Breadth is why we can be straight with you.
A general guide to UAE setup runs out of road the moment your activity gets specific. Same country, different setups:
- A brokerage clears RERA, a broker exam, and DNFBP registration.
- A clinic clears a health authority, then credentials its practitioners.
- A consultancy clears almost nothing.
A firm that knows only one of them, or is paid to sell one free zone, has reason to bend your sector toward the structure that suits the firm. We form in every sector below, every week. Nothing to push, so we tell you when the easy answer is wrong.
Three things sit under every sector setup. The licence package is none of them.
Settle these three before anything is filed and the rest is arithmetic. Get one wrong and it surfaces later, at the bank or the tax filing, where it is expensive to undo.
The regulator
RERA, a health authority, VARA, the municipality, or none. It sets your timeline and cost. Find it after you commit and both move against you.
The activity code
This is what you may legally invoice for, and what the bank reads when it underwrites you. The nearest code in place of the right one is the quiet mistake a prior agent leaves behind.
Banking sensitivity
Some sectors open in days. Crypto, certain trading lines, and a few consultancy activities draw heavy KYC or a flat decline, the Central Bank's call, not ours. Knowing which before you file is half the job.
A fourth trap sits across all three: a structure that fights the sector, a free-zone licence taken to serve mainland clients, or an offshore vehicle expected to hold a regulated activity. The structure has to suit what the sector does, and getting it right on day one is far cheaper than restructuring later.
Find yours. Each page starts from its real regulator.
Sixteen sectors, grouped by how they are governed, each written from the ground up. Each page carries its own regulator, licence path, and the mistake that catches founders.
Trading & Retail
Licence routes, the customs code for goods, VAT, and the fulfilment trap that catches first-time sellers.
Read the setup guide Customs codeGeneral TradingThe broad trading licence, the customs code, and running multiple product lines under one licence.
Read the setup guide Customs · WarehousingImport & ExportCustoms registration, warehousing, and the free zone versus mainland trade-off for moving goods.
Read the setup guide Municipality · Food safetyRestaurant & F&BMunicipality food permits, kitchen approvals, and the food safety compliance most plans underbudget.
Read the setup guideProfessional Services
Fast and low-friction, usually no external regulator. The only decision is mainland or free zone, and which fits your clients.
Read the setup guide Media-content approvalsMarketing & AdvertisingAdvertising and social-media activity, with media-content approvals where the work touches regulated content.
Read the setup guide Free zone · DIFC / ADGM for fintechIT & SoftwareFast free zone activity for IT services and software, with a separate fintech route through DIFC or ADGM.
Read the setup guide DFSA / FSRA / SCA if regulatedFinancial ConsultancyThe split that decides everything: regulated advice via DFSA, FSRA, or SCA, versus light business consultancy.
Read the setup guideRegulated Sectors
RERA registration, the broker card and exam, Trakheesi permits, and the DNFBP obligations that follow.
Read the setup guide Health authority · CredentialingHealthcare & ClinicsHealth-authority facility licensing plus practitioner credentialing, a two-track process that runs in parallel.
Read the setup guide VARA · Banking realityCrypto & Virtual AssetsVARA licensing and the banking reality that makes this sector genuinely hard, not just paperwork-heavy.
Read the setup guide KHDA · Authority approvalsEducation & TrainingKHDA and the authority approvals required for training institutes and education providers.
Read the setup guideSpecialist
Warehousing, customs, and the free zone positioning that makes moving goods workable.
Read the setup guide Offshore · SPV routesHolding CompaniesStructuring for asset and equity holding, including the offshore and SPV routes and where each one fits.
Read the setup guide DTCM licensingTravel & TourismDTCM licensing for travel agencies and tour operators, and the bonds that come with it.
Read the setup guide Municipality · Health approvalsBeauty & WellnessMunicipality and health approvals for salons, spas, and wellness centres, and the inspections that follow.
Read the setup guideIf your activity straddles two of these, or sits outside them, that is the question we work through on every call. Tell us your sector and we will tell you what governs it. You can also browse by activity, or start from company setup if structure is your first question.
We will not fit your sector to the structure that pays us best, because we are not paid to push one.
Some businesses are simpler than the agent selling them lets on. Some are harder, and the founder only learns that at the bank. You get the read that puts you in the right structure, with the right activity, behind a bank that will actually open. We scope it in writing before you commit.
Why founders across sectors stay with the firm.
Everything was perfect, very fast, easy and super professional. You helped me and my family get our Golden Visas without any stress.
From the initial assessment to final implementation, the team demonstrated strong expertise, structured methodology, and clear communication.
They delivered what they promised without any hidden agenda and informed me of better and less costly ways to achieve what I need.
Thanks to Manish Kumar, we were finally able to speed up the process of getting our visa after months of struggling with other agents.
He was super quick to reply, very efficient and honestly the best I have worked with. He made the whole process so much easier.
Manish demonstrated deep expertise, professionalism, and a thorough understanding of the incorporation process. Proactive, responsive, and efficient.
They've assisted me and my family obtain golden residency in the UAE. All timelines were clearly defined and all processes transparent.
Communication was clear from the start, everything managed end to end with full transparency on costs.
Manish was instrumental in setting up our company in Dubai. Always responsive, readily available to answer our questions.
A trusted advisor, a skilled navigator of complex regulatory landscapes, with unshakeable integrity.
Great and professional support from Manish. I recommend working with him on any project.