Business & company registration

Business and company registration in the United Arab Emirates

Updated 4 November 2026

In the United Arab Emirates company registration has no single price: it depends on the emirate, the free zone and the activity. A free zone company can start from about AED 4,555 in official costs, and a mainland LLC comes to AED 22,000 to AED 24,000 in total official costs, approximately, according to sellers' websites, November 2026. For a figure for your own plans, post a request on BlaBlaPrice and compare current offers.

Licence and tax rules

Establishing a company in the UAE means choosing a location, specifying the nature of the business and paying the fees for the commercial licence issued by the Ministry of Economy and Tourism. Voluntary tax registration is available from a turnover of AED 187,500, when the conditions are met. A company name in a foreign language, rather than Arabic, can carry an extra charge of around AED 2,000, so ask about it early.

Costs that repeat every year

The licence fee is yearly, so the budget is not a one-off. Listings show the licence and registration at AED 5,000 to AED 20,000, and the office or workspace at AED 10,000 to AED 30,000, before any staff or visas. Add up the first year and the following years separately, because the yearly fees keep coming. The climate does not change any of these figures, so the timing depends on when you want to start trading.

Where and how the company is set up

A free zone company is cheaper to start, but it operates under the rules of its zone, while a mainland company can trade across the emirate. Costs are quoted in AED per package, and the figures in listings differ by jurisdiction and activity. Name the emirate, the free zone or the mainland option, and the activity codes you need, so that sellers can quote for the same set-up.

What to put in your request

Say which business structure you want, the work you need done, the founders, and whether you need tax or accounting help. Add the activity or business codes, the city you will register in, your deadline and your budget. A clear list of activities makes the first quote far more accurate.

BlaBlaPrice is free for buyers. Describe the set-up in your own words in a chat, and the AI reads the request, asks for missing details and looks through sellers' websites and price lists in the UAE. It then shows the prices and businesses it found. Registered sellers reply in the chat with their own price, terms and timing, and your contacts stay hidden until you choose whom to share them with. Related categories: Legal support for business and Legal services.