Branch License
A branch of a UAE, foreign or free zone company, licensed on the Dubai mainland.
A branch license on the Dubai mainland
A branch is not a smaller licence. It is one of the four legal forms the Law provides for: economic activity must be conducted through a sole proprietorship, a civil works company, a commercial company, or a “branch of a national or foreign company or of a company operating in a free zone” (Law No. (13) of 2011, Article 14(d)).
That framing matters because it decides what a branch is for. A branch extends a company that already exists into the emirate under the parent’s name and identity, rather than creating a new one. If what you want is a separate company with its own owners and its own liability, a branch is the wrong instrument and we will say so.
This page covers the three branch cases: a branch of a UAE company, a branch of a foreign company, and a branch of a free zone establishment — the last of which changed shape in 2025.
What the service covers
- Establishing whether a branch or a separate company is the right structure, before anything is filed
- The branch licence application itself, and follow-up until it is issued
- The parent company's documents, including what needs attesting when the parent is foreign
- Premises and tenancy registration for the branch
- The free zone branch route, under the 2025 resolution and the department's own framework
- External approvals where the activity is regulated by another authority
- Renewal, and changes to the branch once it is running
Get this quoted
Itemised in writing, government charges shown separately, before anything is filed.
Which one do you need?
Who this page is for
- UAE companies opening a second location or extending into the emirate
- Foreign companies establishing a presence on the Dubai mainland
- Free zone establishments that need to reach the local market
- Owners deciding between a branch and a new company and wanting the difference explained once, properly
- Existing branch holders renewing or changing something on the branch licence
- Parent companies whose documents are abroad and need the attestation chain handled
What we need from you
To open the file and quote:
- The parent company's licence or registration document
- Passport copy for the parent's owner, partners or authorised signatory
- The activity the branch will carry on, in your own words
- Where the branch will operate from, if that is settled
For a foreign parent, the parent's corporate documents will need attesting, and the chain depends on the country of origin. We tell you what yours needs once we know where the parent sits, rather than printing a generic list that is wrong for most countries.
The department's full document set for each branch type is not something we found published in one general text, so we check your case instead of inventing a checklist. What is published, and what this page rests on, is Article 14(d) and Article 23.
The branch, step by step
- Tell us what the parent is and where it sits — UAE company, foreign company, or free zone establishment.
- We check the structure question first. A branch and a new company are different instruments and the right one is not always the one you came for.
- Written quote — government charges and our fee, itemised separately.
- Parent documents, including the attestation chain where the parent is foreign.
- Approvals, including any the activity brings with it.
- Premises and tenancy registration for the branch.
- Licence issued, then the dates recorded and watched alongside the parent's.
Turnaround and fees
- Fees: quote on request. Itemised in writing, government charges separately, before anything is filed.
- A foreign parent is the long pole. The attestation chain for the parent's documents runs in the country of origin and sets the timetable; nothing on this side shortens it.
- A UAE parent is quicker, because the documents already exist in a form the department recognises.
- No day count is published here because the three cases are genuinely different jobs. Tell us which one you are and we will give you a realistic figure for it.
A branch is a legal form, not a lesser licence
Article 14 of Law No. (13) of 2011 sets out four ways an economic activity may be conducted: a sole proprietorship, a civil works company, a commercial company, and a "branch of a national or foreign company or of a company operating in a free zone" (Article 14(d)). Reading it that way settles most of the confusion. A branch is not a cheap route into the market and it is not a trial version of a company. It is the form you use when a company already exists and you want to extend it into the emirate under its own name. Everything that follows — what documents are needed, what can be approved, what happens at renewal — follows from that one fact.
A branch of a UAE company
The most straightforward of the three, because the parent's documents already exist in a form the department recognises and no attestation chain runs abroad. What still has to be settled: the activity the branch will carry, which is checked against the department's classification in the same way a new licence is; the premises and their registration; and any approval the activity brings with it. The usual reason a UAE-parent branch slows down is not the branch at all — it is something outstanding on the parent licence that has to be cleared first. We check the parent before quoting, for that reason.
A branch of a foreign company
This is the case where the timetable is set somewhere else, and being honest about that up front is worth more than optimism. The parent's corporate documents have to be attested, and the chain runs in the parent's country of origin. It differs by country, it is outside the control of anyone on this side, and it is almost always the longest part of the job. What we do is tell you what your country's chain looks like before you start, so the sequence is planned rather than discovered. We will not publish a generic attestation list here, because one that fits every country fits none of them.
A branch of a free zone company
This is the route that changed in 2025, and it is the one most worth reading carefully. The Law has always allowed it: "A Business licensed in a free zone may open branches within the Emirate" under the department's procedures (Law No. (13) of 2011, Article 23(b)). Article 23(a) adds that the department, with the free zone authority, may authorise a free-zone-licensed business to operate in the emirate under rules the Executive Council issues. Executive Council Resolution No. (11) of 2025, issued 3 March 2025, is that framework. It requires one of three authorisations set out in Article 4(a): a licence to establish a branch within the emirate, a licence to establish a branch operating out of the free zone, or "a Permit to the Establishment to conduct specific Activities within the Emirate". Those branch licences run for one year and are "renewable for the same period" (Article 4(b)), and Article 7 provides for a temporary permit "valid for a period not exceeding six (6) months". So "can a free zone company work on the mainland?" now has a real answer with three shapes to it, and picking the right one is the first conversation rather than the last. The hub page sets the wider comparison out.
Branch, or a new company?
We would rather spend ten minutes on this than file the wrong thing well. A branch fits when: the parent already exists, you want the same name and identity in the emirate, and you are comfortable that the branch is an extension of the parent rather than something separate. A new company fits when: you want different owners, a different name, or a structure that stands on its own. It is reversible, but not cheaply. Converting a branch into a company is a change of legal form, which is a modification under Article 10(a) and one of the cases Article 10(b) names as needing a published newspaper notice at the owner's expense. Easier to get right at the start.
What opens the file
- The parent company's licence or registration document
- Passport copy for the parent's owner, partners or authorised signatory
- The activity the branch will carry on, in your own words
- Where the branch will operate from, if that is settled
For a foreign parent, add the country the parent sits in — that alone tells us what the attestation chain will look like and how long it is likely to take. Send it to WhatsApp on +971 4 223 6581, or use the form on this page.
Branch questions, answered from the law
Is a branch a real licence?
Yes, and a named legal form. Article 14 of Law No. (13) of 2011 sets out four forms for conducting economic activity, and a "branch of a national or foreign company or of a company operating in a free zone" is one of them (Article 14(d)).
What is the difference between a branch and a new company?
A branch extends a company that already exists; it carries the parent's name and identity rather than having its own. A new company is a separate legal person with its own owners. If you want separate ownership or separate liability, a branch is the wrong instrument. That is a structure decision and it is worth making before the file opens.
Can a free zone company open a branch on the mainland?
Yes, and it is in the Law: "A Business licensed in a free zone may open branches within the Emirate" under the department's procedures (Article 23(b)). The wider framework for a free zone establishment operating in the emirate sits in Article 23(a) and in Executive Council Resolution No. (11) of 2025, which the hub page covers in full.
What did the 2025 resolution change?
It set out how a free zone establishment may conduct activities inside the emirate, requiring one of three authorisations in Article 4(a): a licence to establish a branch within the emirate, a licence to establish a branch operating out of the free zone, or "a Permit to the Establishment to conduct specific Activities within the Emirate". Those branch licences run for one year and are "renewable for the same period" (Article 4(b)).
Is there a short-term option instead of a branch?
The same resolution provides for a temporary permit "valid for a period not exceeding six (6) months" (Article 7). Whether that fits what you are doing is worth asking before committing to a branch.
Does a branch need its own premises?
The premises requirement in Article 17 applies to the licensed business, and "The premises must be suitable for the activities to be licensed". In Dubai a tenancy agreement must be registered with Ejari, as the UAE Government portal states (u.ae, 8 April 2026).
Can a branch carry a different activity from the parent?
That is a question about what the parent is licensed for and what the department will approve for the branch, and it is checked rather than assumed. Bring both and we will tell you where the limit sits.
Does the branch renew separately?
It has its own licence and therefore its own expiry. In practice the sensible thing is to put the branch and the parent on one watched list, which is what we do, because the two rarely expire on the same day.
My parent company is overseas. What does that add?
An attestation chain for the parent's corporate documents, run in the country of origin. It is the single biggest variable in a foreign-parent branch and it is outside anyone's control on this side. We tell you what yours needs once we know the country.
Can a branch be converted into a company later?
A change of legal form is a modification under Article 10(a) and it is one of the cases Article 10(b) names as requiring a published newspaper notice. So it is possible and it is not trivial. The transfer page covers what that involves.
What does a branch licence cost?
Quote on request, in writing, itemised, with government charges separate. The spread between a UAE-parent branch and a foreign-parent branch is wide enough that a single published figure would mislead most readers.
Can you do it while the parent's people are abroad?
Usually a large part of it, yes. The attestation steps happen where the parent is, and we tell you which signatures have to be made in person.
Figures and rules on this page name the instrument they come from and were checked on 10 November 2026. Authority rules, charges and processing times can change without notice. AL HUDHUD Documents Clearing Services is a documents clearing and PRO services company, not a law firm; this is information, not legal advice. Fees: quote on request.
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