How much does it cost to set up a business in Dubai?

The cost of setting up a business in Dubai starts from AED 4,999 for free zone setup and AED 12,000 for mainland. All-inclusive packages with visa and bank account range from AED 15,000-25,000. Entityz offers transparent pricing with no hidden fees.

Can foreigners own 100% of a company in UAE?

Yes, foreigners can own 100% of a company in UAE. Free zones have always allowed full foreign ownership. Since 2021, mainland companies also permit 100% foreign ownership for most business activities under the Commercial Companies Law amendments.

How long does it take to set up a company in UAE?

Free zone company registration takes 1-5 business days. Mainland license takes 5-10 days. Visa processing requires 7-14 days. Bank account setup takes 2-4 weeks. Complete business setup typically takes 2-4 weeks total.

What is the difference between free zone and mainland in UAE?

Free zones offer 100% foreign ownership, 0% corporate tax up to AED 375,000, and duty-free imports but limit trading to free zone or exports. Mainland licenses allow trading anywhere in UAE, working with government clients, and have no local market restrictions.

What is the best free zone in Dubai for ecommerce?

The best free zones for ecommerce are: IFZA (most affordable, fast processing), Meydan (good for startups), Shams in Sharjah (budget-friendly), DMCC (premium, commodities), and Dubai CommerCity (dedicated ecommerce zone). IFZA and Meydan are most popular for online businesses.

Do I need to be in Dubai to start a company?

No, you can start a UAE company remotely. Most free zones offer complete online registration. Physical presence is only required for Emirates ID biometrics, visa stamping, and some bank account openings. Many entrepreneurs complete the initial setup without traveling to Dubai.

What documents are needed to start a business in UAE?

Required documents include: passport copy (valid 6+ months), passport-sized photos with white background, proof of address (utility bill or bank statement), NOC from current employer if UAE resident, and business plan for certain activities. Entityz assists with all documentation.

What is a UAE Golden Visa?

UAE Golden Visa is a 10-year renewable residence visa for investors, entrepreneurs, and exceptional talent. Eligibility includes: AED 2 million+ investment in property or business, successful entrepreneurs, or exceptional professionals in science, art, or sports.

How much is VAT in UAE?

UAE VAT is 5% on most goods and services. Businesses with taxable supplies exceeding AED 375,000 annually must register for VAT. Some items are zero-rated (exports, international transport) or exempt (residential property, local transport, financial services).

Can I get a visa for my family with a UAE business?

Yes, UAE business owners can sponsor family visas including: spouse, children (unlimited), parents (with salary requirement), and domestic helpers. Family visa costs approximately AED 3,500-5,000 per person and is valid for 2-3 years, renewable.

All UAE activities

Abu Dhabi mainland activity list

Abu Dhabi mainland business activities from the Department of Economic Development (ADDED), with codes and ISIC categories. This is the Tajer/Trader-tier list compiled for reference; confirm the current full register with ADDED before licensing.

1,022 activities · updated 2026-06-15

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1,022 activities in Abu Dhabi DED · showing 100

Code	Activity	Source	Category
0130005	Nurseries Management And Operation	Abu Dhabi DED	Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
0142002	Special Barns For Raising Racing-Horses	Abu Dhabi DED	Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
0143003	Special Barns For Raising Racing-Camels	Abu Dhabi DED	Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
0161001	Irrigation Systems Operation For Agricultural Purposes	Abu Dhabi DED	Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
0161003	Agricultural Pest Control	Abu Dhabi DED	Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
0161004	Farms and Manors Management and Operation	Abu Dhabi DED	Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
0321002	Sea based Aquaculture	Abu Dhabi DED	Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
0321003	Land based Aquaculture	Abu Dhabi DED	Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
0810007	Gypsum Extraction	Abu Dhabi DED	Mining and Quarrying
0910002	Natural Gas and Oil Well Repair and Maintenance	Abu Dhabi DED	Mining and Quarrying
0910003	Drilling Towers Setting Up, Dismantling And Repairing	Abu Dhabi DED	Mining and Quarrying
0910004	Natural Gas And Oil Well Fortification And Barricade	Abu Dhabi DED	Mining and Quarrying
0910005	Natural Gas and Oil Well Equipment Installation and Maintenance	Abu Dhabi DED	Mining and Quarrying
0910006	Oil Ports Operation (Management And Maintenance)	Abu Dhabi DED	Mining and Quarrying
0910008	Oil and gas production facilities operation and maintenance services	Abu Dhabi DED	Mining and Quarrying
0910009	Technical maintenance of factories and oil installations	Abu Dhabi DED	Mining and Quarrying
0910010	Oil Tanks Inspection and Maintenance Services	Abu Dhabi DED	Mining and Quarrying
0910012	Rescue Equipment Installation	Abu Dhabi DED	Mining and Quarrying
0910013	Marine Services Related To Oil Industries	Abu Dhabi DED	Mining and Quarrying
0910014	Fitting Industrial and Petroleum Facilities	Abu Dhabi DED	Mining and Quarrying
0910016	Industrial, Oil and Gas Facilities Corrosion and Oxidation Resistant Services	Abu Dhabi DED	Mining and Quarrying
0910017	Oil and Natural Gas Pipe Lines Installation and Maintenance	Abu Dhabi DED	Mining and Quarrying
0910018	Onshore And Offshore Oil And Gas Fields And Facilities Services	Abu Dhabi DED	Mining and Quarrying
0910020	Oil Tanks Instqllqtion and Repair	Abu Dhabi DED	Mining and Quarrying
1313002.2	Printing On Textiles And Wearing Apparel	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
1410901	Embroidered Textile	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
1410903	Arabic Minerware Tailoring	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
1410903.3	Arabic minerware tailoring -Tajir Abu Dhabi (By order)	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
1410904	Tailoring, Sewing and Knitting Men Non-Arab Clothes (Suits)	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
1410905	Tailoring and Sewing Men Abayas (Bshuts)	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
1410906	Tailoring and Sewing Women Arab Clothes (Women Abayas)	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
1410907.4	Tailoring and sewing women clothes -Tajir Abu Dhabi (By order)	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
1410909	Tailoring and Sewing Sports Clothes	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
1410912	Tailoring and Sewing Children Clothes	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
1811022	Multi-dimensional printing services	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
2592001.1	Painting Works of Metals	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
3311001	Repair of Metal Tanks, Reservoirs and Containers	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
3311002	Repair and Maintenance For Pipes and Pipelines	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
3311007	Repair welding pipes under the water	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
3312008	office Machines and Calculators Maintenance and Repairing	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
3312011	Repair and Maintenance of Agricultural Tractors	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
3312015	Repair and maintenance of machinery and equipment, printing presses	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
3313002	Installation ,Repair, and Maintenance of The Meteorological and Earthquake Instruments	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
3314002	Repair and Maintenance of Electric Lighting Equipment	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
3315001	Repair And Maintenance Of Ships	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
3315004	Repair and Maintenance of Trains and Railway Equipment	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
3319901	Light Machines and Machinery Repairing and Maintenance	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
3319908	Entertainment Halls Apparatuses and Equipments Repairing and Maintenance	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
3320003	Telecommunication Systems Equipment Installation and Maintenance	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
3320004	Medical and Laboratories Equipments and Apparatuses Installation, Maintenance and Repairing	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
3320005	Radiology Equipments and Apparatuses Installation and Maintenance	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
3320006	Installation And Maintenance Of Equipment And Instrumentation And Control	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
3320007	Water Pumps Installation and Maintenance	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
3320008	Installation and maintenance of alternative energy equipment	Abu Dhabi DED	Manufacturing
3510005	Electricity Plants and Networks Operation and Maintenance	Abu Dhabi DED	Electricity, Gas, Steam and Air Conditioning Supply
3600001	Water Collection and Distribution	Abu Dhabi DED	Water Supply; Sewerage, Waste Management
3600005	Water Desalination and Treatment Plants Operation and Maintenance	Abu Dhabi DED	Water Supply; Sewerage, Waste Management
3700003	Sanitary Sewer Networks Maintenance	Abu Dhabi DED	Water Supply; Sewerage, Waste Management
3811001	Collection and Transportation of Garbage	Abu Dhabi DED	Water Supply; Sewerage, Waste Management
3811002	Waste Water Transportation	Abu Dhabi DED	Water Supply; Sewerage, Waste Management
3811003	Metal Waste Transportation	Abu Dhabi DED	Water Supply; Sewerage, Waste Management
3811004	Construction and Demolition Concrete Waste Transportation	Abu Dhabi DED	Water Supply; Sewerage, Waste Management
3811005	Transportation of Organic Waste	Abu Dhabi DED	Water Supply; Sewerage, Waste Management
3811006	Seas And Coasts Cleaning Works	Abu Dhabi DED	Water Supply; Sewerage, Waste Management
3811007	Transportation of Organic Waste	Abu Dhabi DED	Water Supply; Sewerage, Waste Management
3812006	Transportation of Non Metallic Wastes	Abu Dhabi DED	Water Supply; Sewerage, Waste Management
3812007	Transportation of Ships Waste Oils	Abu Dhabi DED	Water Supply; Sewerage, Waste Management
3812008	Collection of electronic and electrical waste	Abu Dhabi DED	Water Supply; Sewerage, Waste Management
4100002	All Kind Building Projects Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4100003	Metal construction contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4100004	Pre-fabricated wooden houses contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4100005	Airports Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4100006	Manufactured Precast Concrete Buildings Installation Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4100007	Pre-Tension Construction Units Building and Execution Works	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4100008	All Kinds of Warehouses Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4100009	Industrial Establishment Building Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4100010	Environment Protection Establishments Building Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4100011	Oil and Gas Filed Facilities Building Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4100012	Heritage Villages Building Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4100013	Meteorological and earthquake projects construction	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4100015	Constructional and Engineering Contracting Related To Technology Projects - Final Handover	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4210001	Main Roads, Streets and Related Works Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4210002	Bridges Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4210003	Tunnels contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4210004	Railway Construction Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4220101	Networks and power transmission lines contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4220102	Power Distribution Networks and Stations Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4220103	Wireless transmission towers repairing and contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4220201	Water Desalination and Treatment Stations Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4220202	Contracting Transmission Networks and Distribution of Water	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4220203	Water Pump Stations Projects Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4220204	Water Concrete Tanks Projects Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4220205	Water Iron Tanks Projects Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4220301	Sewerage Treatment Stations Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4220303	Main Sewerage Networks Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4220304	Submain Sewerage Networks and Houses Connection Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4220401	Water Wells Drilling Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4220402	Irrigation Network Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4220403	Afforestation Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction
4220404	Green Houses Contracting	Abu Dhabi DED	Construction

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