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Which emirate is best for business setup?

Licensed to trade across the UAE, government tenders included.

Choose your emirateBook a 15-minute call
Sheikh Zayed Road's interchanges and towers at blue hour, the Burj Khalifa rising over Downtown Dubai
Licence
DET, ADDED and each emirate
Ownership
100% for most activities
Office
Ejari or Tawtheeq lease
Market
UAE-wide, tenders included
At a glance

Which emirate is best for business setup depends on where your customers are, because each emirate licenses its own mainland companies through DET, ADDED or a local department. A company's registered lease, Ejari or Tawtheeq, sets how many visas it can sponsor.

Mainland licences by emirate

Every mainland licence trades across the UAE, so the emirate comes down to your licensing authority, your lease and where your team is based.

  • A pharmacist checks a medicine bottle beside stocked shelves in a modern pharmacyDubai

    Dubai mainland

    DET Department of Economy and Tourism

    • An Ejari-registered lease in the company's name
    • Suits traders, shopfronts, agencies and Dubai government buyers

    Start hereDubai mainland company formation

  • An engineer in a white shirt marks technical drawings against a long rulerAbu Dhabi

    Abu Dhabi mainland

    ADDED licensed through TAMM

    • A Tawtheeq-registered lease, one input to your visa quota
    • Suits projects, tenders and government clients in the capital

    Start hereAbu Dhabi mainland company setup

  • Bundled timber planks stacked under cover in a building materials warehouseFive emirates

    Sharjah and the north

    SEDD in Sharjah, and each emirate's own department

    • An attested tenancy in the emirate that licenses you
    • Suits industry in Ras Al Khaimah, port trade in Fujairah and compact bases in Ajman or Umm Al Quwain

    Start hereSharjah mainland licence

With clients mostly outside the UAE, compare the best free zone in the UAE for your activity, or set the two side by side in mainland vs free zone.

Which emirate is best for your business?

Five questions on who you bill, your premises and your sector. The likely route for your mainland licence, and the reason for it, show as you answer.

  • Your answers stay on this page
  • Send the result to an advisor in one tap
  • Replies within two business hours, Monday to Saturday
Question 1 of 5

Tell us who you will invoice, the premises you need and your activity, and an advisor names the emirate and licence worth discussing.

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The emirate guides

What a mainland licence allows

One company that can sell to anyone in the country, open its doors to walk-in customers and grow into a second emirate.

A cafe owner in an apron takes a card payment at the counter of his coffee shop

Your market

  • Invoice anyone in the UAECompanies, consumers and government, in all seven emirates
  • Bid for government workMost tenders ask for a mainland licence
  • Branches in other emiratesA second location on the same company

Your premises

  • Doors open to the streetShops, clinics, showrooms and restaurants where customers are
  • Warehouses and workshopsStorage and light industry on a mainland lease
  • An office sized to your teamThe lease counts toward your visa quota

Your ownership

  • 100% foreign ownershipFor most activities, with no Emirati shareholder
  • Corporate shareholdersA parent company can hold the mainland company
  • Residence visas for your teamSponsored by the company itself

Scoping a mainland licence

Three things set the scope: the activity, the premises and any approval the sector needs. We agree all three before the first filing, because the premises and the approval both depend on the activity.

A bearded man in a white shirt and tie working through company papers at a sunlit desk

  • Any business address will do.

    The authority needs a lease registered in the company's name: Ejari in Dubai, Tawtheeq in Abu Dhabi, an attested tenancy elsewhere. Your activity and headcount then size the visa quota, together with that lease.

  • The licence comes first, approvals later.

    Regulated activities, from clinics and restaurants to brokerage and training, need the sector authority's approval before the licence is issued.

  • One activity name is as good as another.

    The activity wording fixes the licence type and the approvals, and later what the bank accepts, so it is agreed before the trade name is reserved.

  • Mainland means a local partner.

    Most activities allow full foreign ownership, and national ownership conditions remain only for a short list of strategic activities.

  • A free zone company can never sell onshore.

    Many Dubai free zone companies can serve mainland clients through a DET branch licence or permit, with separate accounts. Mainland income can affect free zone tax status, so we compare both.

Agreed before the lease is signed

  • Activity wording matched to the work you will invoice
  • Any sector approval lined up ahead of the licence
  • Office size matched to the visas you need

Activities approved by a sector authority first

  • Restaurants and cafes

    Food safety approval of the premises and the menu

    Dubai Municipality

  • Food trading

    Food permits for importing, storing and selling

    Dubai Municipality

  • Gold and jewellery

    Anti-money-laundering registration before trading

    goAML, supervised by the Ministry of Economy and Tourism

  • Clinics and medical centres

    Facility and practitioner licences

    DHA in Dubai, DoH in Abu Dhabi

  • Pharmacies

    A pharmacy facility licence and a licensed pharmacist

    DHA in Dubai, DoH in Abu Dhabi

  • Salons and spas

    Public health approval of the premises

    Dubai Municipality

  • Gyms and fitness centres

    Authorisation before the licence and at each renewal

    Dubai Sports Council

  • Real estate brokerage

    Broker registration and an office approved for the activity

    RERA, Dubai Land Department

  • Holiday homes

    A vacation homes licence, with a permit for each unit

    DET

  • Construction contracting

    Entry on the unified contractor register

    Dubai Municipality

  • Engineering consultancy

    Classification of the consultancy office

    Dubai Municipality

  • Training institutes

    An educational services permit alongside the licence

    KHDA in Dubai

  • Nurseries and private schools

    Approval of the school or early learning centre

    KHDA in Dubai

  • Recruitment agencies

    A licence to place workers with employers

    MoHRE

  • Media and publishing

    Media activity approval

    National Media Authority

  • Travel agencies

    A tourism licence for the agency

    DET in Dubai

Each emirate has its own regulators, and we confirm the approving body for your activity at the start. Our page on business setup by industry covers each sector.

How a mainland licence is issued

The order of the stages is the same in every emirate. We scope all five stages before the first application goes in, so each approval is ready when the next stage needs it.

  1. Activity and name

    Activity wording, legal form, trade name and initial approval

    Passport copies and what the company will sell

  2. Sector approval

    The regulator's file, where the activity needs one

    Qualifications and premises plans, where asked

  3. Premises and licence

    Lease registration, the memorandum of association and the licence

    Your signature on the lease and company documents

  4. Visas and people

    Establishment card, work permits, residence visas and Emirates ID

    Attending the medical and biometrics

  5. On record

    Corporate tax registration, VAT where due, and the bank file

    The bank's KYC documents

Company formation in the UAE

Company setup clients

In their own words on Google and LinkedIn, each linked to the original.

5.0Read the reviews on Google
From the initial assessment to final implementation, the team demonstrated strong expertise, structured methodology, and clear communication.
Graphic IndustryBusiness setup clientRead on Google
  • Manish demonstrated deep expertise, professionalism, and a thorough understanding of the incorporation process. Proactive, responsive, and efficient.
    Rajesh SuguruGlobal CEO, Digital Disruption TechnologiesLinkedIn
  • Manish was instrumental in setting up our company in Dubai. Always responsive, readily available to answer our questions.
    Omer LiaquatProject ManagerLinkedIn
  • Communication was clear from the start, everything managed end to end with full transparency on costs.
    Waqqas SheikhPrincipal EngineerLinkedIn
  • They delivered what they promised without any hidden agenda and informed me of better and less costly ways to achieve what I need.
    D JamilResidency and corporate clientGoogle

Trade and service activities

UAE mainland setup questions

Not sure which emirate fits? Tell us where your customers are and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.

Ask on WhatsApp

What is a mainland company in the UAE?

A business licensed by an emirate's economic department, such as DET in Dubai or ADDED in Abu Dhabi. It can trade directly with customers anywhere in the UAE, bid for government work and lease premises outside the free zones.

How much does a mainland licence cost in the UAE?

The emirate, your activity and legal form, the office lease and the number of visas, plus any sector approval. The office and visas often move the total more than the licence itself.

Which is the cheapest mainland licence in the UAE?

It depends on your activity and emirate, and the lowest licence fee rarely gives the lowest total. Office rules, visas and renewals decide what you pay over three years.

Which emirate should a mainland company be registered in?

The one where your customers, premises and team are. Every mainland licence trades across the UAE, so the choice rests on where you lease, where staff work and which government buyers you plan to serve.

Does a UAE mainland company pay corporate tax?

Yes. It pays 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above, and must register with the FTA. Small Business Relief can be elected while revenue stays within AED 3 million, for periods ending by 31 December 2029.

What is a mainland LLC in the UAE?

The standard mainland company form, licensed by an emirate's economic department such as DET in Dubai, with each shareholder's liability limited to their capital. Full foreign ownership is open for most activities, and Dubai accepts a one-person LLC.

Is an LLC the same as a trade licence in the UAE?

No. The LLC is the company itself, owned by its shareholders, while the trade licence is the permission an authority such as DET gives it to trade. The licence is usually renewed for a year at a time.

What is DET in Dubai?

Dubai Economy and Tourism, the government department that licenses mainland companies in Dubai, formerly known as the DED. Abu Dhabi's mainland companies are licensed by ADDED, and each northern emirate has its own economic department.

Often decided alongside

Talk through your emirate

In fifteen minutes we work out the emirate, the activity wording and the office your licence needs. We then set up the company in that emirate through our company formation service.

Book a 15-minute callMessage us on WhatsApp

On the call

  1. The emirate and authority that fit your customers
  2. Any approval your activity needs first

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