🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates · Company Registration

Entity types, registration process, required documents, costs, and official registries.

Companies can be set up on the mainland through the relevant emirate's Department of Economic Development, or in one of the many free zones, each with its own registrar. Since 2021, most mainland activities allow 100% foreign ownership.

  • Mainland companies register with the emirate's Department of Economic Development (DED).
  • Free zones (e.g. DMCC, JAFZA, ADGM, DIFC) offer their own registration and incentives.
  • Most mainland commercial activities now permit 100% foreign ownership.

Official authorities

Official-information aggregation, not legal advice. Always verify on the authority's own site.

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