Dubai · June 2026
A vehicle to own, not to live in.
A UAE offshore company is a holding and structuring tool. It gives no way to live or trade in the UAE. It is a credible, well-regulated vehicle for owning assets, shares and intellectual property, with strong confidentiality and no residence requirement. If your goal is to operate, hire and invoice from the UAE, you want a free zone or mainland licence, and we say so before you spend anything.
Offshore at a glance
A structure, not a residence.
Offshore companies are misunderstood. A UAE offshore entity cannot sponsor a residence visa, rent an onshore office, or trade with the UAE domestic market. What it can do is hold: shares, real estate where permitted, intellectual property, investment portfolios, all inside a recognised, tax-neutral, confidential structure international banks and counsel understand.
The leading UAE registry is RAK ICC, offering the International Business Company for holding and asset protection, and the Foundation for succession and estate planning. To operate, hire and invoice from the UAE, you want a free zone or mainland licence. To own and protect assets cleanly, offshore is often the right tool.
Where we set up offshore.
RAK ICC is the registry we use for almost all UAE offshore work. Two structures, two jobs: holding and succession.
What RAK ICC offers
RAK ICC: IBC
The International Business Company: the workhorse vehicle for holding shares, real estate where permitted, and intellectual property, with confidentiality and asset protection.
View RAK ICC →RAK ICC: Foundation
A standalone legal entity for succession and estate planning that separates asset ownership from control. An alternative to a will or trust.
View RAK ICC →Other offshore registries exist (JAFZA Offshore, Ajman Offshore), but RAK ICC suits most holding and succession cases. We flag it if another fits you better.
Who offshore actually fits.
Offshore is powerful for the right job and wrong for the rest. Here is a straight list. We scope your structure in writing on the call.
- Founders and families needing a clean vehicle to hold shares in operating companies, without mixing the holding and trading layers.
- IP owners holding patents, trademarks, or domain portfolios in a recognised, tax-neutral jurisdiction with strong confidentiality.
- International investors structuring a real-estate portfolio where an offshore holding layer is standard.
- Estate planners and succession advisers needing a Foundation as a non-trust vehicle for passing assets across generations.
- Non-resident principals needing a UAE-registered vehicle for international structuring, with no intention of relocating or operating onshore.
What offshore explicitly does not cover
An offshore company cannot sponsor a UAE residence visa, employ staff here, or invoice UAE-resident customers directly. It gives you no route to live in the UAE. To trade with the UAE market, hire locally, or hold a UAE residence visa through your company, you need a free zone or mainland licence. We say plainly when offshore is not the answer.
When offshore is, and isn't, the answer.
ADGM & DIFC SPVs
For SPVs and foundations wanting common-law certainty, a financial centre can be the better home.
Explore centres →Free Zone Setup
To operate, hire, and hold a UAE visa, a free zone is the right starting point.
See free zones →RAK ICC formation guide
How a RAK ICC company is formed, what it can and cannot do, and the documents you need.
Read the guide →UAE offshore company FAQs.
What is a UAE offshore company?
What is RAK ICC and why do you use it?
Can a UAE offshore company get a residence visa?
Can an offshore company trade or invoice inside the UAE?
Does a UAE offshore company pay corporate tax?
Who is offshore actually right for?
A note on specialist services. Accounting, bookkeeping, VAT and corporate tax, and legal or liquidation work are delivered with our independently licensed partners. This page is general information, not tax or legal advice; confirm your position with an independent tax advisor before acting.
Is an offshore company the right tool for you?
Answer a few questions and a senior advisor tells you whether offshore fits what you are trying to hold or protect, or whether it does not. No obligation.
Protecting assets or planning succession? Tell us what you need to own.
Thirty minutes with Manish covers your assets, the right structure (IBC or Foundation), and whether RAK ICC, ADGM, or another vehicle fits better. If offshore is right, we proceed. If not, you leave with sharper direction than you arrived with.