T: +971 7 244 7676 | E: [email protected]
T: +971 7 244 7676 | E: [email protected]
UAE Company Formation
and Corporate Services
FBS Kotsomitis International Network is one of the most reputable and well-established corporate service providers in the UAE. Our mission is to provide an impeccable and seamless services to our ever-increasing local and international client base at reasonable prices
Learn MoreUAE Free Zone Company Formation refers to the process, considerations, decisions and actions of legally setting up a UAE Free Zone Company or other type of UAE Free Zone Business Type in the UAE, under UAE Law and Regulations, intended to conduct business in the UAE and/or internationally.
Related and closely linked to this UAE Free Zone Company Formation process is all work connected to the establishment of the UAE Free Zone Company Business per se in the UAE which is to be conducted using this newly formed UAE Free Zone Company.
Such establishment work for Your UAE Free Zone Company often entails arranging for Visas for the owners, managers and staff, opening bank accounts for the UAE Free Zone Company, arranging suitable premises and offices in the free zone, arranging for professional services to support the UAE Free Zone Company and other establishment work…
The UAE Free Zone Company is suited to those investors who wish to set up a UAE Company in a fully facilitated designated zone clustered with other UAE and foreign companies at a lower cost than Local LLC Company types to take advantage of the UAE market and its strategic location and to minimize their corporate tax liabilities, protect their assets and maintain 100% ownership without the involvement of local sponsors.
A UAE Free Zone Company is attractive to investors because it is a Company with international image within a confidential and tax-free environment that can open a bank account in the UAE and/or anywhere internationally and has the highest degree of confidentiality. A UAE Free Zone may be incorporated either by individuals or Companies registered anywhere.
It seems like yesterday that in 1985 the Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai, the very first UAE Free Zone, started its operations and for the first time foreigners could do business in the UAE and the Gulf with their own 100%-owned onshore UAE Company. Take a look at Dubai and the UAE now! Tens of Free Zone Areas with state-of-the-art facilities and a huge appeal to international investors across the globe. The UAE is now, undoubtedly, the uncontested ‘Free Zone Area Leader’ as the most successful Free Zone Location in the world.
And here’s why UAE tops the list of Global Free Zones…
A UAE Free Zone Company is a very well-known and popular Company type in the UAE and internationally and one that enjoys a “white-list’ status as it is not included in any official FATF ‘tax-haven black-lists’ internationally. In this sense, your new UAE Free Zone Company will enjoy an internationally recognized and accepted status.
A UAE Free Zone Company is a tax-free UAE Registered and UAE Tax Resident Company that is set up in an especially designated UAE Economic Zone (UAE Free Zone) that in addition enjoys special Customs exemptions and privileges and many other concessions.
This UAE Free Zone Company is in addition permitted to conduct local UAE and international business activities outside the UAE and derive the entirety of its income on a worldwide basis.
BLOGS | RELATED LINKS
UAE Economic Substance Services
CONTACT DETAILS
8th floor, Office 8F-3
Amenity Centre, Tower 2
P.O.Box 85674, Al Jazeera Al Hamra
Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates
T: + (971) 7 244 7676
E: [email protected]
The Free Zone Regulatory Authority – licensing Authority (and many times the Free Zone Courts) of each Free Zone Area have jurisdiction and management of the UAE Free Zone Companies set up within them and set Rules and Guidelines for the licensing and their operations.
There are broadly 2 main types of UAE Free Zone Company Types:
New Company Formation as well as establishment of branches of local or foreign companies are both possible. Share Capital requirements vary from UAE Free Zone to Free Zone but generally a minimum of 50,000 AED per company and 10,000 AED per investor is the norm.
The main difference between them is that FZE is just a FZ-LLC that has just one (1) shareholder whereas the FZ-LLC has two (2) or more. Both offer the same tax and non-tax benefits, although depending on the specific UAE Free Zone, there may also be minor differences in the share capital requirements.
You will own 100% of the shares in the UAE Free Zone Company. You will be able to trade locally between and within the UAE Free Zone Areas and internationally, as well as (in the case of Dubai Free Zone Companies and RAK Free Zone Companies) in the ‘UAE Mainland’ in relation to all services except services specially regulated (Finance, Insurance, Banking). If you wish to supply / sell goods to the ‘UAE Mainland’ a 5% duty is levied on such sales which have to be effected by a UAE distributor or agent, a service we can arrange for you.
There are number of exceptionally facilitated free zones in the UAE. The most well-known and popular are the Jebel Ali Free zone (JAFZA) , Dubai Multi Commodity Centre (DMCC), RAK Economic Zone – RAKEZ, RAK Free Zone in Ras-Al-Khaimah, Dubai Airport Free Zone (DAFZA), Dubai World Central (DWC) and many others. You are ‘spoiled for choice’ and locations when it comes to UAE Free Zone Areas.
Each Free Zone depending on its rules AND the business type of your company and business activity has a different set of requirements, costs – fees and license types.
Types of License:
Many, attractive, and may we say unparalleled, tax and other non-tax advantages render the UAE Free Zone Company as the Vehicle of Choice for international investors who wish to conduct local UAE, Middle East, Gulf and International Trading and Other Activities.
Let’s have a brief look at some of these key advantages…
Constructive use of UAE Free Zone Company Formation in the UAE can yield the investor significant advantages. Tax Free Status, Security, Confidentiality, Flexibility and Unique Lifestyle Advantages. Read about the UAE Advantages and UAE Facts.
UAE Free Zone Companies are permitted to engage in business activities under a business license or licenses and activities within these licenses they apply for such as holding company activities, trading in goods and services, professional services, industrial activities, commercial activities, manufacturing and others. They are used as holding Companies being shareholders and investors in other UAE or non UAE-based Companies as well as property holding Companies. UAE Free Zone Companies are not allowed to engage in Insurance and Finance business.
Additionally, a UAE Free Zone Company or an IBC is protected by the highest levels of confidentiality adopted in the UAE about the identity of its owners, directors and activities, within acceptable international standards.
An active UAE Free Zone Company (and its holding company) with its owners and managers being under a UAE Residence Visa (UAE Residents) is not reported / reportable by banks in the UAE to authorities outside the UAE as part of the Automatic Exchange of Information international initiative that will apply from 2019.
So the UAE Free Zone Company is of outstanding value to foreign investors who wish to maintain their confidentiality intact.
The UAE Free Zone Company is allowed to have a UAE Registered Office at the location of the Free Zone Area it is licensed under (many options within the Free Zone Areas which are all located centrally and have outstanding facilities), open a UAE bank account as well a bank account anywhere outside the UAE, own UAE Real Estate and use the Services of UAE professional firms.
With our firm having offices in both downtown Dubai and Ras-Al-Khaimah investors have a choice of location of Free Zone Area of their UAE Free Zone Company within easy reach of our staff and proximity to our offices.
We specialise in UAE Free Zone Company incorporation with the Competent UAE Free Zone Licensing & Regulatory Authorities in the UAE. We are your valuable and trusted partner for literally ALL Your UAE Free Zone Company needs in the UAE. UAE Free Zone Company incorporation, bank account opening and professional corporate services. UAE Free Zone Companies in the UAE afford significant advantages to investors and are 0% tax-free vehicles to do business.
Corporate and Structuring Advice:
Consultancy and discussion on the business purpose to confirm / guide you and make sure the UAE Free Zone Company will suit your business and/or purposes.
We will then send you a quotation to agree and subject to agreement we will issue an invoice for payment. On receipt of payment we will begin the work, as described below.
Registered Company name:
Choosing a name for your UAE Free Zone Company is the first thing to do and we recommend selecting three names in order of preference, to ensure that the name is approved without delay (FZ LLC, FZE must be affixed at the end of the name).
Shareholders, Directors and Company Secretary:
A minimum of one Shareholder, one Manager are allowed for the UAE Free Zone Company, each of which can be an individual or a corporate entity. The legal name, address, contact details and other attested (or ‘legalized’) documentation for each officer may also be required. Plus each has to visit the UAE in order to complete the procedure. Also he/they may need to re-enter on applying to the bank to open a bank account. So the easiest, quickest and cheapest way is to have one natural person be the manager, the shareholder and the secretary at the same time and make changes later on.
Shares and currency of issue:
Issued shares of a UAE Free Zone Company are usually on a ‘paid up’ basis, allocated to shareholders. There are low minimum capital requirements (around 50,000 AED) but for our clients we recommend to have adequate capital paid up and deposited at a local bank from the start to have the “goodwill” of the banks and the authorities as to the serious business intentions of the Company
Incorporation timescale:
On submission of all required documentation, Company formation can take from 8-10 weeks depending on the Free Zone of choice. Bank account opening may take 2-3 weeks, depending on the case and the specific corporate structure. So generally in the UAE it is true that “patience is a virtue”. Generally the UAE has significant “red tape” at all levels of the system (but to be fair it is also a very popular jurisdiction creating high workload levels for the banks and authorities) and things may not be as efficient as in the EU or the US. The Choice of a Competent UAE Free Zone Company Registered Agents / UAE Free Zone Company Formation Consultants is critical in this respect.
BUT … the UAE has such significant other advantages (0% tax, FULL 100% beneficial owner confidentiality with banks and authorities PLUS+ no information exchange for any type of UAE active Company trading in goods or services or holding Companies of active Companies!
3 Easy Steps to Your UAE Free Zone License: Get Initial Approval, Register Your Company and Receive your License
The process can be set out in the context of the processing stages of the UAE Free Zone Authorities for the Company Formation and Business Licensing Process.
How do we Help You in making this happen, in practice? With Our Simple and Practical 8-Step Process…
Our Simple 8-Steps to Your UAE Free Zone Company Formation
Our Simple 8-Step Process aims at addressing all the actions and decisions necessary to successfully, smoothly and in a problem-free fashion Form, Set Up and Establish Your UAE Free Zone Company and Business in the UAE.
Our 8-Step process revolves around 8 central actions and related decisions for your UAE Free Zone Company Formation:
Choosing a suitable UAE-based UAE Free Zone Company Formation Expert and Consultant and submitting to them the Required Documents and Forms and obtaining a proper consultation. From then on with our guidance comes deciding on the Business and License Type and a specific UAE Location and Registration Authority to set up the Company, Deciding on Ownership Type, Choice of Legal Form, Deciding on UAE Free Zone Company Trade Name, Determining Share Capital – Shareholders – Managers, Deciding where and with which Bank to open a Bank Account with and finally setting out plans for Establishment Logistics – Premises, Marketing and other set up work.
Our Role as UAE Free Zone Company Registered Agents in the UAE Free Zone Company Incorporation Process …and After
Following the Formation Stage our role is to continuously support you in all related matters pertaining to the UAE Free Zone Company needs for professional services, as required.
UAE Free Zone Company Formation Consultants – UAE Free Zone Company Agents in Al Hamra Village in Ras-Al-Khaimah – The FBS Group:
Manage Your International Tax and Confidentiality Risks and Benefit from the Services of UAE Free Zone Company Formation Consultants – UAE Free Zone Company Registered Agents with the Competent UAE Free Zone Licensing & Regulatory Authorities…With the lowest Fees for Offshore Company Formation and Free Zone Company Formation!
UAE Free Zone Company Formation Consultants – UAE Free Zone Company Registered Agents
+971 7 244 7676
7th floor, Office 7F-6A&6B,
Amenity Centre, Tower 2
Al Hamra Industrial Zone,
Ras Al Khaimah
United Arab Emirates
T: + (971) 7 244 7676
E: [email protected]