Key Takeaways
- Ten lines make quotes comparable: authority fee, zone fee, agent fee, visas, desk, establishment card, medical and insurance, bank help, tax registration, and renewal with exit.
- RAKEZ shows AED 6,000 for its entry package without a visa and AED 14,000 a year for the all-inclusive package (October 2026).
- Zones tie visa quotas to space: RAKEZ states up to 2 visas for one desk and up to 4 for two desks (October 2026).
- Renewal is its own line: DIFC's fee schedule of 30 July 2026 charges the USD 12,000 licence fee again each year.
- A bank decides on its own due diligence, so a bank-help line should state what is refunded if the account is declined.
Two or three company setup packages for the same UAE company arrive with different totals. A package, a fee schedule and an agent's quote each price different things, and the ten lines below let you put them on one sheet. The questions to send in writing before you pay come at the end.
Package, schedule and quote are different documents
Three documents circulate under the word price. They come from different issuers, and each leaves a different gap. The examples come from the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), among others.
| Document | Issued by | Example | What it leaves out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee schedule | An authority | DIFC Table of Fees, revision 16: USD 8,000 to register a private company (30 July 2026) | Office, visas and the agent's work |
| Package | A free zone | RAKEZ all-inclusive business set-up: AED 14,000 a year with one residence visa (October 2026) | What it costs to add people or change the activity |
| Quote | A consultant or PRO | Vendor-quoted and written for your case; no figures are printed on this page | Which lines are government money |
The label matters because one zone can show several prices. RAKEZ pages list AED 6,000 for the entry Biz Starter, AED 12,000 for the Lite package with one residence visa and AED 14,000 for the all-inclusive package (October 2026). Match each figure to the package name before you compare it with anyone else's. The cost guide carries the dated fee schedules and packages behind these examples.
The ten lines every quote should split out
A usable quote has ten lines, each with an amount, a label and a date. A line that is missing is a question to put to the seller.
| Line | What to ask | Reference point | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Authority fee | What is paid to the registry, the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET, formerly DED) or the immigration office | DIFC private company registration, USD 8,000 (30 July 2026) | fee schedule |
| 2 Zone or licence fee | Licence for your activity code, for one year | ADGM non-financial company, USD 5,800 in the first year (version of January 2025) | fee schedule |
| 3 Agent fee | What the service charge covers | No authority publishes it; it is set by contract | vendor-quoted |
| 4 Visas | Quota, entry permit and status change, per person | RAKEZ extra visas, AED 4,000 each, up to three more (October 2026) | package |
| 5 Desk or office | Desk, flexi-desk or lease, and Ejari | Ejari registration, AED 220 at a trustee centre for a company tenancy (October 2026) | fee schedule |
| 6 Establishment card | Needed before you sponsor staff | Dubai immigration service page, AED 200 plus 5% VAT, AED 20 levies and an AED 50 service fee for a mainland company (October 2026) | fee schedule |
| 7 Medical, Emirates ID, insurance | Per person, and per year of residence | Basic health insurance, AED 320 per year (u.ae, September 2026) | fee schedule |
| 8 Bank help | What is done, and what is refunded if the bank declines | A bank decides on its own due diligence; no figure is set | vendor-quoted |
| 9 Tax registration | Corporate Tax within three months; VAT above AED 375,000 | Late Corporate Tax registration, AED 10,000 (Cabinet Decision 75 of 2023 as amended) | penalty table |
| 10 Renewal and exit | Year-two licence, audit, cancellation, NOC | DIFC licence renewal, USD 12,000 (30 July 2026); exit fees are quoted case by case | fee schedule |
The English text of Federal Tax Authority (FTA) decisions is not an official translation. Lines 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 and 10 can be checked against the authority's own page in a few minutes. A government line higher than the authority's figure needs an explanation in writing. Trade licence fees on the Dubai mainland belong to line 1 and depend on the activity, so ask DET for the fee sheet for yours.
What visa included can and cannot mean
A visa line in a package is usually a quota. The quota is the number of residence visas the zone lets you apply for, and each visa still needs an entry permit, a medical test, Emirates ID biometrics and an establishment card. The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) lists two days for an entry visa and requires entry within 60 days (October 2026).
Zones tie the quota to space. RAKEZ states on its serviced-office page that one desk carries up to 2 visas and two desks up to 4, with a minimum of 3 m2 per desk (October 2026).
ADGM gives Tech Startup licences three visas for every dedicated desk space (ADGM Tech Startup page, October 2026). DMCC lists AED 500 per additional visa quota plus a non-refundable AED 250 application fee, and it does not print a visas-per-desk formula (fee schedule, October 2026).
A package with five visas can still give you fewer, because the quota follows the desk. Freelance permits carry at most a visa for the holder, and DMCC's FreelanceUAE licence carries none; the freelance permit guide shows the limits. On the mainland, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) issues the work-permit quota, and a valid Ta'qeem report on the establishment is a condition, so ask your PRO for your number before you sign a lease.
Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone (UAQ FTZ) shows the other end. Its START package is AED 12,500 and lists one investor visa, Emirates ID, medical test and basic insurance in the price. The page states that you must be physically in the UAE for visa stamping, biometrics and the medical test (package page, October 2026).
Renewal, cancellation and NOC lines that appear later
Year two brings the lines the first invoice did not show. DIFC charges USD 12,000 for the licence renewal and ADGM USD 5,300 for a non-financial company. Secondary sources report AED 3,950 for a one-year renewal at the Ras Al Khaimah International Corporate Centre (RAK ICC), whose own site could not be read, and the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) Registrar charges AED 2,500 for renewal of an offshore company after 12 months (fee schedule, 2023). A Dubai branch operating out of the free zone, the dual licence, costs AED 10,000 per year to issue or renew (Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025, Article 12).
Packages renew on their own terms. RAKEZ's page states a fixed renewal price for its all-inclusive package, and UAQ FTZ says START renews at the same package cost. Ajman Media City's Innovator package falls from AED 22,999 to AED 14,999 at renewal (package pages, October 2026). Read the renewal column before the first-year column.
Exit lines vary by authority and zone. Cancelling the licence, cancelling visas, closing the Corporate Tax registration and closing the bank account are separate steps, and a quote that stops at the first year omits them. Ask for the cancellation fee, any no-objection certificate fee, any transfer fee and who settles outstanding fines, in writing, before you pay.
Bank and tax registration: included or sold separately
A bank-help line sells preparation and an introduction; the bank still decides. The Central Bank's customer due diligence guidance says banks should not establish or maintain a relationship when due diligence cannot be completed. Its rulebook lists the guidance as in force from 7 November 2025 (check the rulebook for the April 2026 update). On 25 December 2025 the Dubai Free Zones Council noted challenges in opening bank accounts for free zone companies.
Some zones add a bank route of their own. On 1 October 2026 RAKEZ announced an account opening route with RAKBANK for eligible licence holders, with no minimum balance and an AED 49 monthly fee for the first 12 months. That is a bank offer to eligible clients, and approval remains the bank's decision.
Corporate Tax is a separate line. A new UAE company, free zone companies included, must register within three months of incorporation (FTA Decision 3 of 2024), and a late registration costs AED 10,000, as of October 2026. Ask whether registration, the first return and the Qualifying Free Zone Person test are in the price or billed separately. The guide to Corporate Tax for a new UAE company sets out the dates. The Qualifying Free Zone Person test is a question for a corporate tax consultant, who can review it against your income before the first return.
How to compare two quotes on one sheet
Take the ten-line table and give each quote its own column. Then work down it in this order.
- Enter every figure line by line and write not stated in each empty row.
- Mark each figure as fee schedule, package or vendor-quoted; if the seller cannot say which, ask.
- Match the activity code, the jurisdiction and the visa count in both quotes before adding anything. A different activity code changes approvals and fees.
- Add year two: renewal and the exit line.
- Check each government figure on the authority's own page.
- Compare totals last.
If two quotes cannot be put on one sheet, ask the consultant to restate both in the ten lines. The request also shows whether the quote can be itemised, and the guide on how to choose a business setup consultant lists twelve questions. The separate question of whether you need one at all is covered in do you need a consultant or can you do it yourself.
Questions to put in writing before paying
Send these by email and keep the answers with the contract.
- Which authority issues the licence, and under which activity code?
- Which lines are government fees, and what does the authority's own page show for each?
- How many visas, tied to which desk or space, and are the medical test, Emirates ID, establishment card and insurance inside the visa line?
- What is the total for year one and for year two, with the same visa count?
- What does cancellation cost, and who pays a no-objection certificate fee or outstanding fines?
- What happens to the fee if the authority rejects the activity or the bank declines the account?
- Which company signs the contract, which account receives payment, and will a tax invoice follow?
- Who holds the portal logins, the originals and the registered address after handover?
A lawyer in the UAE can read the scope before you sign.
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- Trade license Dubai and the UAE, types and how to apply
- Freelance visa in Dubai and the UAE, permits and fees
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