UAE Free Zone & Mainland Company Incorporation
A DMCC, JAFZA or RAK ICC Free Zone FZE, or a Mainland LLC — filed in 5–14 days. A non-resident can be sole director and own 100%. 9% CIT hits only mainland profit above AED 375k.
What Company Formation includes in the UAE
What you receive
How it works
Helpful resources
Where to register and how we differ
Company Formation in the UAE — frequently asked questions
Free zones (FZE/FZCO) give you 100% foreign ownership, 0% corporate tax on qualifying income, and setup in 3–7 days, but they can't trade directly on the mainland without a local distributor. Mainland LLCs under a DED licence trade everywhere and bid on government tenders, and since 2021 they allow 100% foreign ownership across most activities. For holding and export structures, take a free zone; for work inside the UAE, the mainland. Perimeter decides everything.
Yes, in both formats. Free zone companies have always been 100% foreign-owned; on the mainland, Federal Law No. 26 of 2020 removed the mandatory 51% UAE-national stake for over 1,000 activities. The RAK ICC offshore also allows 100% ownership with no UAE residency requirement. Exceptions remain for certain strategic sectors. We pick the optimal structure for your activity and tax profile.
A free zone trade licence takes 3–7 business days; DMCC approves an application in 5 business days, and mainland DED licensing runs 7–15 days. The steps that follow — visa (5–10 days), Emirates ID (7–14 days), bank account (2–6 weeks) — stretch the total to 4–8 weeks. INNOVA runs the stages in parallel, not one after another. That's how the idle waiting disappears.
DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre) is a UAE federal free zone in the Jumeirah Lakes Towers district of Dubai, with over 22,000 registered companies. For nine consecutive years DMCC has held the "Free Zone of the Year" title from fDi Magazine (Financial Times). The zone offers 100+ activity categories, flexi-desk and full offices, and direct access to Dubai's financial and commodities markets. Annual licence renewal starts at AED 10,000.
Free zone setup: from AED 8,000–15,000 for a basic RAKEZ or IFZA licence up to AED 20,000–50,000 for DMCC or ADGM, office rent aside; mainland DED licences usually run AED 10,000–25,000. Government fees, notarisation, and visas add AED 3,000–8,000 per person. INNOVA gives a fixed quote covering all government charges and a registered office. No surcharges along the way.