What should you decide before choosing a licence?
Compare proposed structures against the way your business will actually operate.
| Decision | Information to establish | What it affects |
|---|---|---|
| Business activity | Describe the services or goods, customers and how transactions will be carried out. | The licence activities and any additional sector approvals. |
| Mainland or free zone | Identify the premises, market access and operating arrangements you need. | The relevant authority, permitted structure and licence conditions. |
| Shareholders and signatories | Confirm ownership, corporate shareholders and who can bind the company. | Constitutional documents, identity checks and authorisations. |
| Premises and staffing | Explain office, storage, employee and visa requirements before comparing options. | Premises permissions and the practical cost of operating. |
| First transactions | Plan how the company will invoice, keep records and, where relevant, import goods. | Accounting, tax and customs work to arrange alongside the licence. |
A licence application does not guarantee a bank account or automatically complete tax and customs registrations.
Accounting setup, tax registrations and customs arrangements are identified separately so you can plan the work needed after incorporation.
Choose a route around the intended business
We begin with customers, activities, ownership, operating locations and staffing plans. Those facts influence the jurisdiction, legal form and approvals to investigate. A mainland licence, a free-zone entity and a specialised licence have different conditions; none should be recommended solely because the initial advertised fee is low. We compare the relevant options and record the assumptions, including premises, permitted activities and any external approval dependencies.
The official Invest in Dubai mainland guidance and ADDED establishment guidance both connect setup with the activity and legal form. We use the relevant authority’s route for the proposed entity rather than transferring another emirate’s checklist unchanged.
Prepare the ownership and application records
The work can include coordinating trade-name choices, application information, shareholder documents and constitutional paperwork required for the agreed route. We check consistency across names, ownership details and authorised signatories. Corporate shareholders, overseas documents or regulated activities may introduce additional evidence and approval steps. Legal drafting, notarisation, translation and other third-party work are identified explicitly, including who provides and pays for them.
Plan the work after the licence is issued
An operating business may still need banking, employment, tax, customs or sector-specific arrangements. We identify these dependencies and can define the services Firswood will handle separately. A licence does not guarantee a bank account, visa approval or a particular tax outcome. Accounting should begin with supported formation and trading records, while the ownership and authority documents should remain available for future updates and enquiries.
Abu Dhabi also offers different licence types for different circumstances, described by ADDED’s licensing requirements. Eligibility and operating conditions must be checked for the chosen route; a headline category is not permission to conduct any business activity.
Documents and records to prepare
Tick the records you already have. The final request depends on your entity, the period and the work agreed. Please do not send financial records through this website.
0 of 8 items checked
Related reading: A financial setup checklist for a new business in Dubai or Abu Dhabi.
How the work starts
Understand the model
We discuss what the business will sell, who owns it and where it will operate, including staffing, premises and any regulated activity.
Assess the route
We identify relevant licensing options and dependencies, then agree the application scope and distinguish professional charges from government and third-party costs.
Prepare the application
We coordinate the agreed information and documents for owner approval, identify inconsistencies and track authority requests through the defined application process.
Hand over and organise
We provide the resulting records and a list of remaining tasks, with responsibility for accounting, tax and other follow-on services stated separately.
What affects the scope and fee?
- Jurisdiction, licence and legal form
- Number and type of shareholders
- External approvals and document formalities
- Premises and employment dependencies
- Post-licence services requested
We set out the deliverables, responsibilities and fee in the proposal. Work outside that scope is discussed before it is added.
Business setup FAQs
Should I choose mainland or a free zone?
The choice depends on your activities, customers, operating arrangements and ownership requirements. Compare the permission you need to trade with the continuing obligations and costs, rather than only the setup price. We assess relevant routes against your business model and identify matters that need authority confirmation or separate legal advice.
Can you guarantee a corporate bank account?
No. A bank applies its own onboarding, ownership and risk requirements and makes its own decision. We can help organise company and financial information where agreed, but incorporation does not guarantee approval. Describe the expected transactions and operating model early so banking needs can be considered alongside the setup plan.
Are visas included in company formation?
Only where the proposal explicitly includes the relevant work. Immigration, establishment and employee processes have their own requirements and approvals. The scope should distinguish application support, authority charges and the applicant’s responsibilities. We do not describe a company licence as automatic approval for every residence or employment arrangement.
Will a free-zone company automatically be tax-free?
No tax outcome should be assumed from the licence label alone. The business’s activities, transactions and applicable tax rules need a separate assessment. We can identify the tax questions that affect the setup decision and include advisory work where agreed, rather than allowing an incorporation package to imply a guaranteed tax result.
Can I add activities or change ownership later?
A later change needs to be assessed under the relevant authority’s process and the company’s documents. It may affect other registrations, contracts or approvals as well. We can discuss amendment support as a separate scope, but the initial setup should reflect your intended operations rather than rely on an assumed easy change later.
What records should I keep from the start?
Keep the issued company documents, approvals, shareholder contributions, formation invoices, contracts and bank information in an organised business file. Record early expenses and funding with supporting evidence. We can establish the accounting handover and responsibilities as part of a separate engagement so that the first reporting period does not begin with avoidable gaps.
Sources and further reading
Original page research: 5 October 2026. Service comparison and preparation checklist updated: 9 October 2026. Requirements can change; check the linked authority guidance for the latest position.
- Invest in Dubai: mainland business setup
- ADDED: establishing your business
- ADDED: licensing requirements
