Who This is for
And want the licence configured to support the visas you will need — not just the one you need first.
The licence exists, the establishment card may not, and nobody has confirmed how many visas it actually carries.
The offers are out, the team is arriving, and the licence and premises do not support the headcount.
And need to know what happens to your residency, your family’s and your staff’s before you sign anything.
And need the cancellation and the new issuance sequenced so there is no gap between them.
Mainland and Free Zone — What Actually Differs
Both routes produce residency from ownership. What differs is who administers it and what constrains it.
What's Included
How it Works
Licence and premises confirmed
The trade licence must be issued and active, the shareholder register must show the applicant, and the premises must be registered. Everything downstream depends on this.
Establishment card issued
This is the company’s authority to sponsor anyone at all. Owners are not an exception to it.
Quota established
Confirmed for a free zone package, or applied for on the mainland. If the number is lower than the hiring plan, this is the point at which that is a manageable problem.
Entry permit issued
For each owner or partner.
Status change or entry
Changing status from inside the UAE and entering on the permit are different processes with different conditions; not every current status can be changed in place.
Medical and biometrics
Requires presence in the UAE.
Residence visa issued, Emirates ID produced
The owner’s residency completes.
Dependants and staff filed
After step seven, not alongside it.
What We Need from You
Where corporate shareholders are involved, the parent company’s documents will need attestation, and that runs on its own timetable.
Timeline and Cost
Where the company already exists with an active licence, an active establishment card and available quota, an investor or partner visa is a matter of weeks. Where the company does not yet exist, the residency cannot start before the licence does — a straightforward free zone formation is typically about seven working days; mainland, ADGM, DIFC and structures with corporate shareholders take longer. That formation time is part of the residency timeline whether or not it is described as such.
Our fee is fixed and agreed in writing before we start, anchored to the work — the number of applicants, the jurisdiction, the number of stages — never to the value of your company. Government, zone and authority charges are shown separately at cost.
Where a structure will not carry the visas a client is counting on, we say so at assessment rather than after the licence is paid for.
Get a Fixed QuoteWhere it Goes Wrong
The most expensive error in this area. Offers are issued, candidates resign from other jobs, and the licence turns out to carry a fraction of the headcount. Adding capacity usually means changing the premises — weeks of work, mid-hire.
A flexi-desk is the cheapest line in a formation quote and the most common cause of a capped structure a year later. The premises decision is a visa decision.
A valid trade licence sponsors nobody by itself. The card is separate, it expires separately, and when it lapses every application behind it stops — including renewals for staff already resident.
The grace period after cancellation runs from the system’s cancellation date rather than the date you were told. Gaps become fines, and fines become a blocker on the next application.
Cancellation runs in a fixed order — staff, then dependants, then the owner, then the establishment card, then the licence. Doing it in another order stalls the whole exit, while late-cancellation penalties accrue.
It does not follow automatically. A change of shareholder is an amendment to the licence and the immigration file, and an outgoing partner’s residency has to be dealt with deliberately.
Questions
How much do I need to invest to get a UAE investor visa?
There is no single figure — requirements are set per zone and per licence type and change. We confirm the position for your intended structure at assessment rather than publish a number.
How many visas does my licence carry?
It depends on the licence type, the legal form and the premises registered against it. In a free zone it is usually tied to the package; on the mainland it is applied for. It is a fixed, checkable number and we confirm it before you hire.
Do I need a physical office?
Not always — but premises are the main driver of quota, and the cheapest option is the most restrictive. If you need to sponsor a team or a family, the premises decision has to be made with that in mind.
Can I sponsor my family on an investor visa?
Yes, once your own residency and Emirates ID are complete.
What happens to my residency if I sell the company?
It ends with the basis it was derived from. It has to be cancelled and replaced with another basis — another company, employment, or a long-term route such as the Golden Visa. Plan it before the sale completes.
Can I hold an investor visa and be employed elsewhere?
Owning a company and being employed by another are different statuses with different permissions. It is a regulated question, assessed case by case, rather than an assumption.
How long is an investor visa valid, and can it lapse if I am away?
Validity varies by jurisdiction and licence, and a residence visa can lapse through prolonged absence. We confirm the terms that apply to your structure before filing.
Does an investor visa make me UAE tax resident?
No. Residency and tax residency are separate tests with separate evidence. Where another country may still assert residency over you, that needs addressing deliberately.