Open a company in Dubai: free zone or mainland
Opening a company in Dubai is about choosing licence, jurisdiction and visas before price: a free zone to invoice abroad, mainland to trade in the local market. We compare authorities and the real annual cost before you decide.
0% personal income tax and up to 100% foreign ownership.
No commitment · Reply within 24h
Companies already operating in Europe with Filnet
Book a meeting to design your expansion to Dubai
Our advisors analyse the market in Dubai and the tax strategy that best fits your case: legal form, taxes and annual obligations. Free and no commitment.
Everything clear in one hour
A video call with a Filnet expert advisor.
- Your landing in DubaiWe analyse the market, the legal form and the real costs of operating from Dubai, based on your activity and goals.
- A tax strategy tailored to youTaxes, holding structures and double taxation between Spain and Dubai, explained for your case.
- A local expert advisorIn your language, with paperwork handled and fixed prices.
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Key figures for Dubai
Corporation tax
Corporate Tax 9%
in Spain: 25%
Indirect tax
VAT 5%
in Spain: 21%
Time to incorporate
1-3 weeks
100% online, no travel
Market
Global hub
Between Europe and Asia · logistics and financial hub
The legal structure you will operate with
We analyse your case and choose the structure that fits best; this is the usual one for most businesses.
Free Zone or Mainland
Free Zone / Mainland
Benefits
- 100% foreign ownershipFree zones need no local partner, and the 2021 reform opened most mainland activities to full foreign ownership.
- 9% corporate taxTax only applies above AED 375,000 of profit; below that threshold the rate is 0%.
- 0% personal income taxThere is no personal income tax: what the company invoices stays in the company.
- 5% VATUAE VAT is 5% and registration only becomes mandatory above AED 375,000 of turnover.
- A hub for the Middle East and AsiaLogistics, banking and direct flights: a common base for European SMEs covering the region from one place.
Key considerations
- Minimum capital
- Depends on the free zone (from ~€0)
- Timeline
- 1-3 weeks
- Corporation tax
- Corporate Tax 9%
No endless background checks to open your company bank account
Thanks to our agreements with Revolut and other partner banks, your company account in another country does not sit for months in reviews: the account opening runs in parallel with the rest of the project, so you can operate sooner.
- No files stuck for monthsWe work with partner banks that know the process and will not ask for the same documents five times.
- Open in daysAn operating account to invoice and get paid, without waiting for months.
- Setup and bank account in parallelWe coordinate both tracks so you lose no time on either.
How a company is opened in Dubai
You decide and you sign. We prepare, review and accompany you step by step.
We compare free zone and mainland
We look at your activity, your customers and whether you need to bid for contracts: each route changes the cost and what you can invoice.
We give you the full licence cost
Licence fee, renewal, address, local agent and visas, itemised in writing before you decide.
We prepare the licence documentation
Application, name reservation and activity description ready for you to file and sign with the local agent.
We coordinate the local agent and the bank
We prepare the KYC file for the corporate account and sit in on the bank interview with you.
We set up accounting and corporate tax
TRN registration, books under UAE rules, VAT returns and the corporate tax return.
Follow-up and renewals
Reminders for licence renewal, visas and annual duties so no date slips past you.
Why Dubai
Opening a company in Dubai means obtaining a licence in a free zone or on the mainland, with 100% foreign ownership in most activities. There is no personal income tax and corporate tax is 9% only above AED 375,000 of profit. We work out which licence fits your activity.
0% personal income tax and up to 100% foreign ownership.
Explore expansion options100% foreign ownership
Free zones need no local partner, and the 2021 reform opened most mainland activities to full foreign ownership.
9% corporate tax
Tax only applies above AED 375,000 of profit; below that threshold the rate is 0%.
0% personal income tax
There is no personal income tax: what the company invoices stays in the company.
5% VAT
UAE VAT is 5% and registration only becomes mandatory above AED 375,000 of turnover.
A hub for the Middle East and Asia
Logistics, banking and direct flights: a common base for European SMEs covering the region from one place.
Explore more about Dubai
Case studies
V2C
We supported V2C in its expansion to Portugal, France, Germany and Italy until it became the leader in electric chargers in Europe (+€30M).
Portugal · Francia · Alemania · Italia
View case
Hagen Group
We helped Hagen Group, the world’s largest pet supplies company, establish itself in Portugal, Andorra and Italy (×7 sales in Spain).
Portugal · Andorra · Italia
View caseFrequently asked questions
A free zone licence usually runs from €3,000 to €7,000 in the first year, depending on activity, address and number of visas. The local agent adds €500 to €1,500 and the bank account up to €500. These are third-party costs and they renew annually.
Accounting and tax start at €350/month and payroll at €30/month per employee. On top come the licence renewal, the business address and any visas you keep. We give you the full annual budget, not just year one.
Not in free zones: you keep 100% ownership. On the mainland, most activities have allowed full foreign ownership since the 2021 reform, and regulated ones require a local agent or distributor rather than a partner. We check this by activity code.
9% corporate tax above AED 375,000 of profit and 5% VAT, with registration mandatory from AED 375,000 of turnover. There is no personal income tax and no dividend withholding. Qualifying free zone income is taxed at 0%.
Other countries to open a company
Book a free call with a specialist
In 30 minutes we outline your expansion strategy with you: target market, legal structure and taxation for your case. No commitment.
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