What a UAE company really costs, line by line

The advertised price and the price you pay are different numbers, and the gap is not small. Here is the full line-by-line.

What the headline figure covers

"Business setup from AED 5,750" refers to a licence fee, usually for a specific zone, specific activity, with zero visas, paid annually. It is a real number. It is just not the cost of having a functioning company.

What gets added

The establishment card is required before any visa can be issued under the company — roughly AED 1,800 to 2,800, recurring. The residence visa itself bundles an entry permit, medical examination, Emirates ID and passport stamping, landing somewhere between AED 3,800 and 6,500 per person depending on zone and visa duration.

Corporate tax registration is now mandatory and costs either your time or a fee. If you want someone to keep your books and file the return, budget AED 6,000 to 18,000 a year depending on transaction volume.

If you trade physical goods you need a customs code: AED 1,200 to 2,500. If you want help getting a bank account opened, that is a separate service, commonly AED 2,500 to 6,000, and it buys preparation and introduction rather than a guarantee.

Office space is where it diverges most. A flexi-desk may be bundled or may add up to AED 3,000. A small real office starts around AED 15,000 and runs to AED 35,000. A full office in a Dubai zone is AED 45,000 upward.

Realistic totals

A single-person service company with one visa, no office, in a mid-tier zone: roughly AED 20,000 to 35,000 all-in for year one. The same company in DMCC with a desk in JLT: AED 45,000 to 70,000. A two-person trading company with a customs code and a small office in a northern emirate: AED 40,000 to 60,000.

The year-two surprise

This is the one that catches people. Many introductory packages are discounted; renewal is not. The licence renews annually, the establishment card renews, the office renews, the visa renews every two or three years, and the accounting is now ongoing rather than one-off.

Plan on year two costing between 70% and 100% of year one. If a provider will not tell you the renewal figure in writing before you sign, that silence is the answer.

How to compare honestly

Ask every provider for a written total covering: licence, establishment card, all visas including medical and Emirates ID, office, corporate tax registration, customs code if relevant, and the year-two renewal figure. Compare those totals, not the headline. Our calculator does exactly this and shows the range rather than a single flattering number.