The Seven Practices
Company formation & structuring
Choosing between mainland, a free zone, ADGM, DIFC or an offshore vehicle is not a preference — it is determined by what the business does, who owns it, where the customers are, and what the banking and tax consequences will be.
Open practice →Banking
Account opening is a compliance decision made by the bank, not an administrative step. It turns on how the ownership, source of funds and commercial rationale read to a compliance officer who will never meet you.
Open practice →Residency & visas
Residency follows from a structure, and the order in which steps are taken determines whether the process runs or stalls — plus the difficult end: overstay penalties, entry bans and refused applications.
Open practice →Tax
The UAE is a low-tax jurisdiction, not a no-tax one. Corporate tax registered and filed, free zone conditions met continuously — and whether the country you came from accepts that you have left.
Open practice →Accounting, audit & compliance
Every UAE entity carries ongoing obligations regardless of whether it trades. They are not individually difficult — they fail through inattention: a deadline missed, a register never updated.
Open practice →Legal
Succession planning that requires positive action, asset protection through foundations, contracts, real estate, and representation where a matter reaches the courts.
Open practice →Documents & PRO
The government-facing layer beneath everything above: attestation and legalisation, sworn translation and authority liaison — performed directly rather than subcontracted.
Open practice →How the Practices Connect
The seven are separated for navigation, not in practice. A typical formation runs through five of them, and decisions taken at the first step constrain every step after it.
Choosing a free zone because the licence is cheaper, without checking which banks onboard entities from that free zone, is the most common and most expensive version of this error.
Where We Incorporate
We work across all seven emirates. The right answer is frequently not the best-known free zone.
What a UAE Entity Carries
Obligations attach to the company, not to the founder's availability. None are individually difficult — they fail through inattention.
Multinational groups with consolidated revenue of EUR 750 million or more are separately subject to a 15% domestic minimum top-up tax. Small Business Relief is currently extended to tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029 by Ministerial Decision No. 131 — entities relying on it should plan for the position that follows.
How We Work
Assessment
Activity, ownership, current tax residency, visa requirements and banking profile — reviewed before any recommendation.
Fixed scope, in writing
Deliverables, sequence, timeline and cost in one document. Fees anchored to the scope of work; changes only in writing.
Execution
A named person accountable, reporting at each milestone.
Compliance handover
Registrations completed and a first-year calendar issued, so obligations are met rather than remembered.
Questions
Do I need a mainland licence or a free zone licence?
It depends on where your customers are. Selling to UAE-based customers generally points to mainland; serving clients outside the UAE, or holding assets, generally points to a free zone. The banking consequences differ too, and should be considered before the licence is chosen.
Is the UAE still tax-free?
No, and it has not been since corporate tax was introduced. Rates remain low and, for qualifying free zone income, can be 0% — but that treatment is conditional and requires maintenance. Structures built on the assumption that nothing needs to be filed are the ones that create problems.
Can you handle a company that already exists?
Yes. Restructuring, transferring between jurisdictions, changing shareholders or activities, bringing overdue compliance current, and liquidation are all ordinary work. Existing entities with lapsed obligations are common and fixable.
Do you work outside Dubai?
Yes — across all seven emirates, including the Abu Dhabi and northern emirate free zones and ADGM.
Our bank application was refused. Is that final?
No. Refusal by one institution is not a market-wide outcome. What matters is why it was refused, whether the dossier addressed the concern, and whether the application went to a bank whose risk appetite fits the profile.
Can everything be done without me travelling to the UAE?
Much of it, through power of attorney and remote procedures. Certain steps — biometrics for Emirates ID, some bank onboarding, particular immigration procedures — require presence. We identify which apply at the assessment stage rather than mid-process.