Set up in Dubai with someone who has done it.
Licence, visa and bank account, built around what you actually sell. Tell us the plan and we will tell you what it really takes.
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Joule SullivanFounder of Custom Made19+ years in Dubai.Question 1 of 8
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Set up right the first time.
We regularly meet founders who were put in a free zone when they needed mainland, sold five activities they will never use, or promised a bank account that three banks then refused.
Fixing a UAE structure costs more than getting it right once.
The reason it happens is simple: most setup firms are volume businesses. The recommendation follows whatever closes fastest, and nobody puts the reasons in writing.
We ask about your customers before your budget
Where your buyers are decides mainland versus free zone. Everything else follows from that. It is the first question we ask and the last one most consultants get to.
The price you see is the price you pay
Fixed written quotation before you transfer anything, with government fees itemised separately so you can see what is ours and what is the authority's.
We will tell you the best process
The right route, the right zone and the right order of steps for your situation, in writing. And if a UAE company is not the answer for you, we say that too, before you spend anything.
What founders say after the licence lands
Short, specific, and about the parts of a UAE setup that usually go wrong.
★★★★★I had quotes from three of the big setup firms and they all pushed me into the same free zone package. Custom Made was the only one that asked what I actually sell before recommending anything. Ended up mainland, which was right.
★★★★★Licence, visas, Emirates ID and a corporate account with a real bank inside six weeks. Another consultant had told me the bank part alone would take three months.
★★★★★What I paid was what I was quoted. No surprise government fee at the end, and no extra charge for the things that were meant to be included in the first place.
Three promises
Every one of these goes into your written quote before you pay anything, so you can hold us to them.
The quote is the price
No fee appears later that was not on your quote.
Independent advice, in writing, free
Your structure recommended with reasons, in writing, before you pay anyone.
Banking checked first, not last
Your realistic odds of an account, before you spend on a licence.
Mainland or free zone?
This one decision drives your cost, your customers and your visa quota. Getting it wrong costs more to unwind than the licence cost in the first place.
Which one is right for me?
Where are most of your customers?
Do you need a UAE office or shopfront?
Where your company gets registered
This is the decision that drives your cost, your customers and your visa quota. Here is each route side by side, including the parts that do not favour us.
Free Zone
Lowest costBest if your customers are outside the UAE
- UAE customers
- Via a distributor or agent
- Residence visas
- Limited by package
- Office
- Flexi-desk is usually enough
- Government tenders
- Generally not eligible
- First-year cost
- Lowest
Typical clientsConsulting, e-commerce, IP, clients abroad
Mainland
Full accessBest if your customers are inside the UAE
- UAE customers
- Yes, sell anywhere in the UAE
- Residence visas
- Linked to your office size
- Office
- Ejari tenancy required
- Government tenders
- Eligible
- First-year cost
- Higher
Typical clientsRetail, F&B, contracting, UAE or government clients
Offshore
Holding onlyBest if you are holding assets, not trading
- UAE customers
- No trading in the UAE
- Residence visas
- None
- Office
- Not applicable
- Government tenders
- No
- First-year cost
- Low, but no residency
Typical clientsHolding assets or shares, not trading
Licence, residency and banking under one roof
Three things have to work together for a UAE business to actually function. Splitting them across three providers is where most setups fall apart.
Business Setup
Mainland, free zone and offshore formation, structured around what you actually sell.
- Activity and jurisdiction selected for you, with reasons
- All filings, approvals and documentation handled
- Free zone licences typically issued in days
Residence Visas
Investor, partner, employee, family and Golden Visa applications from start to Emirates ID.
- Eligibility checked before you spend a dirham
- Medical, biometrics and stamping coordinated
- Spouse, children and parents included
Corporate Banking
The step that kills most UAE setups. We prepare the file the way compliance wants it.
- Matched to banks that accept your nationality and activity
- Documentation built to each bank’s checklist
- Follow-up managed until the account is live
From first call to open bank account
Five stages. You always know which one you are in, and what we need from you next.
Tell us the plan
A 15-minute call about what you sell, where your customers are, and whether you need residency. No pitch.
We design the structure
The right jurisdiction and activity codes for your business, with the reasons written down so you can check them.
Licence issued
We prepare and file everything. Free zone licences typically land in days, mainland in one to three weeks.
Visa and Emirates ID
Entry permit, medical, biometrics and stamping handled end to end, for you and your family.
Bank account open
We match you to banks that actually accept your profile and prepare the file the way compliance wants to see it.
I arrived in Dubai in 2007 and spent the last of my money on a good suit. This city gave me a Fortune 150 career and several businesses of my own. I am not selling you a package. I am telling you what I would do.
Joule Sullivan founded Custom Made after watching too many capable founders get pushed into the wrong structure by consultants paid on volume. Every engagement here starts with the same question: what are you actually building, and who is going to buy it?
Straight answers to the questions everyone asks
How much does it really cost to set up a company in Dubai?
It depends on three things: where your customers are, how many visas you need, and whether your activity requires an external approval. That is why we do not publish a package price. The licence is also only part of it - visas, medicals, Emirates ID, establishment cards, health insurance and bank charges all sit on top, and a headline price that ignores them is not a real number. Tell us what you are doing and we will price the whole thing properly, in writing.
Free zone or mainland - which one do I need?
If your customers are outside the UAE, or you sell services online, a free zone is usually cheaper and faster. If you want to sell directly to UAE customers, open a shop or office, bid for government work, or hire without visa quota limits, you need mainland. Choosing wrong is expensive to undo, which is why we ask about your customers before we quote.
How long does the whole process take?
Free zone licences are often issued within a few working days once documents are in. Mainland typically runs one to three weeks depending on the activity and any external approvals. Residence visas add roughly two to four weeks after the licence. Bank accounts are the variable: four to eight weeks is normal, and no consultant can guarantee approval.
Do I need a local partner or sponsor?
For a free zone company, no, and that has always been the case. For mainland, the 2021 reforms removed the requirement across most commercial and professional activities. A short list of strategic-impact activities still needs an Emirati partner or a local service agent, so we check your specific activity code before you commit to anything.
Do I have to live in the UAE to keep my company and visa?
You do not have to live here full time, but a UAE residence visa lapses if you stay outside the country for more than six consecutive months. There are separate tests for tax residency, which is a different question again, and one you should take proper tax advice on in your home country.
Will you guarantee my bank account?
No, and be careful of anyone who does. The bank makes that decision, not us. What we can do is put you in front of the banks most likely to accept your nationality, activity and expected turnover, and submit a file that does not get rejected on a technicality.
What is corporate tax going to cost me?
UAE corporate tax applies at 9% on taxable profits above AED 375,000, with a 0% band below that. Qualifying free zone persons can access a 0% rate on qualifying income if they meet substance and other conditions. Registration is mandatory regardless of profit. We handle registration and connect you with tax advisers for the planning side.
What makes you different from the big setup firms?
Scale. The large firms run on volume and push whichever package pays them the most that quarter. We take fewer clients and ask what you sell before recommending a structure. Our founder moved here in 2007 with almost nothing and built businesses from Dubai, so the advice comes from having done it.
Find out what your UAE company actually costs
Eight quick questions, then an itemised quote built for your business and a call from Joule to walk you through it.
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