Business Advisory
Establishing in the United Arab Emirates
Legal Framework
United Arab Emirates have a legacy mix of mainland and Free Zone setup options.
In the past, foreign companies wanting 100% ownership could only achieve it by establishing in one of the many Free Zones of the U.A.E. After the relaxation of the relevant laws, nowadays companies establishing in the mainland can have 100% foreign ownership except certain activities that still require 51 to 100% Emirati ownership.
Another aspect to be taken into consideration during establishment is the Federal nature of the country that enforces the licensing to be separate by Emirate. A company setup in Dubai must obtain a separate license issued by the Emirate it wants to have a branch or operations.
The business forms supported by the United Arab Emirates Law are:
- Proprietorship that covers also the professional licenses issued to individuals
- Limited Liability Company
- Joint Stock Company
- Branch of a foreign company
- Free Zone company