Services · Company formation

Dubai company formation for UK citizens

The right UAE company for what you sell and where you will live, set up remotely and carried through to your visa and bank account.

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In short

As a UK citizen you can set up a Dubai company from the UK without flying out for the paperwork. For most UK founders with a service, consulting or online business that means a free zone company: full foreign ownership, a trade licence within days once your documents are ready, and a route to your own residence visa. We choose the structure and the free zone with you, file the application, then carry the company through to your visa, Emirates ID and business bank account. A straightforward setup typically takes four to seven weeks from the first call to a working bank account.

A bad setup costs most after the licence arrives: activities that do not cover what you invoice for, a visa allowance you outgrow in a year, or a company HMRC can still treat as UK resident because the real decisions get made at a kitchen table in Surrey. We start from three answers: what your business sells, who pays you, and where you will live. Then we build the company around them.

You do not have to be moving. Plenty of our clients stay in the UK and run a UAE company as an expansion into the Gulf or a regional base. The setup is the same. The tax advice around it differs, and we cover both sides.

Not sure which structure fits? Try the free structure finder for UK founders →

Who it's for

UK consultants, contractors and agency owners moving their work to Dubai
Founders of online and e-commerce businesses who want a UAE company behind the store
UK businesses opening a Gulf subsidiary or base while the owners stay in the UK
Investors who need a holding company for shares, property or intellectual property
Anyone holding a formation agent's quote who wants a second view on the structure first

What's included

A written recommendation: free zone, mainland or holding company, and why
Free zone selection on activity, visa count, office needs and how the name reads to your clients
Activity selection, so the licence covers everything you plan to invoice for
Name reservation, the application, the trade licence and the establishment card
Notarised and attested UK documents where the authority asks for them
Your residence visa, Emirates ID and the business bank account application
A check that the company's decisions will sit in the UAE, so it stays outside UK corporation tax

Free zone, mainland or holding company

Ownership rarely decides it any more. Since the UAE changed its company law in 2021, foreign owners can hold all the shares of a mainland company in most activities (what that covers). The question now is where your customers are and what the company needs to do.

Structure	Suits	Watch for
Free zone company	Consulting, services, online businesses, international trading	Selling goods or services direct to UAE mainland customers can need extra permits or a local distributor
Mainland company	Businesses serving UAE customers, shops, government work	Usually needs a registered office lease (Ejari)
Holding company	Owning shares, property or intellectual property	A standard offshore company gives you no residence visa; RAK ICC's Global Product is an exception (RAK ICC)

The full comparison is in free zone vs mainland vs offshore.

Which free zone

Free zones differ on four things that matter to a UK founder: which activities they license, how many visas a licence can carry, whether you need a physical desk, and how the address reads on an invoice to a FTSE client. For consultants and service businesses the shortlist is usually DMCC, IFZA and Meydan (compared here). For cost-led setups, RAKEZ and the Sharjah zones come into it (the cheapest routes).

We do not publish authority price lists. Free zones change them often, packages bundle different things, and the right one depends on your activity and visa count. Once we know those, you get one all-in figure.

Done remotely, from London, Manchester or anywhere in the UK

You sign the application documents in the UK. Some need a UK notary and an apostille before a free zone accepts them, and we tell you which at the start so nobody waits on a courier. Most of our clients never visit Dubai until the licence exists.

Three steps need you in the UAE: the visa medical, Emirates ID biometrics, and for most banks one meeting. We time one trip for all three once your entry permit is issued. If you are not moving, that trip is often the only one in the first year.

Keeping the company out of UK tax

A UAE company becomes UK resident for corporation tax if its central management and control sits in the UK: if the strategic decisions get made here, whatever the licence says (how HMRC applies the test). This bites founders who stay in the UK, and founders in the months either side of leaving.

In the UAE, corporate tax is 9% on taxable profits above a threshold, and a free zone company that meets the qualifying income and substance conditions can pay 0% on qualifying income (who pays the 9%; Ministry of Finance). Neither outcome is automatic. We set the company up so the decisions are taken and minuted where the company is, and so its income fits the rate you expect.

How it works

Discovery call

We map your activity, clients, visa count and where you will live. If a DIY setup would serve you better, we say so.

Typical timing: Week 1
Structure and all-in quote

You get a written recommendation on structure, free zone and activities, and one price for the package.

Typical timing: Week 1
Documents and application

We prepare the forms, arrange notarisation where needed, reserve the name and file the application.

Typical timing: About a week, depending on notarisation
Licence issued

The free zone issues the trade licence and establishment card, and the company exists.

Typical timing: Typically 1 to 5 working days for a standard free zone activity
Visa and Emirates ID

Entry permit, medical, biometrics and the residence visa, timed into one trip.

Typical timing: Typically 3 to 4 weeks
Business bank account

We match the company to a bank and prepare the file, so the first application is the one that clears.

Typical timing: Typically 2 to 4 weeks; longer for multi-layer structures

What it costs

One all-in fee for the package we agree: the licence, registration, the visa allocation you need, and our work through to the bank account. No separate bill for each step.

Four things move the price: the free zone, the number of visas, whether you need a physical office, and how many shareholders the company has. The cost guide explains each. On the call we turn your answers into one figure.

Get your all-in quote on a call

Recent work like this

Real engagements, with names and details changed.

The founders of a UK technology business A multi-shareholder holding company with visas for the founding team They went ahead within two weeks of receiving the proposal. The operating company was licensed about five weeks later, over a holiday period, and the visa applications began straight after. A UK founder planning the move with business partners A founder’s free zone company, set up from the UK The incorporation documents arrived less than four weeks after payment, and the mortgage introduction went ahead. Two business partners already spending time in the UAE Two co-founders, a 50-50 company and a visa each Both partners signed the company’s memorandum of association within a week of paying.

All case studies

Common questions

Can I set up a Dubai company from the UK without moving?

Yes. You can own and run a UAE company while living in the UK, and most of the setup happens remotely. Two things still need managing: the residence visa, which needs periodic UAE presence to stay valid, and your personal tax, which follows where you live rather than where the company is registered.

How long does it take to set up a company in Dubai from the UK?

A standard free zone licence is typically issued in one to five working days once the application is complete. The residence visa adds three to four weeks and the business bank account two to four. Four to seven weeks from start to a working setup is typical for a single-founder consulting company.

Do I need to fly to Dubai?

Not for the company. You need to be in the UAE for the visa medical, Emirates ID biometrics and usually one bank meeting. We schedule all three into one trip.

Free zone or mainland for a UK founder?

For a service, consulting or online business with clients outside the UAE, a free zone company usually fits. Mainland suits you if you sell direct to UAE customers, need a shop or want government contracts.

Will a Dubai company stop me paying UK tax?

Not on its own. Your personal UK tax turns on your residence under the Statutory Residence Test, and the company can itself be UK resident if you run it from the UK. We plan the company and the move together so both line up.

Do I need an office in Dubai?

Most free zone companies can start with a flexi-desk. Mainland companies usually need a registered office lease, and some free zones tie larger visa allocations to physical space.

Can you open the business bank account as well?

Yes. The bank account is part of the package. We match the company to a bank that suits its activity and ownership, prepare the file and make the introduction.

Do I need a consultant at all?

Not always. A single-activity free zone licence with no loose ends in the UK is something many people file themselves. Help pays for itself when the UK tax exit, the structure and the bank all have to line up. Our page on how to choose a setup partner includes when we are the wrong firm.

Guides and tools

Official sources, as at October 2026: Federal Tax Authority: UAE corporate tax; Ministry of Finance: corporate tax, including the 0% rate for Qualifying Free Zone Persons; u.ae: corporate tax rates; u.ae: full foreign ownership of mainland companies; RAK ICC: Global Product; u.ae: residence visas. Rules and thresholds change; we confirm the current position for your case before you act. This page is general guidance, not personal tax or legal advice.