Already living in the UAE: company formation by situation

Setting up a company from inside the UAE is a different exercise from setting one up from abroad. The visa already exists, the employer is part of the picture, the clients are often local, and the questions that matter are about order, contracts and the mainland, not about flights.

This page sorts the common situations and points each one to the guide that answers it.

Still employed, planning a company

The employment contract decides more than the free zone does. Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 sets the notice period (Article 43), allows a post-contract non-compete clause of up to two years (Article 10), and includes among the worker's obligations not working for others in violation of the law (Article 16(9)).

Read: "Starting a company while employed in the UAE: contract, non-compete, permits".

Leaving employment for an own company

The order of steps is what protects the residence status: licence and establishment card first, notice second, cancellation third, new residence permit inside the grace period. The ICP and GDRFA Dubai pages do not give the same grace period, so the shorter figure is the one to plan on.

Read: "From an employment visa to an own-company visa: the order of steps", then "The UAE residence visa process, step by step".

Clients on the UAE mainland

Since 2025, a Dubai free zone company can work on the Dubai mainland under a DET permit or branch licence (Executive Council Resolution No. 11 of 2025), and the mainland income is taxed at 9%.

Read: "Serving UAE mainland clients from a Dubai free zone: the 2025 permit and the 9% rate" and "Free zone or mainland: the decision in plain terms".

A small company and corporate tax

Small Business Relief (revenue up to AED 3,000,000, tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029) and the free zone 0% cannot be held together. For a services business billing local clients, the first is often the better fit.

Read: "Small Business Relief or the free zone 0%: one or the other", "If you sell services, the free zone 0% probably is not yours" and "UAE corporate tax and free zones: who actually pays 0%".

Working as a freelancer

MOHRE issues a freelance work permit to individuals, including foreign nationals on self-sponsored visas, who work independently without an employer (u.ae, work permits page). A natural person enters corporate tax only where business turnover exceeds AED 1,000,000 in a calendar year, and wage income is excluded whatever its amount (Cabinet Decision No. 49 of 2023, Article 2). Past that point, or when clients require a company, a licence becomes the cleaner vehicle.

Choosing a zone and a bank

Read: "How to choose a free zone without overpaying" and "Opening a UAE business bank account: what actually decides it". A resident with an Emirates ID is a stronger banking applicant than a non-resident, but no provider can guarantee an account.

Arriving from a country that keeps taxing

A UAE residence visa does not by itself end tax residence elsewhere, and several countries keep reaching the founder or the company after the move.

Read: "Home-country tax after a move to the UAE: eight countries ranked" and "Why a Dubai company does not make you tax-free".

Next step

The express application handles non-regulated activities in 24 hours. For anything else, the calculator gives the cost, and WhatsApp or the quote form gets a structure checked against the situation above.