Dubai free zone · for non-residents

A UAE company, with an optional path to UAE residency.

Dubai is sold as a zero-tax shortcut. Since June 2023 that hasn't been true for most businesses, here's the real cost, and the real tax.

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Best if your customers are outside the UAE and you want a real company, with an optional residence visa, backed by genuine substance.

100% foreign ownershipNo local sponsor. The company is entirely yours.
Formed remotelyMost free zones register the company without a visit.
A residence visaInvestor or employee, 2–3 years, renewable.
0% needs real substanceThe free-zone rate isn't automatic; the FTA checks.

Who this is for

Who a Dubai free zone actually fits.

01

Clients and operations outside the UAE.

International businesses whose customers aren't UAE mainland, where the free-zone structure fits.

02

You want UAE residency.

Founders who use the company as the vehicle to a residence visa.

03

E-commerce, tech, consulting, services.

Non-UAE client bases, where a free-zone license and banking make sense. Selling to individual consumers is different: transactions with natural persons don't earn the 0% free-zone rate.

04

Revenue under ~$800,000.

Small Business Relief lets an eligible company elect 0% through 31 Dec 2029, the simplest route to no tax while it lasts.

What we handle

The setup, from license to bank account.

  1. 1

    Free zone and license

    We match your activity to the right free zone and file for the trade license.

  2. 2

    Your address

    A flexi-desk or shared office, the registered address the license and bank require.

  3. 3

    Residence visa

    Investor or employee visa, with the medical test and Emirates ID that go with it.

  4. 4

    Bank introduction

    Once the Emirates ID is through, we introduce UAE business banks and prepare what they ask for.

The part the ads skip

9%

UAE corporate tax on profits above AED 375,000 (~$102,000), since June 2023. The 0% free-zone rate is real, but only with genuine substance.

A flexi-desk and a registered address don't make you a Qualifying Free Zone Person; real substance and audited accounts do. The rules allow a small amount of non-qualifying income — a de-minimis allowance — so it's going over that threshold, not a single mainland invoice, that costs you the 0% rate. Corporate tax is also separate from VAT: VAT registration can be required once turnover passes AED 375,000 (voluntary from AED 187,500) even when your corporate tax is 0%. Under AED 3,000,000 (~$817,000) revenue an eligible company can instead elect Small Business Relief for a simpler 0% through 31 December 2029 — a company is either QFZP or SBR-eligible, not both — and from 2030, plan for QFZP or the 9%.

What recurs, every year

  • License renewal.Your free zone license, renewed each year, typically 60–70% of the first-year cost.
  • The visa cycle.Your residence visa runs 2–3 years; we place you with the specialist who handles the renewal and stay your single guide through it.
  • Corporate tax, on the calendar.Every UAE company registers for corporate tax and files, even at 0%. We keep you on the dates and introduce the accountant.
  • One address for every question.The free zone, the bank, the visa, the filing — one point of contact across all of it. Ours.

What the company lets you apply for

Yes

A UAE residence visa

As investor or employee, 2–3 years, renewable. The right to live and work, bank locally, and sponsor family.

Yes

UAE business banking

A mix of traditional and digital UAE business accounts; we show you the current options that fit your activity and prepare your file. Some ask for a minimum balance held on deposit, others a monthly fee, and opening times are indicative — the account is opened in your name, and the approval and timing are the bank's.

No

A second passport

Dubai has no citizenship by investment. A company and a visa are not a passport.

Residency and banking are things you then apply for, subject to approval — the company makes you eligible, it doesn't hand them over. Citizenship isn't on the table at all, and we say so before you start.

Before you pay

The questions people ask first.

Is Dubai still zero-tax after 2023?
Not for most businesses. There's 9% corporate tax above AED 375,000 (~$102,000) since June 2023. Free zones reach 0% only on qualifying income with real substance — and having customers abroad doesn't by itself make income qualify; that depends on your activity and the free-zone rules, which we help you check before you form. Under AED 3,000,000 revenue an eligible company can instead elect Small Business Relief through the end of 2029 (a company is QFZP or SBR-eligible, not both).
Can I set up without visiting the UAE?
For most free zones the license and registration are remote. Visa processing and traditional bank opening usually need a visit. IFZA and Meydan are the most remote-friendly.
Which free zone should I choose?
IFZA or Meydan for cost-sensitive consulting, e-commerce or tech; DMCC for institutional credibility; DIFC (Dubai's financial zone) for regulated finance, though regulated activity needs separate DFSA authorisation, a distinct licensing process we screen for and point you to before recommending the zone; RAKEZ, in Ras Al Khaimah rather than Dubai, is often one of the lower-cost options for certain activities.
How long does it take?
License in 3–10 business days, visa 5–15, Emirates ID 7–14 after stamping, bank account 4–8 weeks. Full setup to a working account: roughly 6–12 weeks.
Does the company give me UAE residency?
It makes you eligible to apply for a residence visa as investor or employee. A residence visa isn't the same as tax residency, though: the UAE has three ways to become tax-resident — 183+ days in the country, or 90–182 days while holding a UAE residence permit and having a permanent home, a job or a business here, or your main home and centre of life being in the UAE — so the day count alone doesn't settle it, and it says nothing about whether your home country still treats you as tax-resident.
Residence visa vs Golden Visa?
The standard visa is 2–3 years and tied to the license. The Golden Visa is a separate long-term residency for qualifying investors, assessed on its own criteria and not tied to a company — if it's relevant to you, that's a conversation we can have, not something the company itself grants.

Official sources

A UAE company, with an optional path to UAE residency.

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Nothing on Atlasway is legal or tax advice.