Dubai Company Setup and the Owner’s Residence Visa: Official Steps and Fees

This guide is for business owners who want to set up a company in Dubai and live there as its owner. Every step, fee and time below comes from the official UAE and Dubai government pages, with a link to each one. The figures were checked on 10 November 2026.

Mainland or free zone: who issues your licence

Your first choice is where the company is licensed, because that decides which authority you deal with for the licence and for your staff visas.

On the mainland, foreigners can own 100% of the company for most activities. Federal Decree-Law No. 26 of 2020 removed the old rule that an Emirati had to hold 51%. A short list of activities is still restricted, including security and defence, telecommunications, banking, insurance and commercial agencies (u.ae, full foreign ownership).

Step 1: Get the trade licence (mainland)

The UAE Government portal lists these steps in order (u.ae, steps to start a business on the mainland):

1. Choose the business activity. It decides the licence type and the legal form.
2. Choose the legal form, for example a limited liability company (LLC).
3. Register the trade name with DET.
4. Get the initial approval. Foreign investors need GDRFA approval before the initial approval is given.
5. Sign the Memorandum of Association (MoA).
6. Rent an office. In Dubai the lease must be registered in Ejari.
7. Get any extra approvals your activity needs, for example from the Central Bank for financial activities.
8. Pay and collect the licence.

Documents for the licence:

• the initial approval receipt and the documents you gave at that stage
• the office lease, attested by RERA in Dubai
• the attested Memorandum of Association
• approvals from other authorities, where your activity needs them
• an attested local service agent contract, where it still applies (u.ae lists it for civil establishments and companies fully owned by non-GCC nationals)

Fees and time. Invest in Dubai says the licence fee depends on the licence type and the activity, and offers an official cost calculator. You must pay within 30 days of receiving the payment voucher, or the application is cancelled. Once the file is ready, the licence service itself takes 10 minutes for a normal licence and 5 minutes for an instant licence (Invest in Dubai, issue a trade licence).

The instant licence covers activities that need no outside approval. It comes with a virtual office for the first year, a GDRFA establishment card and a MoHRE establishment card with the option to employ three people.

Step 2: Open the company’s immigration and labour files

Before the company can sponsor anyone, it needs two files (u.ae, recruiting on the mainland):

• MoHRE: an establishment card and an electronic signature card. MoHRE inspects the premises before it issues the signature card.
• GDRFA Dubai: an establishment card, which opens the company’s immigration file.

In a free zone, the free-zone authority handles this for you.

Step 3: Your residence as the owner (Green visa)

Owning the company does not by itself give you residence. Dubai’s residence for company owners is the Green visa for partners and investors. It lasts 5 years, can be renewed, needs no sponsor and lets you sponsor your family (u.ae, Green visa).

The main condition: your paid share in the company must be at least AED 1,000,000, in cash or the equivalent. The company must be an LLC, a general or limited partnership, or a public or private joint stock company. If you put in assets instead of cash, the Ministry of Economy values them.

Sources: GDRFA, Green visa entry permit (investor/partner) and GDRFA, Green residence permit (partner investor). A medical fitness test and an Emirates ID are also part of the residence process, and they are charged separately.

If your share is under AED 1 million, the Green investor visa is not open to you. In the GDRFA service list, the Green and Golden visas are the only residence permits for investors. Which other route fits depends on your role in the company, and we look at that case by case.

Larger investments: the Golden visa

The Golden visa is a long-term residence with the same benefits: no sponsor, longer stays abroad allowed and family sponsorship. According to the UAE Government portal (u.ae, Golden visa):

• Investors: 10 years for public investments, or 5 years for real estate. The minimum capital is AED 2 million, and u.ae also lists property ownership or a stake in a company that pays at least AED 250,000 a year in taxes.
• Entrepreneurs: 5 years. You need proof of an innovative or technical project, documents showing its value, and a letter from a business incubator or the relevant authority in the emirate.

Bringing your family

As a resident you can sponsor your spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 and children with special needs. Green visa holders can also sponsor first-degree relatives. You need a monthly income of at least AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 plus housing, and family members aged 18 or over must pass a medical fitness test (u.ae, family residence).

GDRFA lists AED 200 plus small fees for a family member’s residence permit, with 48 hours to complete (GDRFA, residence for family members). Family visas are tied to yours: if your residence is cancelled, theirs is cancelled too. They then get six months to get a new residence permit.

Hiring staff

Mainland companies hire through MoHRE, and most of it now runs on one platform, the Work Bundle, which covers the work permit, residence and Emirates ID in one application (u.ae, work permits).

• A work permit costs AED 250 to AED 3,450, depending on how MoHRE classifies your company.
• MoHRE also asks for a bank guarantee of AED 3,000 per employee, which is refunded when the employee leaves and the labour card is cancelled.
• The work permit is valid for 60 days, and the fees must be paid within that time. Then come the entry permit, medical test, Emirates ID, labour card and residence. A standard work visa lasts two years and can be renewed.
• Documents include the business licence, the signature card, the worker’s photo and passport, and qualifications attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Doctors, nurses, pharmacists and teachers also need approval from the relevant authority.

In a free zone, you apply for staff work permits and visas through the free-zone authority instead (u.ae, recruiting in free zones).

3 common mistakes

• Treating the licence as a residence. The trade licence lets the company operate. Your residence is a separate GDRFA application with its own conditions.
• Budgeting only the licence fee. The office lease, any extra approvals, the GDRFA fees, the medical test, the Emirates ID and the staff guarantees are all separate costs.
• Letting the 60 days run out. The entry permit gives you 60 days to finish the residence. After that, overstay fines apply for every day.

How the Aval Visa team helps

For Dubai, the Aval Visa team works on two things: registering the company and the owner’s residence. That covers choosing mainland or free zone, preparing the licence application, the GDRFA residence file and your family’s visas. The authorities decide every application. If you want to check which route fits you, book a 30-minute consultation.

Frequently asked questions

Can I own 100% of a company in Dubai?

Yes, for most activities. Since Federal Decree-Law No. 26 of 2020, foreigners can own 100% of a mainland company. Some activities, such as banking, insurance and telecommunications, are still restricted. Free-zone companies follow the rules of their free-zone authority.

Does registering a company give me a residence visa?

Not by itself. The owner’s residence is the Green visa for partners and investors, which needs a paid share of at least AED 1 million, or the Golden visa for larger investments.

How long does the residence take?

GDRFA gives 48 hours each for the entry permit and the residence permit, once the file is complete. The medical test and Emirates ID are separate steps.

Can I start from outside the UAE?

Yes. GDRFA issues an entry permit for the partner/investor category, which lets you stay 60 days while the residence is completed.

Sources

All checked on 10 November 2026:

• u.ae: steps to start a business on the mainland
• u.ae: full foreign ownership of commercial companies (updated 27 Oct 2026)
• Invest in Dubai: issue a trade licence
• GDRFA Dubai: Green visa entry permit (investor/partner)
• GDRFA Dubai: Green residence permit (partner investor)
• u.ae: Golden visa (updated 28 Jul 2026)
• u.ae: residence visa for family members (updated 28 Sep 2026)
• u.ae: work permits (updated 19 Oct 2026)