Business Setup Cost Calculator — Dubai
Setup companies quote you a license price and stay quiet about the rest. This calculator shows the honest first-year range — license, establishment card, visas, office — plus what renewal actually costs in year two.
Free zone: 100% yours, fast, but mainland clients/tenders may need a mainland license. Mainland: full UAE market access; 100% foreign ownership now covers 1,000+ activities.
First-year cost
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| License / package | — |
| Establishment card | — |
| Visas (all-in each, incl. medical + EID + insurance) | — |
| Office | — |
| Year 1 total | — |
| Renewal (year 2+) | — |
Two costs nobody quotes upfront: corporate-tax registration is mandatory for every company — even at 0% tax — with an AED 10,000 fine for missing it; and a business bank account takes 2–6 weeks of compliance checks, with traditional banks wanting AED 25–50K minimum balances (digital banks: zero).
Real 2026 price anchors
- Cheapest legitimate entry: Sharjah free zones (SHAMS, SPC) from AED 5,750 — zero visas, license only.
- Dubai free zones: IFZA AED 12,900 (0 visas) / 14,900 (1-visa quota); Meydan AED 12,500 + ~3,500 per visa. A realistic Dubai free-zone package with 1–2 visas lands at AED 18–28K all-in.
- Mainland: license AED 10–20K + trade name + MOA notarisation + Ejari office + establishment card → AED 25–60K first year with a flexi-desk.
- Each visa all-in (entry permit, status change, medical, Emirates ID, stamping, basic insurance): free zone AED 4–7K, mainland AED 5–9.5K. By law the employer pays these — they can't be deducted from staff salaries.
First-year cost ranges by jurisdiction (license path, before visas)
The ranges overlap on purpose: a lean mainland setup can undercut a loaded free-zone package. The calculator above prices your exact combination.
Frequently asked questions
Do I still need a local sponsor for mainland?
For most activities, no — since the 2021 reform, 1,000+ mainland activities allow 100% foreign ownership (IT, e-commerce, consulting, trading and most professional services). Strategic-impact sectors (defence, parts of banking/insurance/telecom, oil & gas) still require Emirati participation, and some professional structures keep a Local Service Agent at AED 5–15K/year.
What's the cheapest way to start in 2026?
A zero-visa license in a Sharjah free zone from AED 5,750 (SHAMS/SPC published rates). Add a visa and you're at AED 8.5–12K. Dubai free zones start around AED 12.5–15K before visas — you're paying for the Dubai address and ecosystem.
Free zone or mainland — which do I need?
Free zone: 100% ownership always, faster setup (3–7 days), cheaper — but selling onshore may require distributors or a branch, and government tenders need mainland. Mainland: full UAE market access, unlimited visas scaling with office size, but a physical Ejari office is mandatory.
How long does setup take?
Free zone: 3–7 working days for the license, then 1–3 weeks for visas. Mainland: 1–3 weeks for the license depending on approvals. The slowest step is usually the bank account (2–6 weeks).
What are the yearly running costs after setup?
License renewal runs 90–100% of the year-one license price (IFZA ~AED 11–13.5K, mainland AED 10–25K plus office), plus visa renewals every 2 years, mandatory health insurance per employee (from AED 320–750/year basic), and corporate-tax + VAT filings once you cross thresholds.
Do I pay corporate tax as a small company?
Registration is mandatory regardless. Profits up to AED 375K are taxed at 0%, and Small Business Relief can zero the rest if revenue is ≤ AED 3M — and that relief now runs to tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029, extended from 2026 by Ministerial Decision 131 of 2026. Run the numbers in our Corporate Tax Calculator.
Sources
- Free-zone published rates — SPC Free Zone, SHAMS, IFZA, Meydan FZ
- Mainland licensing — Dubai Department of Economy & Tourism
- Foreign-ownership reform — Federal Decree-Law 26/2020 via u.ae
Price anchors re-checked on 22 September 2026 against published rate cards: SPC / SHAMS entry from AED 5,750, Meydan AED 12,500, IFZA AED 12,900 zero-visa, and AED 18–28K for a Dubai free-zone package with one to two visas — all unchanged since 8 August 2026. One caveat worth knowing before you quote the cheapest number back at anyone: SHAMS publishes AED 5,750 for media activities, with standard commercial activities starting higher (around AED 6,875), and resellers differ on whether Meydan’s AED 12,500 headline includes a visa quota — confirm which package the price attaches to. Corrected this round on the tax side: Small Business Relief no longer expires after 2026 — Ministerial Decision 131 of 2026 extended it to tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029. Setup-company quotes vary — treat ranges as negotiation ammunition.
Get the exact, all-in quote — free
A licensed setup specialist confirms the real number for your activity — mainland vs 40+ free zones. No obligation · takes ~2 minutes · reply within 24 hours.
- All-in proposal: licence + visas + bank account, no hidden fees
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Related tools
- UAE Corporate Tax Calculator — what you'll owe once the company earns.
- Golden Visa Eligibility Check — founders whose UAE SME turns over AED 1M+ a year have their own 10-year track.
- What one hire actually costs — the licence is step one; this is the official MOHRE fee list for putting the first employee on it.
- WPS compliance from day one — the payday rule that decides your establishment category, and therefore every permit fee you pay.