Dubai · UAE — for France, Belgium, Switzerland and francophone Africa
Licence, bank account, residency visa, Emirates ID and Golden Visa for founders, freelancers and families from Paris, Brussels, Geneva, Luxembourg, Casablanca, Dakar, Abidjan and beyond — with one point of contact, from the first conversation to settling in.
Two to four hours ahead of Paris, Brussels, Dakar or Abidjan. We work your business hours.
In your language
Licences, banks, visas and moving a family are too technical to settle through brokered English. Here everything happens in French — the first conversation, the proposal, every document and every question from the bank — with people who understand where you come from and where your company is going.
Why us
There are hundreds of intermediaries selling Dubai licences. The difference shows after the sale — when the bank asks for a document nobody mentioned and you need someone to pick up.
You discuss shareholding, visa quota and bank requirements in French, with advisors who speak your accountant’s vocabulary. Nothing gets lost in brokered technical English.
France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg or francophone Africa: every client arrives with their own questions on tax residency, moving funds and foreign exchange. We know those questions and build with you the source-of-funds file UAE banks ask for. General guidance to take to your adviser — we do not give home-country tax advice.
No support queue, no different consultant with every message. You deal with the same person from the first consultation to the Emirates ID in your hand — and after that too.
An office and real relationships in the UAE, not a reseller working from abroad. That changes response times at notaries, banks and immigration — exactly where files tend to stall.
A written proposal setting out what is included, the stages, the timeline and what depends on whom. No surprises halfway through.
Renewals, activity changes, new visas, corporate tax and VAT registration. Incorporation is the start of the relationship, not the end of the contract.
Services
Anyone arriving in Dubai has four things to settle, in order: the company structure, residency, the bank and the family’s day-to-day. We handle all four — and how each decision affects the next.
01
Free Zone, Mainland or Offshore incorporation with the right licensed activity, the right visa allocation and paperwork ready for the bank.
For founders, consultants, freelancers and investors who want to invoice, operate or hold assets from the UAE.
Core advantage
100% foreign ownership across most activities and, in a free zone, 0% corporate tax on qualifying income when the conditions are met.
02
Residency visa issued through your own company, Emirates ID, medical test, biometrics and, where applicable, dependants for spouse and children.
For those actually moving to Dubai — opening a personal bank account, signing a lease and holding a residency base in the UAE.
Core advantage
The whole immigration route handled by people who have walked it with other families, including the appointments waiting for you on arrival.
03
Long-term residency through property, business ownership or professional profile, with an eligibility check before you commit to anything.
For anyone who wants stable UAE residency without depending on an employer — investors, founders and families.
Core advantage
A long-term, renewable visa with the family included — the property route starts from real estate worth AED 2 million.
04
Personal bank account, renting a home, health insurance, school places and a driving licence — the practical list that comes after the visa.
For families and professionals who are actually moving and want to arrive with the essentials already in motion.
Core advantage
One French-speaking point of contact for what usually takes five different providers.
Two time zones, one process
0%corporate tax on qualifying income for free zone companies that meet the Qualifying Free Zone Person conditions.
Federal Tax Authority
100%foreign ownership across most economic activities, with no local partner and no Emirati agent required.
Federal Decree-Law 26/2020
9%is the headline UAE corporate tax rate on taxable profit above AED 375,000 per year.
Federal Tax Authority
3–10working days is the usual free zone licence issuance window once documents are complete. Visa and bank account follow.
Prevailing free zone practice
Rules in force as of August 2026, per the Federal Tax Authority and the official UAE government portal. General information, not tax or legal advice.
Process
Six stages, in the order they actually happen. You always know which one you are in and what is waiting on you.
A conversation of roughly 40 minutes about your activity, where the revenue comes from, who joins the shareholding and whether you need a visa. No obligation.
Estimated timeframe
40 minutes
A written recommendation of jurisdiction, zone and licensed activity and the visa quota the structure supports.
Estimated timeframe
1–3 working days
We gather passports, proofs and forms, handle translations and legalisations, and reserve the company name with the relevant authority.
Estimated timeframe
2–5 working days
Application submitted and the trade licence issued along with the company registration and memorandum of association.
Estimated timeframe
3–10 working days
We prepare the compliance file, introduce you to the banks that fit your profile and stay with you through every round of questions until the account opens. It is the longest stage, and the one that depends most on the bank.
Estimated timeframe
2–6 weeks
Entry permit, status change, medical test, biometrics and Emirates ID issuance — yours and your dependants’, where applicable.
Estimated timeframe
1–3 weeks
From first contact to a company with a licence, a bank account and a visa, the typical route runs 4 to 8 weeks. Activities needing additional regulatory approvals can add 2 to 4 weeks. You get the estimate for your own case in writing with the proposal.
FAQ
The questions that come up in almost every first conversation, answered plainly and with the rule in hand.
Dubai combines 100% foreign ownership across most activities, a predictable tax regime, a dirham banking system — pegged to the dollar — connected to the whole world, and direct flights to the main cities of Europe, Africa and Asia. For anyone working between French-speaking Europe, Africa and Asia, it is often the natural place to centralise contracts, invoicing and logistics, provided the company has real activity and substance in the UAE.
Mainland is licensed to trade across the local UAE market, including public sector contracts. Free Zone is incorporated inside a free zone, with a leaner process, packages that include a visa quota and its own tax treatment — the natural choice when you invoice outside the UAE. Offshore has no physical presence and no local trading licence: it holds assets, shareholdings and property, and issues no residency visa. The right answer follows from where your clients are and what you need the company to do.
Yes. Federal Decree-Law No. 26 of 2020, which amended the UAE commercial companies law, removed the requirement for a majority Emirati shareholder or a local agent across most economic activities — including on the mainland, where the 51% rule previously applied. Free zone companies already allowed full foreign ownership. A narrow set of activities with strategic impact still requires approval from the sector regulator for full foreign ownership; we check your activity before recommending a structure.
Often, yes: many clients keep their existing company and set up a separate structure or a holding in Dubai. What matters is how the whole picture fits together — where you actually live, where each company is managed from, where its clients and team are. Depending on your country’s rules, a Dubai company run from there may be treated as taxable there, and moving away does not automatically end your home-country tax residency. We build the UAE side; the home-country side should be confirmed with your local adviser.
General information, not tax or legal advice. Tax residency and any applicable treaty depend on your country — confirm with a local adviser before deciding.
The usual route is a visa sponsored by your own company, typically valid for 2 years and renewable: once the entry permit is issued you complete the status change, medical test and biometrics, and receive the Emirates ID — the document that unlocks a personal bank account, a lease, health insurance and school enrolment. Spouse and children follow as dependants once your own visa is issued. There are also long-term routes: the 5-year Green visa for investors holding a share from AED 1 million, and the Golden visa of 5 or 10 years, which includes property investors from AED 2 million (5 years, renewable). How many visas your company can issue depends on the structure and the space it holds.
You do, if the company is actually going to receive and pay. It is not hard when the file arrives organised: banks want to understand the source of funds, who your clients are, where revenue comes from and what substance the operation has. The usual window is 2 to 6 weeks, and it is the stage that depends most on third parties. We prepare that documentation before introducing you to the bank that best fits your profile, and stay with you through every compliance question until the account opens.
In most free zones, yes: incorporation is done remotely with digital documents and either remote signing or a power of attorney. Travel becomes necessary when you want the residency visa, because the medical test, biometrics and Emirates ID issuance are in person, and when your chosen bank requires an interview with the signatory. We sequence the process so all of it fits into a single trip to Dubai.
With complete documents and no additional requirements, a free zone licence usually issues in 3 to 10 working days — some zones offer express routes that issue in a single working day. Mainland structures that depend on third-party approvals take longer. After the licence come the residency visa (1 to 3 weeks) and the bank account (2 to 6 weeks), which run in parallel. In practice, from first contact to a company trading with an account and a visa, the typical route is 4 to 8 weeks; activities needing sector approvals can add 2 to 4 weeks.
The company pays corporate tax at a headline 9% on taxable profit above AED 375,000 per year. Free zone companies meeting the Qualifying Free Zone Person conditions pay 0% on qualifying income — but note a detail few people explain: a QFZP does not get the AED 375,000 nil-rate band, and anything that is not qualifying income is taxed at 9% from the first dirham. There is also Small Business Relief for revenue up to AED 3 million, available for tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2026 and not available to a QFZP. VAT registration becomes mandatory above AED 375,000 of taxable turnover. Individuals pay no income tax on salaries in the UAE.
General information, not tax advice. Rules in force as of August 2026 — confirm your own position with a UAE tax adviser.
Who we work with
Every case is different, but the questions people bring to Dubai tend to follow one of these three paths. If you recognise yourself in one, the first conversation starts ahead.
01
The situation
You manage portfolios or family wealth from Lisbon, São Paulo or Luanda and want a UAE base for your business, your holding company and your residency.
How we help
02
The situation
You run an agency, a consultancy, an e-commerce or import business, invoice clients in several countries and want to operate from Dubai.
How we help
03
The situation
You invest in property or company shareholdings and want stable UAE residency without depending on an employer.
How we help
Contact
Tell us in two lines what you do and what you want to build in the UAE. We reply with the most likely structure for your case and the next steps.
The fastest route. Answered in French or English, in Paris, Dakar and Dubai business hours.
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