Emirates ID open the full resident range, including AED current accounts.
- A company account opens only for a licensed company, so the trade licence comes first.
Papers each account needs
Three kinds of account, and what the bank asks for each one.
| Account | What the bank asks for | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Personal, resident | Passport, residence visa, Emirates ID, often proof of income | Some accounts carry no minimum balance |
| Personal, non-resident | Passport, proof of address, recent home bank statements | Usually a savings or foreign-currency account |
| Company | Trade licence, memorandum and articles, owners’ and signatories’ IDs | Opens once the trade licence is issued |
What changes for a company account?
The bank verifies the company itself, then everyone behind it.
Under Central Bank rules it checks who owns the company and how the account will be used. Ownership is traced layer by layer. Anyone holding 25% or more is identified as an individual, and each signatory is verified in person or by video.
We prepare the file around those checks. It then goes to a bank whose appetite fits your activity. From the first deposit, the company’s income runs through that account and never a personal one.
Opening an account from abroad
Yes, though the choice is narrower until you hold residence.
Non-residents usually open a savings or foreign-currency account. Banks ask for a passport, proof of address and recent statements from a home bank. For a company owned from abroad, our guide to business bank accounts for non-residents covers the route in full.
For the company account itself, see our corporate bank account opening service.
