Free Zone Branch License
A branch of an existing UAE or foreign company inside a free zone, under that zone's own rules.
A branch inside a UAE free zone
A branch is an extension of a company that already exists, not a new one. Two of the zones we work with say so in the same sentence: “A Company or a Foreign Company may apply to the Authority to establish a Branch” (Shams, Art. 7.1; Meydan, Clause 7.1). Both then say the thing that decides whether a branch is right for you: a Branch has no separate legal personality (Shams Art. 7.2; Meydan Clause 7.2).
No separate legal personality means the parent carries it. Its profits, its costs and its liabilities are the parent’s. If what you want is separate ownership or ring-fenced liability, a branch is the wrong instrument and we will say so before a file is opened rather than after.
If what you are looking for is a mainland branch in Dubai — including a free zone company’s branch on the mainland — that is a different licence under a different law, and our mainland branch page covers it.
What this desk covers
- Establishing whether a branch or a subsidiary is the right structure, first
- The branch application in the zone, on that zone's own form
- The parent's corporate documents, including the attestation chain where the parent is foreign
- Appointing the general manager or principal representative the zone requires
- The power of attorney, where the zone requires one in the representative's favour
- The lease or facility the branch is registered against
- Later changes to the branch, and the notice deadlines that come with them
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 extending into a free zone without creating a second company
- Foreign companies wanting a UAE presence under the parent's own name
- Groups keeping one legal entity and several registered presences
- Owners who have been offered a subsidiary and want the branch option explained properly
- Existing branch holders with a change to notify and a deadline running
- Parent companies whose documents sit abroad and need the attestation chain handled
What we need from you
To quote and start:
- The parent's licence or certificate of incorporation
- Where the parent is registered
- Passport copy for the person who will be the branch's manager or representative
- What the branch will do, and whether that is narrower than the parent's own activities
- Which free zone, if that is already settled
RAKEZ publishes a specific requirement the others do not: the application documents include a power of attorney in favour of the principal representative (Art. 86(2)(b), Companies Regulations).
A foreign parent's documents have to be attested in the country that issued them, and that chain differs by country. We tell you what yours needs once we know where the parent sits.
How a branch file runs
- Tell us what the parent is — a UAE company or a foreign one — and what the branch is for.
- We settle the structure question. Branch or subsidiary is a decision with consequences that outlive the licence, and it is worth half an hour before anything is filed.
- Zone shortlist, on the things that differ: what the zone will register as a branch, and what it requires of the representative.
- Written quote, zone charges itemised separately from our fee.
- Parent documents, including attestation where the parent is foreign.
- Representative appointed, with the power of attorney where the zone wants one.
- Application filed on the zone's prescribed form and followed up to the licence.
- Notice deadlines diarised, because changes to a branch carry their own.
Turnaround and fees
- Fees: quote on request, in writing, with the zone's charges separate.
- A foreign parent sets the timetable. The attestation chain runs where the parent is registered and nothing on this side shortens it. A UAE parent is materially quicker because the documents already exist in a form the zone recognises.
- No zone of the six publishes a branch turnaround. Where a number has been quoted to you, ask which page it is on.
- Refusal is a published possibility. RAKEZ states that the Registrar may "grant or deny the application" (Art. 87(1)), that on refusal it "shall not be bound to provide any reason for its refusal" (Art. 87(2)), and that "The applicant shall have no right of appeal from a decision of the Registrar under this Regulation" (Art. 87(3)). That is a reason to get the file right the first time.
What a branch is, and what it is not
The decisive line is in both sets of regulations and it is one clause long. Shams Art. 7.2 and Meydan Clause 7.2: a Branch has no separate legal personality. Everything useful follows from that. The branch does not own anything in its own right. Its contracts are the parent's contracts. Its debts are the parent's debts. If the parent is sued over the branch's dealings, there is no UAE-shaped wall in between, because there is no second legal person to put one around. That is sometimes exactly what a group wants: one entity, several registered presences, no new shareholders, no new accounts to consolidate. It is also sometimes the opposite of what the person asking for a branch actually wants, which is why the first conversation here is about liability rather than about forms.
Who may open one
Meydan and Shams both allow two kinds of applicant, in the same sentence: "A Company or a Foreign Company may apply to the Authority to establish a Branch" (Meydan Clause 7.1; Shams Art. 7.1). A company already in the zone, or a company from outside it. RAKEZ publishes the overseas case specifically. An Overseas Company "shall apply to the Registrar to establish a Branch in the Zone" (Art. 86(1)), and Art. 86(2)(b) lists the documents, including the power of attorney (rakez.com). It is worth reading Art. 87 alongside it, because RAKEZ is the only one of the six that publishes what happens when the answer is no: the Registrar may grant or deny, need not give a reason, and there is no appeal. A file that has to be right first time is a file worth preparing properly.
The person the zone holds responsible
Every one of the three zones that publishes regulations requires a named individual, and the titles differ. Meydan, Clause 29.1: a General Manager must be appointed. Shams, Art. 27: a General Manager appointed or removed by resolution of the parent's board, with changes notified within 30 Business Days (Art. 16.2(c)). RAKEZ, Art. 89(1): the branch must "appoint and maintain a principal representative in the Zone". The word maintain does work there — a vacancy is not a neutral state. The practical point is that this person is how the zone reaches the parent, so the appointment should be someone who will actually read what arrives, and the deadline for notifying a change is already running when the change happens.
Branches, zone by zone
| Zone | Branch provision published | Who may apply | Representative required | Refusal terms published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPC Free Zone | No | Not published | Not published | No |
| SHAMS | Yes, Art. 7.1 | A Company or a Foreign Company | General Manager, Art. 27 | No |
| Dubai South | No | Not published | Not published | No |
| Meydan | Yes, Clause 7.1 | A Company or a Foreign Company | General Manager, Clause 29.1 | No |
| RAKEZ | Yes, Art. 86 | An Overseas Company | Principal representative, Art. 89(1) | Yes, Art. 87 — no reason, no appeal |
| ANC | No | Not published | Not published | No |
Three of the six publish nothing. For those three, what a branch requires is whatever the zone tells us on the day, and we would rather say that than fill the row in from somewhere else.
Branch questions, from the regulations
What is a branch, legally?
An extension of an existing company, with no legal personality of its own. Shams Art. 7.2 and Meydan Clause 7.2 both say a Branch has no separate legal personality, which means the parent carries its profits, costs and liabilities (shams.ae, meydanfz.ae).
Who can open one?
"A Company or a Foreign Company may apply to the Authority to establish a Branch" — the identical wording in Shams Art. 7.1 and Meydan Clause 7.1. RAKEZ frames it from the other end: an Overseas Company "shall apply to the Registrar to establish a Branch in the Zone" (Art. 86(1), Companies Regulations).
Branch or subsidiary — which do I want?
If you want separate ownership, or liability that stops at the UAE entity, you want a subsidiary. If you want the parent's own name and identity operating here with nothing separated, a branch does that and does it with fewer documents. It is a decision about liability, not about paperwork, and it should be made before the application rather than during it.
Does a branch need its own manager?
Yes, and all three zones that publish regulations require one. Meydan Clause 29.1 and Shams Art. 27 require a General Manager appointed by the parent's board. RAKEZ goes further and requires the branch to "appoint and maintain a principal representative in the Zone" (Art. 89(1)) — maintain, not merely appoint.
Is a power of attorney needed?
RAKEZ publishes it as part of the application: the documents include a power of attorney in favour of the principal representative (Art. 86(2)(b)). Meydan and Shams do not publish the same requirement, which does not mean they will not ask for one.
Can a branch do something different from its parent?
That is a question about what the parent is licensed for and what the zone will register, and it is checked rather than assumed. Bring both and we will tell you where the limit falls in your zone.
Can the zone refuse?
Yes, and RAKEZ publishes the terms. The Registrar may "grant or deny the application" (Art. 87(1)); on refusal it "shall not be bound to provide any reason for its refusal" (Art. 87(2)); and "The applicant shall have no right of appeal from a decision of the Registrar under this Regulation" (Art. 87(3)). No reason, no appeal. The others publish nothing on refusal at all.
How long do I have to notify a change to the branch?
Longer than for a company, and it is published. Meydan allows 30 Business Days for a Branch name change (Clause 17.2.1) and Shams the same (Art. 16.2(a)). Shams also gives 30 Business Days for a change of General Manager (Art. 16.2(c)).
Can a branch change its own name?
Yes, by the parent's resolution rather than by the branch's. Meydan Clause 15.4: "A Branch may change its name by resolution of" the relevant board. Shams does the same at Art. 14.4.
Which of the six register branches?
Meydan, Shams and RAKEZ all publish branch provisions in their regulations. SPC, Dubai South and Ajman NuVentures publish no regulations at all, so for those three the answer has to come from the zone and not from a page.
I want a branch on the Dubai mainland instead.
Different law, different licence. That is a Dubai DET branch under Law No. (13) of 2011, including the case of a free zone company branching onto the mainland, and it has its own page on this site.
What does a free zone branch cost?
Quote on request, itemised, zone charges separate. None of the six publishes a branch fee, and the gap between a UAE parent and a foreign parent is wide enough that one figure would be wrong for one of them.
The branch provisions quoted here come from the three zones that publish regulations, read on 10 November 2026. The other three publish nothing about branches and the table says exactly that. Regulations change, and a refusal in one zone carries no reason and no appeal. 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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