The license is a means to an end. This is the end.
Founders move to Dubai for a rare combination: no personal income tax, a 9% corporate tax that starts only above AED 375,000 of profit, 100% foreign ownership in the free zones and most mainland activities, and a free zone company registered in 2 to 5 working days. Once your residence visa is issued, your family can join you on it.
The same facts that brought 2,500+ founders through our door.
Personal income tax on salaries and wages, whatever your nationality. You keep what you earn.
Corporate tax, and only on profit above AED 375,000. Below that, nothing.
Nationalities already live the same move. English is the working language of business here.
A third of the planet within an 8-hour flight. London, Mumbai and Singapore are day trips.
Consistently ranked among the safest cities on earth. It changes how your family lives, not just how you work.
Internationally accredited hospitals minutes from home, on insurance your company already provides.
Once your residence visa is issued, spouse, children and parents can be sponsored on it.
The practical side, in the order founders usually ask about it.
Free zone companies have always allowed full foreign ownership. Since 2021, more than 1,000 mainland activities do too, with no Emirati sponsor. We tell you upfront if your activity is one of the few that still needs a UAE national partner.
A free zone company is typically registered in 2 to 5 working days once documents are complete. A mainland company usually takes 1 to 2 weeks. Activities that need a ministry approval take longer, and we give you the realistic timeline first.
0% corporate tax on profit up to AED 375,000 and 9% above it. The 0% free zone rate applies only in a designated free zone and only on qualifying income, and VAT applies once turnover passes AED 375,000.
Residence visas and Emirates ID follow 1 to 2 weeks after your licence and are usually valid for 2 years. A Golden Visa runs for 5 or 10 years. Your spouse and children can be sponsored once your own visa is issued.
No. The UAE levies no personal income tax on salaries or wages, whatever your visa type or nationality. Corporate tax on company profits and VAT on supplies are separate and do apply, so no personal income tax does not mean no tax obligations for your business.
Corporate tax is 0% on taxable profits up to AED 375,000 and 9% above that. It applies to mainland companies and, with conditions, to free zone companies: a qualifying free zone person can keep a 0% rate on qualifying income by meeting substance and compliance rules. Registration is required for essentially every company, whatever its profit.
Yes. Once your own residence visa and Emirates ID are issued, you can sponsor your spouse and children as dependants. It normally needs a minimum salary, an attested marriage certificate for a spouse, attested birth certificates for children and a tenancy contract. We handle the dependant application alongside your own.
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