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Velarozone

Costs

What a UAE company setup actually costs.

The short answer

A free-zone company without visas starts at roughly AED 5,000–6,000 in authority costs; a standard mainland licence from AED 14,000. The licence is rarely the whole story — visas, workspace and the annual renewal usually decide the real number. This page shows how the total is built.

The question behind 'how much does it cost' is almost always 'what will I be paying in year two'. That is the number that decides whether a setup was sensible.

This page sets out how the total is built, layer by layer, so you can compare two providers honestly and spot what one of them has left out.

How the total is built

The anatomy of the cost

Every UAE setup total is built from the same five layers. Expand each one to see what sits inside it and what moves it. Where a figure is printed, it is an authority cost from the schedules we track; where a layer carries no figure, its size depends on your case — the shape is universal, the number is yours.

Scenarios

Three worked examples

Realistic scenarios, band figures only. Exact figures depend on the authority, the activity and the visa count — these are indicative starting points, not quotes.

Solo consultant, free zone, no visas

Licence and registration from roughly AED 5,000–6,000 in authority costs (approximate).

What's deliberately not in this figure

  • Any residency visa — this scenario has none
  • An establishment card — only needed once visas are
  • Workspace beyond the package's own desk entitlement
  • Document attestation, if your documents originate abroad
  • Our professional fee — stated as its own line in any engagement

Renewal from year two: the licence and any workspace line recur every year; your plan shows the renewal figure next to the setup figure.

Your plan prices this exactly for your case.

Founder with one investor visa, free zone

Licence and registration from roughly AED 5,000–6,000 in authority costs (approximate), plus the immigration layer:

  • Establishment card — always itemised as its own line: approx. AED 500–2,000 in most zones (approximate)
  • One residency visa, all-in — entry permit, status change, medical, Emirates ID and stamping: approx. AED 3,000–6,500 (approximate)

Renewal from year two: the licence, the workspace line and the visa cycle recur; your plan shows the renewal figure next to the setup figure.

Your plan prices this exactly for your case.

Trading company, mainland, small office

Standard licence from AED 14,000 — authority cost basis, before visas and workspace — plus:

  • A registered tenancy, which the licence requires and which sets the visa quota — the cost follows the premises type, so it is priced per case rather than published as a band
  • Residency visas, all-in per person: approx. AED 3,000–6,500 each (approximate)
  • Establishment card and immigration file, itemised as their own lines

Renewal from year two: the licence and the tenancy renew annually, each on its own line; your plan shows the renewal figure next to the setup figure.

Your plan prices this exactly for your case.

What the figures mean

Inclusions and exclusions

What our engagement figures always itemise

  • Authority fees shown line by line — government micro-fees (trade name, initial approval) passed through at cost
  • Our professional fee stated as its own line, never bundled into an authority figure
  • The renewal figure next to the setup figure, route by route
  • Notice of any cost that cannot be fixed in advance, and why

What varies case by case

  • Activity approvals — regulated activities carry sector-authority fees of their own
  • Legalisation for corporate shareholders, by document and country of origin
  • Bank charges, minimum balances and deposits — set by the bank, not the authority
  • Workspace, once the visa count and the premises type are real

We don't publish a single package price because a package that ignores your activity is fake precision — the ranges above are honest; your plan is exact.

Two routes

Free zone vs mainland: the cost shape

The two routes build their totals differently. Five lines decide most of the difference — qualitatively here, priced for your case in your plan.

How the two routes differ on the five lines that decide the total.

  • Licence basis

    Free zone
    Packages from roughly AED 5,000–6,000, licence only (approximate); premium zones higher
    Mainland
    Standard licence from AED 14,000 — authority cost basis

  • Visa capacity model

    Free zone
    Allocation follows the package and the workspace; capped until you upgrade
    Mainland
    Quota follows the registered premises; grows with the tenancy

  • Workspace obligation

    Free zone
    A desk entitlement is often inside the package; upgrades are optional until headcount grows
    Mainland
    A registered tenancy is required — the licence does not exist without premises

  • Renewal behaviour

    Free zone
    The package renews annually; some zones renew below the first-year price, some do not
    Mainland
    Licence and tenancy renew annually, each on its own line

  • Onshore invoicing

    Free zone
    Selling into the mainland market can require additional arrangements
    Mainland
    Contract and invoice across the UAE market, within the licensed activity

The ranges are honest. Your plan is exact.

About two minutes of questions in the planner. The preliminary result includes your likely cost band — before any contact details, and before anything is filed.

Calculate my likely setup cost
  • 24h eligible licences from a complete file
  • 24h response time

Questions

Costs, asked plainly

How much does it cost to set up a company in the UAE?
A free-zone company without visas starts at roughly AED 5,000–6,000 in authority costs; a standard mainland licence from AED 14,000. Visas, workspace and renewals move the total, which is why your plan prices the whole first year and the renewal, not just the licence. Figures are indicative starting points, confirmed in your adviser-reviewed comparison.
Why do quotes from different providers differ so much?
Usually because of what is silently excluded. A headline package often leaves out the renewal year, the per-visa stack — entry permit, status change, medical, Emirates ID and stamping, per person — and workspace at the level your headcount actually needs. Ask any provider for the year-two total and the per-person visa figure, and the gap between quotes normally closes.
Do you mark up government fees?
Government micro-fees are passed through at cost and itemised. Our professional fee is stated as its own line — never hidden inside an authority figure.
Why is there no full price list on this page?
Because a published package total is only right for one activity, one visa count, and one workspace on one day, and it is wrong for almost everyone who reads it. The cost layers and the drivers are set out above. Current figures are confirmed within your adviser-reviewed route comparison, which prices the routes that actually fit and shows what each one excludes.
Is there a minimum share capital?
Requirements differ by authority and activity. Some require capital to be stated rather than deposited; others require evidence. It is confirmed per route.
What is the biggest hidden cost?
Workspace, followed by visas. Both are the lines most often quoted at the minimum level and then upgraded once headcount is real.

Short answers

One line on the bill worth understanding

A charge that appears on almost every government transaction and is rarely explained.

What is a smart service fee on a UAE government transaction?

What the charge is for, and who levies it.

Next decision

Related reading

UAE free zones directory

Timelines and what drives them

Renewals and ongoing compliance

See your own preliminary comparison

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