What a Dubai Company Setup Really Costs in 2026

Visas, medical, Emirates ID, insurance, Ejari and bank minimums sit on other receipts. Bookkeeping, formation advisory and PRO work are commercial — they sit outside this map and are not a Medici quote.

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How much does a Dubai company setup cost in 2026?

Google’s UAE results for “dubai company setup cost” open with an AI overview and the Government of Dubai’s Invest in Dubai page. That official page gives no single number. Cost tracks the free zone, the licence type, the activity list, and the office. The Department of Economy and Tourism (DET, the former DED) publishes a public estimator that asks for owners, legal form, activities, and yearly rent before it prints a figure.

DMCC, writing on 11 February 2026, puts a first year at AED 35,000 to AED 50,000 for a licence, registration, and a flexi-desk (Basic Biz AED 35,484; Jump Start flexi-desk AED 43,780). Meydan advertises a digital licence with flexi-desk from AED 12,500. Lean-zone one-year lists in July 2026 clustered around AED 12,900 to AED 18,900, before establishment card, medical, Emirates ID, and insurance. Mainland government fees for a professional or commercial licence cluster around AED 10,000 to AED 25,000. Add Ejari, a 5 percent charge on annual rent, a small office, and one investor visa, and year 1 moves to AED 40,000 to AED 90,000.

UAE company formation cost is a stack: licence, visas, immigration card, desk or lease, bank balances, Corporate Tax, VAT if you cross the threshold, a bookkeeper, and a PRO. UAE company formation and licensing starts with that stack. Confirm the invoice against the authority calculator for your activity list.

Mainland, free zone, or an offshore company in the UAE?

Founders mix three products when they ask what UAE company formation cost looks like. A Dubai mainland LLC, licensed by DET, can contract and invoice across the UAE. A free zone company sits inside one authority: 100 percent foreign ownership, a packaged desk, and a visa quota sold with the licence. An offshore company registered in the UAE, such as a Jebel Ali offshore or RAK ICC entity, is a holding vehicle. It does not give you a Dubai trade licence, a residence visa, or the right to sell into the local market. You budget the product you chose, line by line.

Mainland under Dubai Economy and Tourism

DET licenses mainland companies. Invest in Dubai frames this route for founders who want to trade inside the UAE. Federal Decree-Law No. 26 of 2020 removed the old 51 percent Emirati shareholding rule for most activities. Strategic-effect activities keep ownership limits. Check your activity code on Invest in Dubai before you assume 100 percent foreign ownership.

There is no one DET licence price. The official estimator builds a bill from name reservation, initial approval, licence issuance, and the rent you declare. 2026 rebuilds put name reservation around AED 620 to AED 900 and initial approval around AED 120 to AED 500. Licence issuance for a single-activity professional file lands near AED 10,000 to AED 15,000. A commercial or general-trading file runs toward AED 12,000 to AED 30,000 in combined government fees. Memorandum of association notarisation adds about AED 1,500 to AED 3,200. A valid Ejari is the standard path to a licence. Rent for a small commercial unit runs from about AED 15,000 in a business centre to AED 80,000 and up. Dubai Municipality’s market fee, 5 percent of annual rent, is billed through DEWA.

Free zone companies

A free zone sells a bundle: licence, registered address, and a visa quota tied to the desk or office you take. 100 percent foreign ownership is the standard offer. You invoice other free zone companies and overseas clients on that licence. Selling into the UAE mainland needs a distributor, a mainland counterparty, or a dual licence. That limit is why a cheaper zone package costs more once you add a mainland channel.

Published 2026 entry points, from the authority pages and partner sheets. Meydan: from AED 12,500 with a flexi-desk; Fawri instant licence from AED 15,000; up to three activity groups in the base licence, then AED 1,000 per extra group. Lean-zone class (IFZA-style July 2026 lists): about AED 12,900 with zero visas, AED 14,900 with one visa quota. Establishment card, medical, Emirates ID, and insurance sit outside those figures. DMCC: application AED 1,035, registration AED 9,020, articles AED 2,020, licence AED 20,285 a year, establishment card AED 1,825 a year. Flexi office AED 15,000 to AED 20,000. Packaged first years AED 35,484 to AED 49,941. DMCC describes an average share capital of AED 50,000 as refundable or usable after setup. Many Dubai zones set paid-up capital at AED 0 for a services company. Ask whether the figure is paid into a bank, blocked, or a paper number on the licence.

Offshore companies registered in the UAE

Jebel Ali Free Zone offshore, RAK ICC, and Ajman Offshore are UAE-registered international companies. They hold shares, intellectual property, or (in the Jebel Ali offshore case) Dubai freehold property through the Dubai Land Department route. They are not a substitute for a Dubai operating company. RAK ICC’s 2026 fee schedule lists IBC incorporation at AED 3,250 for one year and renewal at AED 3,950. A registered agent charges on top. JAFZA’s service guidebook, as cited through 2026, lists an offshore registration fee of AED 10,000. Year-1 all-in sits around AED 8,000 to AED 25,000. None of that buys a residence visa or a UAE trading licence.

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Which costs sit outside the licence fee?

Sales pages compete on the licence. Year-1 Dubai company setup cost diverges on immigration, office, bank, tax, and PRO.

The company needs an establishment / immigration card before it sponsors people. DMCC publishes AED 1,825 a year. Lean zones quote about AED 2,000 to AED 3,000 in year 1. Mainland files run around AED 750 to AED 2,000 on the card, then add MOHRE work-permit charges per employee. Each adult then pays medical, Emirates ID, residence issuance, and insurance (about AED 3,000 to AED 6,500 all-in with a mid-range plan).

Flexi-desk is bundled in many zone packages. A private office is a second rent. Mainland Ejari plus the 5 percent market fee tracks the lease. Bank application fees are small; average balances of AED 0 to AED 50,000 are the cash lock. Corporate Tax registration is free and mandatory. VAT is mandatory once taxable supplies and imports pass AED 375,000 in a rolling 12 months. Accounting and tax for UAE companies is the line that keeps the licence in good standing after formation week.

Outsourced PRO typing and bookkeeping are commercial retainers. They are not DET or zone tariffs and they are not a Medici price list. Attestation of foreign documents is a market line when the file is messy. Dubai Law No. 1 of 2018 and Law No. 2 of 2018 put AED 10 + AED 10 on government transactions of AED 50 or more. External approvals for food, health, education, tourism, or transport run from AED 1,000 to above AED 10,000 on the relevant authority’s schedule. Year 1 carries incorporation and first visas. Year 2 is renewal, rent, insurance, and filings.

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Two founder profiles: lean free zone vs mainland or premium office

Authority and immigration receipts as of August 2026, in AED, for a services or light commercial activity with no external regulator. DET and each free zone issue the binding invoice after they accept your activity list. Bank minimum balances are a cash lock, not a fee. Commercial formation, bookkeeping, PRO retainers and advisory sit outside these stacks; not a Medici quote.

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Lean Dubai free zone. One shareholder. One investor visa. Flexi-desk. No regulated activity.

Published licence band AED 12,500–18,900 (Meydan from AED 12,500; lean-zone July 2026 partner lists about AED 12,900–18,900). Establishment or immigration card: ICP federal floor AED 100 + AED 100/year + AED 100 smart services; zones collect more — DMCC member schedule AED 1,825 a year; lean-zone partner quotes about AED 1,800–3,000. Investor visa government stack, one person from outside the UAE: about AED 2,500–7,850 depending on quota bundling (Meydan cites about AED 7,850 when allocation and the immigration card sit on the same investor path). Health insurance is a market policy, not a zone tariff. Knowledge and Innovation Dirhams: AED 10 + AED 10 on qualifying Dubai government transactions. Corporate Tax registration with the FTA is free. Bank application fees are usually small; the average-balance lock is the cash that cannot leave the account.

Year 2 drops incorporation. Licence renewal tracks the zone schedule (DMCC standard trading and service renewal AED 20,265 for one year). Card renewal, desk if unbundled, and visa renewal only if the first stamp was one year.

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Dubai mainland LLC or premium free-zone office. Three residence visas. Private office or a dedicated suite. Same caveat on regulated activity.

DET does not publish one LLC tariff. Practitioner rebuilds of government licence fees sit around AED 10,000–25,000 depending on activity and legal form; DMCC’s published first-year headline for licence, registration and flexi-desk is AED 35,000–50,000 (Basic Biz AED 35,484; Jump Start flexi AED 43,780). Private rent is the large commercial line, often AED 40,000–80,000 for a small suite. Ejari online AED 177.75; trustee centre AED 219.75. Dubai Municipality market fee is 5% of annual rent, billed through DEWA. MOA, notary and translations are a notary schedule plus typing, commonly a few thousand dirhams. Three visa stacks scale the person-fees. Confirm the DET estimator and the zone calculator for the activity list you will actually file.

Drivers that move the government bill: activity count, inside-country change of status (about AED 500 to AED 750 extra per person), express medical, family dependants, and whether the first visa is one year or two. A premium-zone flexi package without a private office lands between these two shapes, near DMCC’s published headline, then adds extra visas. Year 2 shrinks when the first visa was two years and you stay on the same desk.

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Visas, immigration, Emirates ID, and insurance

Residence is a second product. The company sponsors you. ICP runs the federal identity system. In Dubai, GDRFA issues the residence file, in most cases through an Amer centre. Mainland employers pay MOHRE work-permit charges. Free zone immigration desks send the person to GDRFA or ICP for the stamp. Each adult takes a medical fitness test, files an Emirates ID, and holds health insurance. A package line that says “visa included” means a quota slot or one government issuance fee on many invoices. Medical, ID, insurance, and change of status sit on other receipts. Budget the stack per adult. An entry permit from abroad and an in-country status change are different receipts.

Investor and partner visas versus employee visas

A partner or investor visa is the founder stamp on a company you own. An employee visa is the stamp you issue to staff. Golden Visa is a third track with its own investment or salary tests; it sits outside this operating-company budget.

Free zones sell visa quotas with the licence. The quota is permission to apply. Medical, Emirates ID, and insurance are extra. Meydan cites about AED 7,850 for a first investor visa when you add allocation and the immigration establishment card. Lean-zone “one visa” packages in the AED 14,900 band leave government person-fees on the table. Employee visas on the mainland add MOHRE work-permit charges that 2025–2026 labour guides put from a few hundred dirhams to about AED 3,000.

Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 puts recruitment and employment costs on the employer. Charging the visa stack back to the employee breaches that law. Dependant visas are extra. Meydan lists a AED 3,000 deposit when the investor sponsors a dependant.

Medical fitness, Emirates ID, and GDRFA issuance

Dubai prices medical fitness in speed tiers under Administrative Resolution 66 of 2021. Standard processing is cited at AED 270. VIP tiers run to AED 700 and above. Other emirates use MOHAP or EHS centres in an AED 250 to AED 700 band. Each adult applicant takes the test.

ICP prices the Emirates ID card at AED 100 per year of validity. A two-year card is AED 200 for the card, plus an ICP smart-services fee (about AED 40 online, about AED 70 through a typing centre) and a centre charge of about AED 50 to AED 150. All-in for a two-year card sits around AED 270 to AED 390. u.ae (updated 17 February 2026) sets a late-renewal fine of AED 20 per day after one month, capped at AED 1,000.

GDRFA folded residence proof into the Emirates ID after April 2022. The issuance fee remains. Rebuilds of GDRFA / Amer receipts put issuance around AED 460 to AED 900 for a two-year private-sector file. Inside-country change of status, if you are in the UAE, adds about AED 500 to AED 750. An entry permit from abroad sits in an AED 350 to AED 1,150 band once e-channel deposits appear. A standard adult residence file before insurance is about AED 1,500 to AED 3,500. With a mid-range insurance plan, budget AED 3,000 to AED 6,500 per person.

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Office, flexi desk, Ejari, and the 5 percent rent charge

A licence needs an address. The address you pick sets rent, visa quota, and a slice of the government bill. Free zones accept a flexi-desk as the registered office for a small company. DMCC publishes AED 15,000 to AED 20,000 a year for that seat and bundles it in several packages. Lean zones fold a flexi address into the AED 12,500 to AED 18,900 licence. A private office inside the same zone runs AED 25,000 to AED 100,000+ a year. You take it when the visa quota on the desk is too small or a bank wants a door.

Mainland DET wants a tenancy that Ejari can register, except on defined instant-licence products. Dubai Land Department’s online Ejari path costs AED 177.75 (AED 100 registration, AED 10 Knowledge Dirham, AED 10 Innovation Dirham, AED 55 service partner, AED 2.75 VAT). A trustee centre is AED 219.75. The larger mainland line is the market fee: 5 percent of annual rent, billed through DEWA. On AED 80,000 of rent that is AED 4,000. DET’s estimator asks for yearly rent because the licence tariff uses that input. Security deposits (5 percent to 10 percent of annual rent) and DEWA deposits are cash locks. Mainland practice ties visa quota to square metres. A flexi-desk company that later hires three people pays for an office upgrade, a new quota, and three visa files.

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The bank account line that quotes omit

A licence without an account cannot pay staff or collect from a serious counterparty. Ksenia Babochkina, Commercial Director at Medici Expert, puts the order of work this way: map jurisdiction against banking access first, because a licence without a working account is a certificate on a wall.

UAE banks do not publish a single “new company” fee. Digital SME products advertise AED 0 minimum balance. Published key facts statements for standard business current accounts show average monthly balances of AED 25,000 to AED 50,000, with fall-below fees of AED 150 to AED 500 a month. Close an account in the first six months and some schedules add AED 250 to AED 500.

Banks ask for the licence, constitutional documents, UBO chart, passports, proof of address, a business plan, and, for payments or digital assets, an AML pack. Application fees are product-dependent; the average-balance lock is the cash that cannot leave. Do not treat “bank assistance” in a formation package as an opened account.

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VAT, Corporate Tax, books, and PRO after licence day

Formation week ends when the e-licence lands. The federal tax calendar starts on incorporation. A juridical person registers for Corporate Tax with the FTA even if year-1 profit is zero. VAT is a separate registration, triggered by taxable supplies. Bookkeeping sits under both. Mainland PRO work sits under MOHRE and GDRFA whether or not you hired a consultancy. Skip this block and the cheap licence produces late-registration penalties of AED 10,000 on Corporate Tax, plus VAT exposure if you cross AED 375,000 of supplies without a Tax Registration Number. FTA Corporate Tax registration is free. Apply within three months of incorporation.

VAT at 5 percent and the registration thresholds

The Ministry of Finance introduced VAT on 1 January 2018 at 5 percent. The rate holds in 2026. The FTA’s registration page sets two thresholds. Mandatory registration applies if taxable supplies and imports exceed AED 375,000 over the previous 12 months, or if you expect to exceed that figure in the next 30 days. The AED 375,000 threshold does not apply to foreign businesses making taxable supplies in the UAE. Voluntary registration is open once taxable supplies, imports, or taxable expenses exceed AED 187,500 on the same look-back or 30-day test.

A new Dubai company with no sales in month one does not auto-register. Track the rolling 12 months from the first invoice. Cross the line and miss the window, and you face administrative penalties plus retrospective tax. Input tax on rent and formation invoices is recoverable after you hold a TRN. Bookkeeping that includes VAT filings is a commercial retainer, not an FTA tariff and not a Medici quote.

Corporate Tax at 9 percent, the AED 375,000 band, and free zone status

Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022 taxes corporations from tax periods starting on or after 1 June 2023. Cabinet Decision No. 116 of 2022 sets the rates for an ordinary taxable person: 0 percent on taxable income up to AED 375,000, 9 percent on the excess.

A free zone company is in the law. 0 percent applies to Qualifying Income of a Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP). QFZP conditions include adequate substance in the zone, arm’s-length related-party pricing, transfer-pricing records, audited financial statements, and a de minimis cap on non-qualifying revenue (the lower of AED 5 million or 5 percent of total revenue). Non-qualifying taxable income is taxed at 9 percent. A QFZP does not get the AED 375,000 0 percent band on that non-qualifying slice. Mainland companies use the standard 0 / 9 percent schedule. The Corporate Tax return is due within nine months after the tax period ends. Price the audit when you claim QFZP.

Year-1 filings versus the year-2 run-rate

Year 1: incorporate, register for Corporate Tax within three months, decide on voluntary VAT, and open books. Year 2: licence renewal, establishment-card renewal, office or flexi-desk, insurance, visa renewals if the first stamp was short, VAT returns if registered, Corporate Tax return, and the audit if you are on the QFZP path. Rent, if you took a private office, is usually the largest year-2 line. Mainland companies generate more MOHRE and GDRFA transactions per hire. Free zones concentrate that work in the authority portal, then send people to medical and biometrics.

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What moves the number up or down

Activity list, headcount, and desk type move the bill more than the licence brand. General trading and anything that needs a municipality, RTA, or health NOC add fees and weeks. Each visa is a government stack plus insurance. Flexi-desk keeps year 2 near the licence renewal; a private office makes rent the largest line. A one-year visa looks cheaper on the formation invoice and repeats medical, ID, and issuance costs in year 2. A consultancy on a mainland licence opens a bank account faster, and on a lower minimum balance, than a digital-asset company. QFZP saves 9 percent on qualifying income and adds audit, substance, and de minimis monitoring. DIY on Invest in Dubai cuts the advisory line. It does not cut DET, ICP, or FTA tariffs. Confirm two numbers before you pay: the authority’s activity-specific invoice, and a year-2 run-rate that includes rent, visas, insurance, and books.

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FAQ

How much does it cost to set up a company in the UAE in 2026?

Start from the authority headline, then add immigration and office. As of August 2026, Meydan publishes from AED 12,500 with a flexi-desk; DMCC puts licence, registration and flexi-desk at AED 35,000–50,000 in its February 2026 blog. Lean-zone partner lists sit around AED 12,900–18,900 before card, medical, Emirates ID and insurance. Mainland government licence fees in 2026 rebuilds sit around AED 10,000–25,000; add Ejari, 5% of rent, a small office and visas and the cash outlay rises quickly. An offshore UAE holding vehicle is a different product (RAK ICC IBC incorporation AED 3,250 for one year on the 2026 fee schedule). Confirm the activity on DET or the zone calculator. Commercial advisory sits outside this map; not a Medici quote.

Can a foreigner own 100 percent of a Dubai company?

Yes for most activities. Federal Decree-Law No. 26 of 2020 made 100 percent foreign ownership the default on the mainland, except for activities of strategic effect. Free zone companies offered 100 percent ownership before that law. Check the activity code on Invest in Dubai. Ownership does not set the price; office, visas, and the licence type do.

How much does a Dubai LLC cost on the mainland?

DET does not publish one LLC tariff. Government licence fees in 2026 rebuilds sit around AED 10,000 to AED 25,000 depending on activity and legal form. Year 1 with a small office, Ejari, the 5 percent market fee, and one visa is a stack you rebuild on the DET estimator — rent is usually the swing line. Three visas and a larger suite add person-fees and square metres, not a second licence brand.

Does a free zone package include the visa, medical, and Emirates ID?

A “one-visa” package buys a quota, and sometimes a slice of GDRFA issuance. Medical fitness (about AED 250 to AED 700), Emirates ID (about AED 270 to AED 390 for two years), insurance, and change of status are separate. Establishment-card fees (about AED 1,800 to AED 3,000 in many zones) are extra too. Read the package annex.

Do I register for VAT and Corporate Tax in year 1?

Register for Corporate Tax within three months of incorporation (FTA Decision No. 3 of 2024). FTA registration is free; late registration carries an AED 10,000 penalty. VAT is mandatory once taxable supplies and imports exceed AED 375,000 in a rolling 12 months (voluntary from AED 187,500 of supplies, imports, or expenses). A new company with no sales waits on VAT and opens books.

Can I live and trade in Dubai on a UAE offshore company?

No. A Jebel Ali offshore, RAK ICC, or Ajman Offshore company does not issue a residence visa and does not licence you to sell into the UAE market. Use it as a holding vehicle if the registry and your tax advice support that use. Living and operating in Dubai requires a mainland or free zone company and a residence file.

How long does UAE company formation take?

Medici’s published typical range for UAE formation is 1 to 3 weeks. DMCC describes a digital process of 2 to 3 weeks. DET mainland files with a clean activity list and a ready Ejari can be shorter; external approvals extend the clock. Visas and bank accounts run on their own timers after the licence. Treat each figure as a range.

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