Lightest license fee
Professional license
Services and consulting activities. Usually the lowest DET license fee and the leanest way onto the mainland.
Services and consulting
Often lightest fee
Flexi-desk friendly
License from AED 10,000
Formation cost · 2026
Dubai Mainland Company Formation Cost
The full DET fee stack, the 5% market fee most packages bury, visas, and your realistic first-year total, with every figure kept honest as a range.
- Indicative 2026 ranges, confirmed in writing.The Exchange Tower, Business Bay, Dubai.
Straight answer
What does a Dubai mainland company cost?
From about AED 20,000 in year one on a flexi-desk, or nearer AED 50,000 with a private office. Office and visa count move the total.
AED 20k+Lean flexi-desk start, one visa
AED 50k+Private office with a few visas
5%Market fee on your annual rent
The DET fee stack
The DET fee stack in full
This is the stack the cheap-package ads leave out. These are indicative 2026 government figures, not a single fixed price, because DET sets the fee per activity.
AED 17,555
Mainland LLC · Government line items
Annual renewal
AED 12,000
Liability
Limited
You receive a fully itemized quote before you pay a single dirham.
Itemized breakdownAmount
Initial approval
One-time DET activity clearance
Trade name
Standard reservation, more for premium
MOA notarisation
LLC memorandum, sole est. skips this
Trade license fee
Annual DET license, from
Chamber membership
Dubai Chamber, per year
DMCS service fee
End-to-end setup management
AED 17,555
Government fee · at costDMCS service · fixed
Fees at cost
Government charges pass through exactly as DET bills them. No markup on the stack.
Confirmed at voucher stage
DET publishes no single formation fee, so your figure is fixed against the activity before you pay.
Zero hidden items
The market fee, establishment card and visas are all on the quote, never sprung later.
License routes
Which license fee applies to you?
Your activity sets the license category, and the category sets the biggest single government line. Here are the three routes, from lightest fee to heaviest.
Most common route
Commercial license
Trading and general commerce. The most common mainland license, with a mid-band fee that rises with activity count.
Trading and commerce
General trading available
Scales with activities
License from AED 15,000
Heaviest to set up
Industrial license
Manufacturing and production. Adds facility, premises and sector approvals on top of the base license fee.
Manufacturing and processing
Facility cost on top
Extra approvals apply
License higher, by activity
Not sure which category your activity falls under?
Send us the activity and we confirm the license category and the exact fee before you reserve a name.
License fees are indicative for 2026 and vary by activity and activity count. DET does not publish one fixed price, so ask for a written quote before committing to any figure.
Which costs surprise founders after the license fee?
Most cheap packages quote only the license fee. These are the real add-ons that make up your true first-year total, and the ones an advertised price usually leaves out.
Typical hidden-cost bandAED 8,000-15,000+The spread depends almost entirely on visa count and office type. One visa on a flexi-desk sits at the bottom of the band; several visas with a private office sit well above it.
Market fee5% of annual rentDubai Municipality, collected via DET
Establishment cardAED 2,000 - 2,500Unlocks visa sponsorship
Per visaAED 3,000 - 6,000Includes medical and Emirates ID
The lines a teaser price leaves out
- The 5% market fee on your annual office rent
- Ejari registration, about AED 220 to 1,000, plus the rent
- The establishment card before you can sponsor any visa
- Mandatory medical insurance per visa holder, from about AED 1,500
Also billed separately
- Corporate tax registration handling
- External activity approvals
- Larger office or extra visas
- Activity amendments later
Money in order
What do you pay, and when?
Follow the spend from trade name to license so nothing surprises you when the DET vouchers arrive.
Trade name and approval
Reserve the name and clear initial approval. About AED 750 to 1,200 together.
MOA notarisation
Draft and notarise the LLC memorandum. About AED 900 to 2,000.
- Critical stage
Office and Ejari
Lease your office or flexi-desk and register Ejari. Rent is the big variable.
License issuance
Pay the DET license fee for your activity. From about AED 10,000.
Market fee
Dubai Municipality adds 5% of your annual rent at this stage.
Establishment card
About AED 2,000 to 2,500 to unlock visa sponsorship.
Visas
Each residence visa runs about AED 3,000 to 6,000 per person.
- Critical stage
Tax and bank
Register for corporate tax and open your corporate account.
The real total
First-year and renewal, two worked paths
A worked example beats a vague range. Here is a lean flexi-desk start and a standard office setup, then what each costs to renew in year two.
| Cost line | Lean flexi-desk | Small office |
|---|---|---|
| Government + license | AED 15,000-18,000 | AED 15,000-18,000 |
| Office / desk | Around AED 6,000 | Around AED 28,000 |
| Market fee (5%) | Minimal | On full rent |
| One visa | About AED 5,500 | About AED 5,500 |
| First-year all-in | AED 25,000-30,000 | AED 55,000-60,000 |
| Yearly renewal | AED 8,000-12,000 | AED 12,000-15,000+ |
Avoid these
Corporate tax and VAT: the cost mistakes
Not setup fees, but they shape your real running cost. One rule catches many founders out.
Deadline
Missing the 3-month registration window
Every mainland LLC must register for corporate tax within three months of incorporation, regardless of profit.
Do this instead: register on time; the late fine is AED 10,000.
Fine relief
Assuming the fine cannot be waived
The FTA waives the late fine if you file your first return within seven months of your first tax period end.
Do this instead: file the first return early to clear the penalty.
Threshold
Applying 9% to all profit
Profit up to AED 375,000 is taxed at 0%; only the excess is 9%.
Do this instead: apply the bands, not a flat rate.
VAT
Registering for VAT at the wrong time
VAT applies once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000, not at incorporation.
Do this instead: track supplies and register at the threshold.
Zero profit
Skipping registration at 0% profit
Registration is required even when the company owes nothing, so a dormant year is not exempt.
Do this instead: register regardless of whether tax is due.
Banking
What does a corporate bank account cost?
The account is often free to open. The real cost is the minimum balance the bank asks you to hold. A clean file usually clears in 2 to 4 weeks, a complex one in 4 to 8.
Banks mainland companies commonly use, subject to profile and compliance review.
Emirates NBD
RAKBANK
Wio Bank
Bank fees, minimum balances and timelines 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.
Bank match guidance
Digital banks suit lean starts and low balances; traditional banks suit higher balances.
KYC-ready file
License, MOA, Ejari and shareholder documents reviewed before submission to cut back-and-forth.
Compliance-aware support
We prepare around activity, ownership and source of funds, the three things banks flag.
End-to-end coordination
From setup stage to bank introduction, we manage the full application through to funding.
Compare cost
Mainland or free zone?
Free zones often cost less to start. Mainland costs more but opens the local market and government work. Here is the honest side-by-side, with the mainland's edge made clear.
Best for UAE business
MainlandDET license
Free zoneZone authority license
Start costTypical first-year entry
From about AED 20,000
From about AED 12,000
5% market feeOn annual office rent
Applies, via DET
None
Office requirementPhysical space and Ejari
Required
Flexi options
Local market accessTrade with UAE clients
Full UAE, no distributor
Limited, needs a distributor
Government tendersBid on public-sector work
Eligible
Not eligible
Export focusSelling outside the UAE
Works, but pricier
Often the cheaper fit
Ongoing renewalYear-two cost
License + market fee + Ejari
Package renewal, no market fee
Best for
Any business selling to UAE clients or government, or needing full local market access.
Lean, export-focused or international-only operations with no local trading need.
The honest verdict
If you sell to the UAE market or bid on government work, mainland is worth its higher cost. If you sell abroad and never touch the local market, a free zone is cheaper, and we will tell you so before you spend.
Why DMCS
Why get your quote from DMCS
A cost page is only as good as the quote behind it. We give you the full number up front, including the 5% market fee others bury, and handle the whole DET stack from name to license.
Where quotes mislead most
We show the market fee and establishment card the teaser prices leave out
The advertised package almost always omits the 5% market fee, the establishment card and the per-visa cost. We put every line on the quote first, so the number you plan against is the number you pay.
01
No hidden fees
Your quote shows every line, including the 5% market fee and the establishment card. No teaser price that triples at signing.
02
We handle the DET stack
Trade name, initial approval, MOA, license and market fee, all filed and paid correctly in the right sequence.
03
Honest cost advice, end to end
If a free zone is cheaper for your case, we say so before you spend. License, visas, banking and corporate tax registration sit under one desk.
Ready for your exact Dubai mainland cost?
Get a free consultation and an itemized quote with your all-in first-year number and your renewal cost. No hidden fees, no teaser price, just the real figure for your activity, office and visa count.
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