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ImmigrationUAEVisas · Residency · Business
Tool 02 · Company formation

UAE business setup finder: mainland, free zone or offshore

The right structure is decided by how you will operate, not by a sales pitch. Eight plain questions, then the structures worth reviewing with the reasons, the caveats, what to verify with the authority, and the zones whose own statements match what you said.

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Immigration UAE is a brand of Cosmos Immigration, a private immigration and business-services consultancy. It is not affiliated with the Government of the UAE, ICP, GDRFA, MOHRE or any UAE government authority.

  1. Your business, current step
  2. Your setup, not started
  3. Structures to review, not started
  4. Zones that match, not started
  5. Consultant review, not started

Step 1 of 5Your business

Where will most of your customers be?

This is the single biggest factor. A free zone company cannot sell directly into the UAE mainland without a distributor, a mainland branch or a mainland licence (u.ae).

What type of activity?
Will you import or export physical goods?
Is this a holding company only — holding shares, property or IP with no trading?
Answer every question to continue

How this finder works

What it does

  • Asks about how you will actually operate: where customers are, visas, premises, goods, shareholders, activity and whether the entity only holds assets.
  • Lists the structures worth reviewing in order, with a 'because you said…' reason for each that quotes the authority statement it rests on.
  • Shows the caveats your own answers create and what you must verify with the licensing authority before committing.
  • Lists free zones, financial free zones or offshore registries whose own published statements match your criteria.
  • Keeps your answers on this device so you can send them with an enquiry without typing them again.

What it does not do

  • It does not rank zones by price or quality, and it shows no fees; government fees come from each authority's fee schedule.
  • It does not state visa quotas or processing times. The pages we checked do not publish them as rules.
  • It does not confirm that your activity is available in a given zone. The zone's activity list and any third-party approvals must be checked with the authority.
  • It does not give tax advice. It repeats only the corporate tax and VAT thresholds the authorities publish.
  • It does not store your answers on our servers unless you choose to send them to a consultant.

The structures it compares

StructureWho regulates itOwnership, as statedGuide
Mainland company (onshore)Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET); Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED); Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD); Ajman DED, Umm Al Quwain DED, RAK DED, Fujairah Municipality100% foreign ownership for most activities; strategic-impact activities still need approvals or a UAE-national contribution.Read
Free zone companyEach free zone authority; Dubai DET100% foreign ownership.Read
Financial free zone (ADGM or DIFC)ADGM Registration Authority; DIFC Authority, DFSA and DIFC CourtsCompanies in financial free zones have UAE nationality under the Commercial Companies Law; ownership rules are set by the zone.Read
Offshore company (RAK ICC or JAFZA Offshore)RAK ICC (RAK International Corporate Centre); JAFZA OffshoreRegistered through agents; the registries publish their own ownership and director rules.Read

Zones and registries it can match

Each is described only in the words its own authority publishes. ADGM and DIFC are financial free zones; RAK ICC and JAFZA Offshore are offshore registries; the rest are ordinary free zones.

Official sources behind every reason

The finder quotes only these pages plus each zone authority’s own website. We re-check them every 30 days and after any announced change. Where a page does not state a figure, the finder says so.

This assessment provides preliminary informational guidance only and is not a UAE government decision or guarantee of approval.

No private firm can guarantee the outcome of a UAE visa, residency or licensing application. Decisions rest solely with the relevant UAE authority.

Immigration UAE is a brand of Cosmos Immigration, a private immigration and business-services consultancy. It is not affiliated with the Government of the UAE, ICP, GDRFA, MOHRE or any UAE government authority.

Want a person to confirm the structure?

Send your answers with your enquiry. A consultant confirms the activity is available, checks approvals, asks the authority for the current visa allocation and office requirement, and tells you what the official fee schedule lists.

Send this to a consultantWhatsApp us

No private firm can guarantee the outcome of a UAE visa, residency or licensing application. Decisions rest solely with the relevant UAE authority.