Citizens of countries with high taxes and economic instability increasingly resort to starting a business in the UAE. Dynasty Business Adviser assists such businessmen with company registration. We register the business of foreign investors practically without their participation — a personal visit to the Emirates is needed only to open a bank account, which is a requirement of the country’s banking institutions. During the pandemic and border closures, we developed an algorithm allowing you to remotely open a company in the UAE. Today, such a service can be in demand if you want to start a business in the Emirates as soon as possible.
Benefits of Opening a Company in the UAE Remotely
Registration of a company in any of the seven emirates of the UAE provides foreign investors with the following advantages:
- 100% ownership without a local partner — today, such an opportunity is available for conducting most types of business, regardless of the company’s localization.
- Complete confidentiality of the primary beneficiaries since the register of shareholders of legal entities is closed.
- Lack of automatic exchange of tax information according to the CRS standard with the regulatory authorities of other countries for residents of the UAE.
- Zero rates on most corporate taxes — today, only companies with a taxable income of more than 375,000 dirhams per year must pay 5% VAT and 9% federal corporate tax, introduced only in June 2023.
- A reliable banking system with no state currency control and the ability to open multi-currency accounts.
- Absence of export-import fees and duties.
- Unhindered export of capital and profits.
Your decision to open a company in the UAE remotely, with the help of Dynasty Business Adviser specialists, will allow you to:
- Save the money you would have spent on flights and accommodation in the Emirates for the paperwork period.
- Save time because paperwork is a laborious process, and you can do more important things by entrusting the entire organizational part to qualified performers.
- Open a corporate bank account without personal presence.
- Start activities in the UAE as soon as possible.
In the table consider the main advantages and disadvantages of opening a company remotely with the help of qualified professionals compared to registering a business in the UAE on your own.
| Opening a business remotely | Self-registration of your company |
|---|---|
| No personal presence of the business owner is required during the execution of all necessary documents. | The investor’s physical presence in the country is required at all stages of registering a new company. |
| Paperwork and all the nuances arising from the registration process fall on the shoulders of a registrar company. The trusted registrar company assumes responsibility for the success of each stage until the investment project is launched. | Long and laborious procedure of business registration becomes a headache for an investor. Problems may arise in the process of opening a company if you have not previously encountered this procedure and have not delved deeply into the peculiarities of UAE legislation. |
| Possibility to open a current account in a bank without personal presence of the investor. | Self-opening of a corporate bank account. |
| Register a new company or branch office as quickly as possible. | The process can be delayed due to a mistake made at any of the steps in the process. |
| Additional financial outlay for the services of a qualified organization. | Saving money on consulting services and the execution of powers of attorney. But, it is important to take into account the costs of accommodation and other expenses in the Emirates associated with staying in the country for the entire period of registration of the new company. |
Services for Opening a Company Remotely
We have prepared a unique package of services that will help you open a company in the UAE remotely. This package includes the following:
- Advising clients on the choice of the type, legal form of the company, and place of registration — on the mainland or in the free zone — already about 50 in the UAE.
- Collection, legalization, and submission of documents for legal entity registration and obtaining the necessary licenses.
- Obtaining a certificate of registration, statutory documents, and licenses and sending them to the customer.
- Assistance in opening a corporate bank account without the personal presence of the owner.
- Additional services — registration of resident visas for directors of the company and members of the investor’s family, registration of tax residence status to avoid double taxation.
- Annual renewal of licenses.
Remote Registration Process
The procedure for registering a company in the UAE includes the following steps:
- Consultation with Dynasty Business Adviser specialists. We will help you choose the type of company and emirate and tell you what documents you need to send to our email address.
- Collection and verification of the primary package of documents. Whether you want to open a new company in the UAE remotely or a branch of an existing company, as well as on the emirate, free zone, and the legal status of shareholders (individuals or legal entities), the documents may differ significantly.
- Legalization of documents provides for translation into Arabic or English and official certification. The following authorities must certify the translation of documents: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country of registration of shareholders, UAE embassy in the country of permanent residence of the company founders, UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Filing an application for company registration along with the initial package of documents.
- Registration of licenses after receiving a registration certificate and the company’s statutory documents. Renting an office and obtaining permits and approvals is necessary to obtain licenses.
- Getting a Company Establishment Card for the company and resident visas and Emirates ID (national identity card) for shareholders, directors, and employees.
- Opening an account in the Swiss online bank CIM Banque or payment systems. This does not require your presence. In the future, during the first visit to the UAE, this account can be reissued to a corporate account in any bank in the country. We will help you prepare the documents and apply for opening a company’s current account. Our specialist will accompany you during your visit to the bank.
Upon readiness, we will send you all registration documents, resident visas, and licenses, send you step-by-step instructions for making payments, and will provide other consulting support.
Company Types and Locations
The UAE is a federal state which includes 7 emirates. You can start a company in the UAE remotely in any free zone or outside it. Three types of companies are available for registration here, and each can today be 100% owned by a foreign owner (with rare exceptions).
Offshore Company
The main advantages of an offshore or international (IBC) company:
- No taxes — a 0% rate is provided for personal and corporate taxes (including VAT), except the tax on real estate purchases (4%).
- The ability to engage in any international business and choose 5 activities.
- A simple, fast, and inexpensive registration procedure — it is possible to open an offshore company in the UAE remotely cheaper than other types of companies within up to 3 days (1-2 weeks in the emirate of Dubai);
- The high reputation of offshore companies in the UAE.
The disadvantages of offshore companies in the Emirates include the following:
- Ban for doing business within the country and receiving money transfers from companies registered in the UAE.
- Inability to obtain a resident visa and rent an office. An offshore company can only have a legal address in the UAE.
- Limited locations for offshore registration. You can remotely open an international company in the UAE only within 3 free zones: RAKIA (Ras Al Khaimah), AFZ (Ajman), and JAFZA (Dubai).
Onshore Company in the Free Zone
A foreign investor can register a company in the free zone of any emirate if the relevant activity is allowed by its administration. There are two types of such companies: Free Zone Establishment with one founder and Free Zone Company with 2 or more shareholders. They can operate only within the FEZ, where they are registered and do international business. The main advantages of such companies are the following:
- The possibility of obtaining resident visas.
- The availability of renting a physical office within the free zone.
- Access to the local labor market and cooperation with companies registered in other free zones.
- The possibility of avoiding double taxation when obtaining tax residency status.
Opening a company remotely in the UAE Free Zone will cost more than offshore, but it also has more opportunities. The disadvantages of such companies include the following:
- The need to choose a free economic zone based on the list of allowed activities.
- Inability to participate in public tenders.
- A ban on activities outside the free zone without an intermediary — it can only be a local company.
Local (LLC) Company
The most significant opportunities for doing business in the UAE have a local (mainland) company. Today it can be 100% owned by a foreign investor. The requirement for the obligatory presence of a local partner from UAE citizens with a 51% stake remained only for oil and gas production and processing, banking, insurance, and hotel business activities.
Opening a local company in the UAE remotely is the best choice for foreign investors today, giving them the following advantages:
- The ability to conduct business throughout the country and abroad.
- A wide range (more than 2000) of available activities.
- Lower operating costs since buying and renting real estate and utilities are cheaper on the mainland.
- The possibility of obtaining resident visas and tax residency status.
- Access to participation in tenders held by the state.
- Various organizational and legal forms include a branch of a foreign company or a holding company.
How to open a business in the UAE inexpensively?
You can reduce the cost of opening a company in UAE in the following ways:
- Choosing the right zone for registration: choose with future taxes and development prospects in mind. For example, the cheapest business license in the UAE will be in Umm Al Quwain UAQ FREE ZONE.
- Study the differences in the conditions exhibited by local authorities in FEZs and the types of activities allowed.
- Choose an office that matches the activities and requirements of the zone: physical or virtual.
- Minimize the costs of administrative services. This can easily be done under the guidance of experts, including our specialists. They will help you avoid errors in the documentation and thus prevent possible refusals and additional costs for repeated requests.
- Choose the appropriate legal form. For example, if your business does not require a physical presence, you can choose an offshore zone.
- Use remote expert services. Dynasty Business Adviser specialists will help you maximize cost savings by conducting some of the necessary operations remotely. You can arrive in the country when most of the documents are ready.
A wide range of options offer amazing prospects for reducing the cost of incorporating a company in Dubai or the UAE. However, you need to know how to use them. Local knowledge is the best assistant in this matter. It is unlikely that those who do not have the appropriate diploma and practice will be able to open a company from the first time and without excessive costs. Even if they study dozens of articles from the network. That is why we recommend to entrust such tasks to our professionals. Dynasty Business Adviser specialists will quickly and inexpensively register your company in the UAE “turnkey”. The average cost of a ready-made company is $6,990.
Our article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you want to open a company in the UAE remotely, consult Dynasty Business Adviser specialists at the numbers listed on the website by contacting us via Skype or email!
