Lowest entry
Lean setup
A service activity, a small or shared office, and one visa. The cheapest way into a mainland LLC.
Service activity
Small or shared office
One visa
AED 22,000 - 30,000
LLC cost · 2026
LLC Cost in Dubai
Every fee for a mainland LLC: the DET license, Ejari, the 5% market fee, visas, and a realistic first-year total. You own it 100%, with no sponsor fee.
- Indicative 2026 ranges, confirmed.The Exchange Tower, Business Bay, Dubai.
Straight answer
How much does an LLC cost in Dubai?
A Dubai mainland LLC runs about AED 22,000 to 45,000 all-in for the first year, higher with a private office and several visas. Since 2021 you own it 100% for most activities, with no local sponsor and no sponsor fee, which removes a whole cost line older guides still include.
AED 22k+First-year all-in, from
AED 10-15kDET license, by activity
100%Owned, no sponsor fee
The bands
What makes up the cost of a Dubai LLC?
The total is a stack of government fees plus your office and visas. Here are the bands most founders land in for 2026, from a lean start to a larger setup.
Where most land
Standard LLC
A commercial activity, a real office, and one or two visas. The common mainland setup.
Commercial activity
A real office
One or two visas
AED 35,000 - 50,000
Full scale
Larger setup
A private office, general trading, and several visas. Priced to your exact activity and headcount.
Private office
General trading
Several visas
AED 60,000+
Which band is your activity in?
Send us the activity, office and visa count and we return a fixed, itemized figure, not a headline number.
Every figure is indicative and current for 2026. Costs vary by activity and office, and the DET fee is confirmed at the voucher stage. DMCS gives you a fixed, itemized written quote before you commit.
Government fees
The fixed government charges
The fixed government charges, separate from your office and visas. These are indicative 2026 figures, set by DET and confirmed at the voucher stage.
AED 16,855
Mainland LLC · DET line items
Annual renewal
AED 12,500
Liability
Limited
You receive a fully itemized written quote before you pay a single dirham.
Itemized breakdownAmount
Trade name
More for premium or non-Arabic names
Initial approval
DET no-objection to your activity
MOA notarisation
By share structure, from
DET license fee
Higher for general trading, from
Establishment card
Opens your immigration file
DMCS service fee
End-to-end setup management
AED 16,855
Government fee · at costDMCS service · fixed
Fees at cost
Government charges pass through exactly as DET bills them. No markup on the stack.
Market fee shown up front
The 5% market fee on your annual rent is on the quote, not sprung on you via the utility bill later.
Confirmed at voucher stage
DET sets the license fee by activity, so your figure is fixed against the activity before you pay.
Which choices change your LLC cost most?
Three decisions move your bill more than anything else: your activity, your office, and your visa count. Get these right and the rest is predictable.
Per-visa costAED 3,500-7,000Quota is roughly one visa per 9 square metres, so under-sizing the office caps how many people you can sponsor. Staff visas scale the total fastest.
ActivitySets the baseGeneral trading costs the most
OfficeBiggest leverDrives the 5% market fee and quota
VisasAED 3,500 - 7,000Per head, tied to office size
How the office rule works
- Commercial or trading needs a real commercial office
- Professional or service may use a smaller or shared office
- Industrial activities need a warehouse
- Every mainland LLC needs a real Ejari tenancy
Get it wrong and
- You stall at DET initial approval
- Your visa quota is capped
- You pay to re-lease and re-file
- The 5% market fee is mis-budgeted
What you get
What does the cost of a Dubai LLC buy you?
Not the cheapest way to start, but it buys the most access. Here is what the spend delivers.
Recommended
What you get5 signs
The spend buys you
- 100% foreign ownership, no local sponsorOwn the company outright for most activities.
- Full UAE market access and government tendersSell anywhere onshore and bid for public work.
- Limited liability that protects your assetsYour personal assets sit behind the company.
- Between 1 and 50 shareholders under one entityFrom a one-person LLC up to a full partnership.
- Your own corporate bank account and staff visasSponsor a team, quota set by your office.
Who it fits5 signs
A mainland LLC suits
- Retail and trading companiesSelling goods anywhere across the UAE.
- Services selling to UAE clientsWorking onshore and invoicing locally.
- B2B and contracting businessesWorking directly with UAE businesses.
- Suppliers bidding for government workPublic tenders where mainland is required.
- Firms hiring several staff onshoreWhere visa allocation follows your own office.
Compare cost
Mainland or free zone LLC?
A free zone LLC is often cheaper to start. Mainland costs more but gives full local-market access. The right answer depends on who you sell to.
Best for UAE business
Mainland LLCDET license
Free zone LLCZone authority license
License feeAnnual, by activity
AED 10,000 to 15,000
AED 12,000 to 18,000
OfficeWorkspace requirement
Real Ejari office required
Flexi-desk allowed
OwnershipForeign shareholding
100%
100%
Local market accessSelling to UAE clients
Full UAE, direct
Zone plus export only
Government tendersPublic-sector work
Eligible
Not eligible
5% market feeOn annual rent
Applies
None
Start costTypical first year
Higher, more access
Often cheaper to start
Best for
Retail, services, contracting and any business selling to UAE clients or government.
Lean or export-focused operations that never trade directly in the local market.
The honest verdict
If you sell to UAE customers or bid on government work, a mainland LLC is worth its higher cost. If you mainly export, a free zone LLC is cheaper to start, and we will price both so you see the real three-year cost.
The process
The steps, and what each costs
From trade name to trade license in about one to four weeks, with each fee shown as you go.
- Critical stage
Choose the activity
Pick your activity and confirm the office type it needs. This sets your fees.
Reserve a trade name
About AED 620 to 2,000 on the Invest in Dubai portal.
Initial approval
Around AED 235 for DET no-objection to your activity.
Notarise the MOA
From about AED 1,500, setting out shares and roles.
- Critical stage
Lease office and Ejari
Sign a compliant tenancy and register it through Ejari.
Pay the license fee
About AED 10,000 to 15,000 to DET, and collect the license.
Establishment card
Around AED 1,000 to 2,000 to open your immigration file.
Apply for visas
About AED 3,500 to 7,000 per person, quota set by office size.
What it costs to renew each year
Year two is cheaper, once the one-time setup fees drop away. Here is the cycle that carries on.
- 01
License renews yearly
The DET license fee repeats every year at about AED 10,000 to 15,000.
- 02
Office and Ejari
Renew at the current market rate. Rents have been rising, so budget for an increase.
- 03
Visas every two years
Residence visas renew on a two-year cycle, lower than first issuance.
- 04
Setup fees drop off
Trade name, initial approval and MOA notarisation are one-time and do not repeat.
Banking
What opening a bank account costs
Most banks charge no setup fee. The real cost is the minimum balance you must hold and the time it takes. A clean file usually clears in 2 to 6 weeks.
Banks mainland LLCs commonly use, subject to profile and compliance review.
Emirates NBD
RAKBANK
Wio Bank
Bank approval, timelines and minimum balances are set by each bank and vary by risk profile. DMCS prepares your file to improve your odds, but cannot guarantee any bank's decision. A missing Ejari or unclear source of funds are the two most common hold-ups.
Pick the right bank
We match the bank to your activity, turnover and minimum-balance comfort.
Prepare the file
License, MOA, Ejari, shareholder documents and a business summary, ready before you apply.
Pass compliance
The bank reviews owners, activity and expected source of funds. A clean file moves faster.
Fund and activate
On approval your IBAN issues and you meet the minimum balance the bank sets.
Running cost
Tax the LLC pays after setup
Setup is a one-time cost. Tax is the ongoing one, so budget for it from the start.
Registration
Skipping FTA registration at 0% profit
The LLC must register for corporate tax with the FTA regardless of profit, even when nothing is owed.
Do this instead: register on time whether or not tax is due.
Threshold
Applying 9% to all profit
Profit up to AED 375,000 is taxed at 0%; only the excess is taxed at 9%.
Do this instead: apply the bands, not a flat rate.
VAT
Registering for VAT at the wrong point
VAT is required once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000, and voluntary from AED 187,500.
Do this instead: track supplies against both thresholds.
Accounting
Forgetting the yearly accounting cost
Most mainland LLCs budget AED 5,000 to 20,000 a year for accounting and, where required, an audit.
Do this instead: budget it from year one, by turnover.
Advice
Assuming your tax position
Tax and audit duties depend on your turnover and activity, and vary case to case.
Do this instead: confirm your position with a licensed adviser.
Why DMCS
Why price your LLC with DMCS
Cost pages are full of teaser prices. We give you the real number for your activity, with no hidden fees, and handle the whole setup end to end.
Where cost pages mislead
Itemized, honest pricing, with the market fee and visas shown up front
The advertised package almost always quotes the license alone. We put every fee on the quote, including the 5% market fee and each visa, so the figure you see is the figure you pay. No teaser price, no surprises.
01
Itemized, honest pricing
You see every fee up front, including the market fee and visas. No teaser price, and no cost sprung on you mid-process.
02
The right office call
We match your office to your activity so you pass DET approval first time and get the visa quota you need. This is where most LLC files stall.
03
DET relationships and honest advice
We work with DET and UAE banks daily, so your file moves faster. And if a free zone is cheaper for your case, we say so before you spend.
Ready to price your Dubai LLC?
Get a free consultation and an itemized quote for your LLC, with every government fee, the office and visas laid out, plus your renewal cost. No obligation, no teaser price, just real numbers for your exact activity.
No obligationTransparent pricing, zero hidden fees100% privacy guaranteed
Real results from our clients
What our clients say about working with us
Real Google reviews from founders we have set up and kept compliant on the Dubai mainland.
A
Abdul Sami3 months ago
Thank you to the team for supporting us with our company setup. Our case was not straightforward, especially the bank account opening, but they stayed committed and got it done.
P
Paolo Chua8 months ago
I had a great experience opening a corporate bank account. The process was smooth and efficient. The staff were friendly, professional, and explained everything clearly.
A
Amy Elliott Dunne4 months ago
The accounting and bookkeeping service has been exceptional. Attention to detail is impressive, and communication is always clear. Tasks are handled promptly.
R
Rashed Al Falasi5 months ago
They confirmed our activity grouping before filing and flagged an issue the bank would have raised. Licensed in under two weeks with no surprises on the invoice.
M
Marwa Khalil2 months ago
We came for a mainland LLC and stayed for renewals and PRO work. The same team answers the phone after the license is issued, which is rare here.
Your questions