Most common
Commercial package
First-year package including standard setup items.
DET commercial license
Standard formation items
One investor visa
AED 14,900 to 24,500
Dubai Business License
Dubai Business License
The permit every company needs before it trades, invoices or hires in Dubai.
DMC Setup Trust:100% Approval RateOfficial DED Channel Support
What it is
What a Dubai business license is
In plain terms
A business license is the government's authorisation to carry out specific activities, at a specific address, for a fixed period.
UAE-wideTrade across the mainland market
AnnualRenewed each year with DET
Activity-ledLists the exact activities you can trade
A mainland company is licensed by DET and can trade anywhere in the UAE. A free zone company is restricted to its zone or overseas unless it takes separate mainland approval. Neither is better.
See the license typesDo you need one
Who actually needs a business license
If any of these describe you, you need a license before you start.
Recommended
Required4 signs
You need a license if
- You are opening a premisesA shop, office, clinic or workshop anywhere in Dubai.
- You sell to UAE customers directlyIncluding online sales and selling through marketplaces.
- You invoice or sign contractsOr open a corporate bank account in the UAE.
- You sponsor a residence visaYour own or an employee's, through the company.
Narrow case4 signs
You may not need one yet
- Purely overseas freelancingNo UAE presence, no UAE customers, no visa sponsorship.
- You are still validating an ideaNo UAE customers yet means no licence requirement yet.
- You work under an employer's visaYour employer's licence covers the work you do for them.
- You are a passive investor onlyHolding shares in a licensed company is not itself an activity.
Even then, most freelance platforms and banks ask for a permit once income becomes regular.
License types
Types of business license in Dubai
DET recognises four core mainland categories: commercial, professional, industrial and tourism.
See which license fits my activityCommercial license
Buying, selling, importing and exporting goods. Most trading, retail and distribution activity falls here.
- Best for
- Trading, retail, distribution, general business
- Key consideration
- A general trading license, covering an unusually wide range of unrelated product categories, sits inside this category.
Professional license
Services delivered on skill or expertise rather than goods: consultancy, IT, marketing, education, medical and legal practice.
- Best for
- Consultants, agencies, clinics, professional firms
- Key consideration
- Certain regulated professional fields still require a Local Service Agent, who facilitates government dealings without taking equity.
Industrial license
Manufacturing, processing, assembly and industrial activity.
- Best for
- Factories, workshops, processing and assembly
- Key consideration
- Typically needs extra approvals from bodies such as Dubai Municipality because of site, safety and environmental checks.
Tourism license
Travel agencies, tour operators and related hospitality services.
- Best for
- Travel agencies, tour operators, hospitality
- Key consideration
- Separately regulated on top of the standard commercial framework, given tourism-specific compliance requirements.
E-commerce license
Online-only trading, whether through your own website or a marketplace.
- Best for
- Selling on Amazon UAE, noon, or your own store
- Key consideration
- Issued as a commercial activity, not a separate category. It has to be on your activity list either way.
Freelance and virtual licenses
Lighter-weight products for solo consultants, creatives and remote professionals with no physical office.
- Best for
- Solo consultants and remote professionals
- Key consideration
- Usually issued through specific free zones rather than DET, with different cost and scope rules. Treat it as a separate decision.
- Activity-based selection
- External approvals may apply
- Banking profile can vary
- Cost depends on activity and office setup
Not sure which license your activity needs?
Tell us what the business actually does day to day and we will confirm the correct category before you file, in writing.
The routes
Mainland vs free zone vs offshore
Three routes solving different problems. Mainland gives market access, free zone gives cost.
| Factor | Mainland | Free zone | Offshore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Issued by | DET | The zone's authority | Offshore registrar |
| UAE market | Trade anywhere | Needs agent or extra reg. | Not permitted |
| Govt contracts | Eligible | Not eligible | Not eligible |
| Office | Ejari office required | Package or flexi-desk | No office rights |
| UAE visas | Sponsor directly | Via the zone | Cannot sponsor |
The process
How to get a Dubai business license
The mainland licensing process runs in a fixed sequence. Getting the order wrong is the biggest cause of delay.
Applying, new license8 steps
1
Choose your activity or activities
This choice decides your category, which approvals apply, and in some cases whether you need a Local Service Agent.
2
Reserve your trade name
You submit a proposed name for approval, checked against naming rules and existing registrations.
3
Get initial approval
DET issues a no-objection confirmation that you can proceed, without yet granting the license itself.
4
Draft and notarise your MOA
Required for most structures, the Memorandum of Association sets out shareholding, activities and governance, and needs formal notarisation.
5
Secure your office and register Ejari
A registered Ejari tenancy for a physical office is required before DET will issue a mainland trade license. This is a hard requirement, not a formality.
6
Pay fees and receive your license
Once the above is complete, DET issues the trade license itself.
7
Apply for your Establishment Card
This registers the company with immigration and labour authorities, and is the prerequisite for sponsoring any visas.
8
Apply for visas
Investor and employee visas are processed through GDRFA and MOHRE once the Establishment Card is in place.
Renewing, existing license3 steps
9
Start one month before expiry
A mainland commercial license is generally valid for one year. Treat the renewal date as fixed, not flexible.
10
Gather and submit the file
Budget roughly 3 to 4 weeks to collect and submit renewal documents, including a valid Ejari.
11
DET review
Typically 2 to 3 working days once a complete file is in. Renewing late risks fines and affects standing with banks and immigration.
A clean renewal can complete same-day to a few days. A new license typically issues in 7 to 14 days. Timelines are indicative and subject to authority processing and any outstanding approvals.
Documents
Documents required
Baseline document set9 items
- Passport copy for each individual shareholder
- Passport-sized photo
- Valid UAE visa or entry stamp copy, where applicable
- Corporate shareholders: parent trade license and MOA
- Corporate shareholders: board resolution for the setup
- Trade name reservation certificate
- Initial approval certificate
- Notarised Memorandum of Association
- Registered Ejari certificate for your office
Requirements vary by activity and structure, and regulated activities such as healthcare add sector-specific approvals on top of this baseline.
Full document checklist
The cost
Dubai business license cost in 2026
Costs are indicative for 2026 and vary by activity, office type and number of visas.
Full setup
General mainland setup
License plus standard formation costs, across activities.
License plus formation
Varies by activity
Varies by structure
AED 15,000 to 40,000+
Broad rights
General trading
Broader activity scope across unrelated product categories.
Broad activity rights
Unrelated categories
One license
From AED 26,000
Want the figure for your exact license?
Tell us your activities, office, and visa count and we return an itemized quote, not a headline number.
All figures are indicative for 2026 and vary by activity, office and visas. We provide a fixed quote before you commit.
A license fee is a stack, not one line item
Government charges plus your setup partner's fee.
Typical first-year rangeAED 15,000-40,000+Indicative for 2026. Office rent, visa count and extra approvals move the number.
DET trader / registration feeAED 600-1,070Varies by activity and structure.
Dubai Chamber membershipAround AED 300Annual membership charge.
Trade name advertisementAround AED 350Charged at the name-reservation stage.
Service request formAround AED 50Per transaction.
Knowledge and Innovation DirhamAED 10 eachCharged per transaction.
Also in your first year
- Ejari registration for your office
- MOA notarisation
- Any activity-specific approval fees
- Your consultancy's service fee for managing the process
Possible additional costs
- External Authority Approvals
- Additional Visas
- Larger Office Space
- Activity Amendments
Timelines
How long a Dubai business license takes
End to end, a mainland setup typically runs 1 to 3 weeks. Banking and visas run separately afterwards.
StageIndicative time
Trade name registration
1-2 days
Initial approval
2-3 days
Ejari and office registration
3-7 days
License issuance
3-5 days
Activities needing extra approval
5-15 working days
Corporate bank account
2-8 weeks
Visa processing after the card
2-4 weeks
All timelines are indicative for 2026. If visas and banking matter for your launch, plan around those two lines.
Why mainland
What a mainland license gets you
Since the 2021 reform, you get all of this with 100% foreign ownership on most activities.
Trade with any UAE customer
No restriction on who you sell to inside the UAE, and no distributor.
The headline advantage02
Bid on government contracts
Government and semi-government tenders are closed to free zone entities.
03
Lease space anywhere in Dubai
Office or retail across the city, rather than inside one zone.
04
Sponsor residence visas
For yourself and your staff, through your own establishment card.
Worth the cost?
See a full mainland cost breakdown in two minutes.
Run the numbersActivity list
Your activity decides everything downstream
Every license is built on activities selected from DET's official list, and that choice determines your category and approvals.
Related activities group under one license
Activities within the same DED group can usually be combined on a single trade license, letting you run several related lines without separate licenses.
Unrelated activities may need a second license
To trade across unrelated categories, you may need a general trading license, which carries broader rights at a higher cost.
General trading licenseWrong grouping is an expensive mistake
Picking activities that do not match what you actually sell, or that the bank does not expect, can lead to amendment fees and account rejections. Get it right before filing.
Full DED activities listSome activities need sign-off from a second authority before DET will issue: healthcare needs Dubai Health Authority approval, education needs KHDA, and industrial activities need Dubai Municipality or environmental approvals. Picking the wrong activity is a common reason licenses need amending later.
Straight answers
Six things people get wrong
Ownership, agents, tax, renewal, visas and quota, corrected.
Myth
A mainland license still needs a 51% local partner.
Reality
Out of date. Since 2021 foreign investors can hold 100% of most commercial and industrial mainland activities. A short list differs.
Myth
A Local Service Agent takes a share of your company.
Reality
No. A Local Service Agent handles government liaison, takes no equity and has no management control. The role is administrative.
Myth
Tax registration can wait until you are profitable.
Reality
It cannot. Registration with the FTA is mandatory for every licensed juridical person even at nil income, within 3 months.
Myth
One visa per 9 square metres is the mainland rule.
Reality
Treat it as indicative. Mainland allocation is tied to office size but assessed case by case, with no published formula.
Myth
A business license is a one-time document.
Reality
It is a permission with an expiry date. A mainland commercial license is generally valid for one year. Treat renewal as fixed.
Myth
Once the license is issued you can sponsor visas.
Reality
One step sits between them. The Establishment Card registers the company with immigration and labour, and is the prerequisite.
Where it goes wrong
Common mistakes to avoid
Nearly all of these are avoidable with an activity and structure review before anything is filed.
A pre-submission review, every time
We screen your file against each trigger before it reaches DED, so issues are fixed at the desk, not at the counter.
How we prevent it
We review what you genuinely sell or deliver and confirm the category DET will accept before you reserve a name, so you never pay a later amendment fee.
How we prevent it
We check the premises against licensing and visa requirements first, so you do not commit to a lease that cannot carry your license or your headcount.
How we prevent it
We set the expectation at 2 to 8 weeks up front and prepare the file in parallel with licensing, so working capital planning is not a surprise.
How we prevent it
We put FTA registration on your first-90-days checklist the moment the license is issued, alongside VAT if turnover approaches the threshold.
How we prevent it
We track your renewal date and start a month ahead, so fines, blacklisting and blocked visa processing never enter the picture.
We check all of these before filing, not after a rejection.
Special cases
Three situations that change the answer
Most setups follow the standard path. These three do not, and each one changes either the licence you need or the timeline you should plan for.
Selling online, including Amazon UAE
Your activity list has to say so
ScenarioYou plan to sell through your own website, Amazon UAE or noon, rather than from a shop floor.Why it fitsE-commerce is issued as a commercial activity. It has to appear on your activity list whether you set up mainland or in a free zone.Risk noteMarketplaces generally require a valid UAE trade licence with the correct activity before they approve a seller account.
Solo consultants and creatives
A different product, not a cheaper licence
ScenarioYour work is genuinely project-based consultancy or creative services for clients outside the UAE.Why it fitsA freelance or virtual licence is scoped and priced differently from a full mainland setup, and may fit better.Risk noteIf you plan to build a team, take on UAE clients directly, or sponsor your own residence visa, a mainland or free zone company licence is usually the better long-term fit.
Healthcare, education, legal and finance
A second regulator before DET
ScenarioYour activity sits in a sector with its own regulator on top of DET.Why it fitsHealthcare needs Dubai Health Authority approval, education needs KHDA, and finance needs Central Bank or SCA sign-off before the licence is issued.Risk noteBuild the extra approval time in from day one. These approvals can take longer than the core licensing steps themselves.
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.
Common questions
Dubai business license, answered
Get your Dubai business license right the first time
Activity, trade name, MOA, Ejari and issuance as one managed process.
Fixed, itemised quote before you commit to anythingActivity list and office checked before filing