UAE business setup by industry
Your activity decides which regulator you answer to, and that regulator shapes the licence route, premises and timeline.
- Sectors mapped
- Sixteen
- Sets the regulator
- Your activity
- Sets the structure
- Your customers
- Checked first
- Activity wording
Business setup by industry in the UAE starts with the regulator your activity answers to. Before any licence is filed, we also settle the activity wording you may invoice under and how banks read the sector. Walk-in businesses such as restaurants, salons and clinics are usually mainland; digital and advisory work often fits a free zone.
Find your sector's regulator
Sixteen sectors, each with its approving authority, its usual route and the fact founders most often miss.
Sectors by what governs them
-
Usually mainland
Restaurant and F&B
Who approvesDET licence plus a Dubai Municipality food permitThe permit approves and grades the unit itself, so the premises are checked before the lease is signed.Restaurant licence in Dubai -
Mainland or DHCC
Healthcare and clinics
Who approvesDubai Health Authority, or DHCCFacility licensing and practitioner credentialing run in parallel; DOH covers Abu Dhabi, MOHAP the north.Clinic licence in Dubai -
Mainland
Beauty and wellness
Who approvesDubai Municipality; DHA for medical treatmentsInjectables, laser or IV on the menu add health-authority approval and licensed clinicians.Salon licence in Dubai -
Mainland
Education and training
Who approvesDET licence plus a KHDA permitKHDA reviews the premises, courses and instructors; online-only training can fall outside it.Training institute licence -
Mainland
Real estate brokerage
Who approvesRERA, broker cards and goAMLNobody lists or negotiates until each agent holds a RERA broker card.Real estate brokerage licence -
VARA, ADGM or DIFC
Crypto and virtual assets
Who approvesVARA, or the FSRA or DFSAA free zone licence with a crypto activity added falls short of the authorisation required.Crypto company setup in Dubai -
DIFC, ADGM or mainland
Financial consultancy
Who approvesDFSA, FSRA or CMA, if regulatedInvestment advice and arranging deals are regulated; strategy and bookkeeping support usually are not.Financial consultancy licence -
Offshore, SPV, free zone or mainland
Holding companies
Who approvesCorporate tax scope; no sector regulatorWhether the vehicle can open the bank account the structure needs usually decides it.Holding company setup in the UAE -
Free zone or mainland
General trading
Who approvesCustoms importer code; regulated goods approvalsA free zone fits re-export; selling to UAE buyers needs a mainland licence or channel.General trading company setup -
Port-side free zone or mainland
Import and export
Who approvesDubai Customs code and HS classificationGoods stay customs-suspended in a port-side zone; entry to the UAE market triggers duty.Import export licence -
JAFZA, DAFZA or Dubai South
Logistics and freight
Who approvesCustoms and warehouse safety approvalsThe gateway your cargo moves through picks the zone: sea freight or air and express.Freight forwarding licence -
Free zone or mainland
E-commerce
Who approvesDepends on where the stock sitsMatch the structure to fulfilment before you apply.E-commerce business setup -
Free zone or mainland
Management consultancy
Who approvesUsually no external regulatorWho pays your invoices sets the structure; billing government bodies favours mainland.How to start a consultancy business -
Free zone or mainland
Marketing and advertising
Who approvesNational Media Authority for paid promotionPaid influencer and branded content needs an Advertiser Permit, mandatory since 1 February 2026.Marketing agency licence -
Technology free zone
IT and software
Who approvesNone for plain softwareA product that holds funds, processes payments or touches virtual assets needs CBUAE, DFSA, FSRA or VARA approval.Software company licence -
Mainland
Travel and tourism
Who approvesDET tourism licenceInbound, outbound and operating categories do not overlap, and many agencies need more than one.Travel agency licence
Activity not listed? Tell us your sector and we will tell you what governs it.
Activity and structure come next
The activity wording is what you may invoice for, and what the bank underwrites. With the activity fixed, choose the structure that fits your customers.
01Pin down the activity
How to choose a business activity in the UAE
Read the guideSearch the activity index; we confirm the wording before you apply.
Types of trade licence in Dubai
Read the guideCommercial, professional or industrial, and what each implies.
Is my business allowed in the UAE
Read the guideActivities that are restricted, regulated or not licensable.
02Then the structure
Mainland or free zone for your sector
Read the guideWhere your customers sit usually decides it.
Best free zone in the UAE
Read the guideNine zones, with who each suits and what to check first.
Company formation in the UAE
Read the guideOur setup service, with the regulator mapped before anything is filed.
Questions on business setup by industry
A question about your own sector? Send it on WhatsApp and an advisor answers it directly.
Ask on WhatsAppWhich licence do I need for my business in the UAE?
Does my industry change how I set up a company in the UAE?
Which sectors are hardest to open a bank account for?
Who regulates your industry?
Fifteen minutes with a senior advisor on your sector, and we scope the work before you commit.
On the call
- The regulator your activity answers to
- The licence path and the approvals it needs
- The structure that fits your customers
