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Insights · Business Setup

Business setup guides for the UAE.

Setting up a company in the UAE starts with a handful of decisions that are expensive to reverse — mainland or free zone, the right licensing activity, visa allocation, share capital and which bank will actually open your account. This hub collects our business setup guides so founders can weigh those choices before committing. You'll find plain-English comparisons of mainland versus free zone structures, overviews of popular free zones, walkthroughs of trade-licence steps, and what the tax picture looks like for a new entity once VAT and corporate tax are in scope. We also cover the accounting foundations most owners set up too late — a clean chart of accounts, bookkeeping from day one, and the records banks and auditors expect. Everything here is advisory and preparatory. Read to understand the landscape, then bring your plans to us for tailored company setup and accounting support.

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What you'll find

All 45 Business Setup guides we've published for UAE SMEs, newest first. Each one translates the rule into what your books, filing calendar and next decision actually need.

FAQs

Business Setup questions, answered

  • Should I set up on the mainland or in a free zone?

    It depends on where and how you want to trade. Mainland licences allow direct trade within the UAE market and government contracts, while free zones offer 100% foreign ownership, sector clustering and streamlined setup. Each has different visa, office and tax implications, so the right choice follows your business model.

  • Do new UAE companies have to register for tax?

    A new company should assess VAT registration against the turnover thresholds and register for corporate tax within the FTA's deadlines, even where a 0% outcome is expected. Getting registrations and bookkeeping in place early avoids penalties and last-minute pressure.

  • What accounting should a new business set up first?

    From day one it helps to open a dedicated business bank account, set up a clean chart of accounts and start proper bookkeeping. Doing so keeps VAT and corporate tax straightforward later and produces the records banks and auditors expect.

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