UAE business and document services
Setting up in the UAE is not one process — it is a licence, a tenancy, visas, a tax registration, attested documents and a set of renewal dates, each with a different authority behind it. This desk runs all of them from one file, so the deadlines do not arrive as surprises.
The UAE desks
Six services, each with its own page setting out what it includes, who it is for, the documents, the process and the renewal dates that follow.
How UAE paperwork actually runs
The single most useful thing to know is which authority owns which decision, because that is what sets the order of the work. In Dubai, an economic licence comes from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism. Residence visas, entry permits and Emirates ID run through the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security federally and the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs — Dubai in Dubai. Employment contracts and labour cards sit with MOHRE. Corporate tax and VAT are the Federal Tax Authority. Attesting a document for use abroad is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Second: almost nothing here is a one-off. A Dubai business licence is valid for one year and renewable — Article 8 of Dubai Law No. (13) of 2011 — and a company that lets it lapse finds its visa and banking work blocked behind it. Establishment cards, labour cards, residence visas, Emirates ID and tax filings all have their own clocks, and they are not synchronised.
Third: the order matters more than the speed of any single step. A licence that names the wrong activity has to be amended before a visa quota can be raised; an unattested degree stops an employment visa at the last stage; a tenancy registration missing from the file stops the licence. Getting the sequence right is most of what a documents clearing company is for.
- Jurisdiction and activity. Mainland, free zone or offshore, and the activity list that matches what you will actually invoice for. Getting this wrong is the expensive mistake, because everything else is built on it.
- Name, approvals and licence. Trade name reservation, initial approval, any external approvals your activity needs, the tenancy or flexi-desk, then the licence itself.
- Establishment file and visas. Establishment card, labour file, then investor, employee and family visas — entry permit, medical, Emirates ID, stamping.
- Tax registration. Corporate tax registration, and VAT registration where the threshold is met or voluntary registration is worth making, with the filing calendar written down.
- Renewals, on a calendar. Licence, establishment card, visas, Emirates ID and tax returns, tracked so a renewal is a scheduled task rather than a fine.
The numbers that come up most
Published rates and thresholds, from the authority that sets them. These are not our fees — ours are quoted per file, in writing, before work starts.
| What | Published figure | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate tax | 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000; 9% above it. Applies to financial years starting on or after 1 June 2023. A different rate applies to large multinationals meeting specific criteria. | Federal Tax Authority |
| VAT registration | Mandatory once taxable supplies and imports exceed AED 375,000 in the previous 12 months, or are expected to in the next 30 days. Voluntary from AED 187,500. | Federal Tax Authority |
| Dubai business licence | Valid for one year, renewable for the same period; the law requires renewal within the last month before expiry. | Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism |
| Document attestation | Attestation of official documents and certificates, requested through the ministry’s website or smart application, with status checked on its verification service. | Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| Residence visas and Emirates ID | Entry permits, residence permits, Golden Visa and establishment cards; Emirates ID issued federally. | ICP, and GDRFA for Dubai |
Sources: u.ae corporate tax; Federal Tax Authority, VAT registration; Dubai Law No. (13) of 2011; Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Rates and thresholds change — read the authority’s page before you rely on a figure.
What we do, and what we do not
What we do
- Choose the jurisdiction and activity list against what you will actually invoice for.
- Run the licence, establishment file and visas in the order the authorities require.
- Register for corporate tax and VAT, and keep the filing calendar.
- Attest and legally translate documents for use here or abroad.
- Track every renewal date and tell you before it matters, not after.
What we do not do
- Audit accounts or sign a tax return as your auditor — we are not an audit firm.
- Give legal advice, draft litigation, or represent you before a court.
- Promise a visa quota, a bank account or an approval. Authorities and banks decide those.
- Quote a government fee as ours, or bundle one into a price without showing it.
More on both: How it works and Why AL HUDHUD.
Guides for this desk
The deadlines, the fines and the documents, each linked to the authority that publishes the rule.
- Trade Licence Renewal in Dubai: Steps, Documents and Timeline
- UAE Corporate Tax Registration: Who Must Register and Deadlines
- Document Attestation for the UAE: Degree and Certificate Attestation Step by Step
- What Does a PRO Do in Dubai? When Your Business Needs PRO Services
- UAE Golden Visa: the Routes and What Each One Requires
- Sponsoring Your Family for a UAE Residence Visa
Common questions
Mainland or free zone?
It depends on who your customers are and what you need to do physically. Mainland lets you invoice inside the UAE market directly and take government work; a free zone is often faster and cheaper to set up and suits a business trading mainly outside the UAE or online. The decision also drives your visa quota, your office requirement and how easily you can add activities later, so it is worth an hour of conversation rather than a web comparison table.
When do I have to register for corporate tax?
Corporate tax applies to financial years starting on or after 1 June 2023, at 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above it. Registration deadlines are set by the Federal Tax Authority and depend on your licence date, and the penalty for a late registration is a fixed one. Our guide on the deadlines sets them out. u.ae corporate tax
Do I need to register for VAT?
Registration is mandatory once your taxable supplies and imports exceeded AED 375,000 in the previous twelve months, or are expected to exceed it in the next thirty days. Voluntary registration is available from AED 187,500, counting taxable expenses as well as supplies. Federal Tax Authority, VAT registration
How often does a trade licence have to be renewed?
A Dubai business licence is valid for one year and renewable for the same period, and the law asks you to renew within the last month before it expires. Leaving it to lapse blocks the visa, banking and tax work that depends on it. Dubai Law No. (13) of 2011
What does attestation actually involve?
For a document issued abroad and used here, it is a chain: the issuing authority, then that country’s foreign ministry, then the UAE embassy there, then the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a legal translation into Arabic where the receiving body needs one. For a UAE document used abroad the chain runs the other way. Skipping a link means the document is refused at the end, not at the start.
Can you handle everything for a new company, or just parts?
Either. Most clients start with the licence and visas and then keep the renewals, tax filings and PRO work with us on a monthly arrangement; some come only for one piece of work, such as an attestation or a licence amendment. Both are normal and both are quoted the same way.
What does it cost?
Quote on request. Government fees vary by jurisdiction, activity and visa count and are passed through at cost; our fee is quoted per file in writing before work starts.
Last reviewed 28 September 2026 against the official sources linked above. Government fees, forms and timelines change. Figures here are the published ones on the date above; always read the authority’s own page before you rely on a number. AL HUDHUD prepares and submits files - the authority decides them, and no agent can promise an outcome.
Enquire about a UAE service
Tell us what the company needs and an advisor calls you back with the order of work, what each authority will want, and an itemised quote. Free, no obligation.