One of the world’s most vibrant and business-friendly cities is Dubai & Abu Dhabi. Here are the procedures to take if you want to establish a business in Dubai’s & Abu Dhabi’s mainland:

1. Choose your business License & activity: Depending on the nature of your business, you may need to apply for specialized licenses from a few government agencies, including the Ministry of Economy, the Dubai’s or Abu Dhabi’s Municipality, and the Dubai or Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
You must choose your business activity before you can establish a mainland firm in Dubai or Abu Dhabi from the following activities
The UAE offers 6 main types of economic licenses:

• Occupational
• Tourism
• Industrial
• Commercial
• Agricultural
• Professional

2. Type of company: Determine your firm’s legal structure, such as whether it will be a sole proprietorship, a partnership, or a limited liability company. (LLC).

Legal forms of businesses in the UAE

• Sole establishment
• Civil company
• Limited liability company
• Public joint stock company
• Private joint stock company
• Branch of a GCC company
• Branch of a local company
• Holding company
• Representative office of a foreign company

3. Reserve Name: Following your selection of a legal structure, you must reserve your company name with the DED. Your company name needs to be distinctive and adhere to DED regulations.

• The trade name must have an abbreviation of the legal structure of the company as its suffix (ex: LLC, PJSC, etc).
• The trade name must not contain inappropriate words and should not be offensive to the general public.
• The trade name must be compatible with the chosen economic activities.
• The trade name must not contain the names of rulers, government agencies, or the names and logos of government bodies.
• The trade name must not be registered by any other company.
• The trade name and trademark must be approved by the Department of Economic Development and the Ministry of Economy.
• Trade name certificates are subject to renewal.

4. Initial Approval & MOA: Obtain initial approval: You must submit a thorough business plan and other necessary documentation to the DED in order to receive initial approval.
A Memorandum of Association (MOA) is required if the legal form of the company is a civil company, limited liability company, public shareholding company, or private shareholding company. A local service agent agreement (LSA) is required if it is a sole proprietorship.

5. Choose Your Business Location: To establish your business, you’ll need to rent office space on Dubai’s mainland or Abu Dhabi’s mainland. Certain specifications, including a minimum size and placement inside a designated business area, must be met by the office space.

6. Open a corporate bank account: In order to conduct business in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, you must first open a corporate bank account.

7. Hire Employees: After you’ve established your business, you can hire staff and secure work permits for them in Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

8. Apply for Additional Government Approvals: In some cases, additional approvals from government entities governing certain business activities are required.