Key Takeaways
- If you set up as an individual, Dubai asks for a passport or Emirates ID copy, a residence permit or visa copy, and articles of association. A one-person LLC can skip the articles (dubai.ae).
- When a foreign company holds shares, its papers need stamps from the UAE embassy and the foreign ministry at home, then the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an Arabic translation and the Ministry of Justice.
- Initial approval only means the authorities have no objection in principle (u.ae, July 2026). You still need any permits or approvals before the business starts (Executive Council Resolution 5 of 2024).
- Under Article 14 of the Commercial Companies Law, the memorandum must be in Arabic. If the English version says something different, the Arabic one wins.
- Each free zone has its own checklist. IFZA doesn't need you there in person to register, and ADGM doesn't ask for attested corporate documents for an SPV.
Most of the requirements to start a business in Dubai are paperwork, and what you need depends on who the shareholder is. If you live in the UAE, you'll bring a passport or Emirates ID copy and a copy of your visa. If you live abroad, you'll need a passport and a way to sign from a distance. A company that wants to own shares has the longest list. Its documents have to go through four rounds of official stamps before Dubai will accept them.
Documents required for company formation in Dubai, by route
Most applications fit one of four situations. Whichever applies to you, the bank will want its own set of papers on top. Use the table to find your situation and see what it adds.
| Who is applying | Main documents | What comes on top | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| An individual living in the UAE | Passport or Emirates ID copy, residence permit or visa copy, articles unless it's a one-person LLC | Permits for the activity, if it needs them | dubai.ae, October 2026 |
| An individual living abroad | Passport; DET tells you which documents take the place of the Emirates ID and visa copy; articles unless it's a one-person LLC | E-signature, with no need to attend in person | dubai.ae; Resolution 5 of 2024 |
| A company as shareholder | Papers of the parent company named in the authority's checklist, articles unless it's a one-person LLC | Four rounds of attestation and an Arabic translation | dubai.ae, October 2026 |
| A free zone company opening a branch run from its free zone office | Application, copy of the memorandum, free zone trade licence, manager's passport and Emirates ID | Approval from the free zone and from any sector regulator | Resolution 11 of 2025, Article 6 |
| The bank, in every case | Licence, memorandum, board resolution where it applies, proof of the company address, the partners' ID documents, bank statements where they apply | The bank's own checks | Mashreq, October 2026 |
The base set for an individual
Dubai's official start-up guide lists what an individual owner needs to provide (dubai.ae, October 2026). That's a copy of the passport or Emirates ID, a copy of the residence permit or visa, and the articles of association, which set out how the company is owned and run. A one-person LLC (limited liability company) doesn't need articles. Private and public joint stock companies also have to hand in a feasibility study.
You'll pick a trade name early in the application, although you don't need a document for it. Article 12 of the Commercial Companies Law (CCL) says the name must end with the legal form, for example LLC. It also can't copy, or come confusingly close to, a name that's already registered. The start-up guide sends you to a separate trade name booking page for the naming rules. Read that page before you choose, and have three names ready when you open the application.
Before the licence comes initial approval. This is a no-objection in principle, which means the authorities don't object to your plan. It doesn't let you start trading. Foreign investors need approval from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners' Affairs before they get it (u.ae, July 2026). Dubai's guide describes three stages in this order: initial approval, reserving the trade name, then the licence.
Executive Council Resolution 5 of 2024 says authorities may not ask you for data they can already get through the Digital Window, the government's shared online system. The Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), Dubai's mainland licensing office and formerly DED, may still ask for a document the system already has. If that happens, point to the resolution.
Documents for a non-resident shareholder
A shareholder who lives abroad has no Emirates ID or residence visa. The Dubai list asks for both, so something else has to take their place. Ask DET which documents it accepts instead in your case.
You don't always have to travel. Resolution 5 of 2024 accepts an electronic signature without you being there in person. The International Free Zone Authority (IFZA) says business owners don't need to be present at registration (IFZA website, undated). The Meydan Free Zone's Fawri licence is designed for one shareholder who is also the manager, the director and the ultimate beneficial owner (Meydan, October 2026).
Along with the licence, you have to record who the beneficial owners are. A beneficial owner is the real person who, at the end of the chain, owns or controls the company. Cabinet Decision 109 of 2023 makes the company list these people, usually anyone at 25% or more. The company must also name a natural person living in the UAE who is allowed to pass this information to the registrar. The register is due within 60 days of getting the licence (as of October 2026).
Banks run their own residency rules. The bank account service offered by Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ) lists the main signatory's Emirates ID and residence visa among the documents. Emirates Islamic's Digital Business Package wants copies of the passport, Emirates ID and residence visa for every shareholder (bank and zone pages, October 2026). If you live abroad, check which banks will take you before you decide where to set up.
Documents for a corporate shareholder and the attestation chain
A company that becomes a shareholder faces the most paperwork. Its documents need attestation, meaning a series of official stamps confirming that they're genuine. Dubai's guide gives the order for foreign documents (dubai.ae, October 2026):
- the UAE embassy and the foreign ministry in the country where the papers were issued attest them;
- the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs counter-attests them;
- a legal translator puts them into Arabic;
- the Ministry of Justice attests them.
Which papers of the parent company you need depends on the licensing authority's checklist for your activity. A board resolution is usually one of them. It approves the investment and names the person who will sign. Anyone behind the parent company who holds 25% or more is recorded as a beneficial owner.
If one document skips a step, it's turned down. Your licence application then waits until the corrected set arrives.
Most of that delay can be avoided by checking your set against the authority's list before the first attestation fee is paid. A lawyer licensed in the UAE can do that check for you.
NOC for a trade licence in Dubai and other approvals
An NOC, or no-objection certificate, is a letter in which an authority or a landlord says it has no objection to what you plan. In practice there are three kinds of approval to think about. Regulators may need to approve the activity. A free zone has to approve mainland work by its companies. And your premises may need consent too.
In Dubai, regulator permits usually come after the licence. Resolution 5 of 2024 makes permits and approvals a condition for starting the activity, not for getting the licence. Checks on staff qualifications, any bank guarantee and an on-site inspection also have to happen before you open.
Resolution 5 itself doesn't list which activities are affected. DET issues licences instantly, except for activities on a list set by the Chairman of the Executive Council. For those, you need the permits or approvals first. DET can tell you whether your activity is on that list. Regulated fields such as health or education usually need the regulator's approval, so check with the regulator too. On a separate point, dubai.ae says an eTrade licence needs approval or a no-objection certificate from the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA).
Some businesses also have their own registration to do. Real estate agents, dealers in precious metals and stones, corporate service providers, auditors and accountants must sign up to goAML, the UAE's online system for anti-money-laundering reports (Ministry of Economy notice, August 2023; the ministry is now the Ministry of Economy and Tourism). In Dubai, virtual asset businesses come under the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA). VARA covers the free zones but not DIFC, the Dubai International Financial Centre, and it can tell you what applies to your activity.
A free zone company that wants to work on the mainland has more to prepare. A mainland branch run from the free zone, usually called a dual licence, has its own application. You'll need a copy of the memorandum, the free zone trade licence, and the manager's passport and Emirates ID. Approval from the free zone and from any sector regulator completes the papers (Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025, Article 6). The licence costs AED 10,000 per year to issue or renew (as of October 2026).
The third consent concerns premises. If your activity needs an office or shop, you'll need a registered lease. A commercial Ejari, the entry in Dubai's official register of tenancy contracts, has to be issued in the licensed company's name (Dubai Land Department FAQ, October 2026). Raise the question of a no-objection certificate with your landlord early. To see how the activity code decides which approvals you need, read our page on choosing the activity code.
Free zone documents differ per zone
Every free zone publishes its own checklist, and no one list covers them all. Compare what your zone asks for before any money changes hands. A few examples:
- IFZA says you don't need to be there in person to register (IFZA website, undated).
- Meydan's Fawri licence is meant for a single shareholder. If there are several owners, check with Meydan what applies (Meydan, October 2026).
- Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) doesn't ask for attested corporate documents for an SPV, a special purpose vehicle set up for one narrow job such as holding an asset. A non-exempt SPV must still appoint a corporate service provider registered with ADGM (ADGM, October 2026).
- DIFC requires a Prescribed Company to use a DIFC-licensed corporate service provider unless it's exempt (DIFC SPV page, October 2026).
- ADGM's Tech Startup licence needs an approval letter from Hub71, Abu Dhabi's tech start-up programme (ADGM, October 2026).
Translations, POA and e-signature
When there's a conflict, the Arabic text counts. Article 14 of the CCL says the memorandum must be in Arabic. The competent authority has to authenticate it, either with you present or by e-signature, and the Arabic version wins over any English one. Read the Arabic, or have someone translate it back for you, before you sign.
Under Resolution 5 of 2024, you can sign electronically without turning up in person. You only need a notary where a decision of the competent authority says so (CCL Article 14).
A power of attorney (POA) lets someone else sign on behalf of an owner who isn't there. Emirates NBD's digital onboarding asks for a power of attorney or a board resolution (Emirates NBD, October 2026). Noon and Amazon.ae want one when the person acting isn't the licence owner (seller help pages, 2026). Keep the POA narrow. Name the person, list exactly what they may do and give it an end date. A broad POA lets the representative go further than you meant, and that includes your bank account.
Pre-flight checklist
Go through this list before you submit anything:
- your activity code, and the regulator approvals it needs;
- three trade names that end with the legal form;
- the legal form, plus articles in Arabic unless it's a one-person LLC;
- for shareholders living in the UAE, a passport or Emirates ID copy and a residence permit or visa copy, and for those abroad, the replacement list from DET;
- every company document attested at all four stages and translated;
- a narrow power of attorney, if someone else signs for you;
- a lease and Ejari in the company's name, if the activity needs premises;
- details of the beneficial owners, and a person living in the UAE who may disclose them;
- the bank's own list, which for Mashreq NEO BIZ means the trade licence, memorandum, a board resolution where it applies, proof of the company address, the partners' ID documents and bank statements where they apply (Mashreq, October 2026).
For the order of the steps, see our guides on how to open a company in Dubai and registering a company online in Dubai. If you're unsure which steps to hand over, the guide on whether you need a business setup consultant may help.
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