The United Arab Emirates is a well-developed country that is perfectly suited to register your business. In addition to overall political and economic stability, you can benefit from its pro-business environment, excellent infrastructure, low crime rate, and much more. The government provides a lot of support to businesses, taking an effort to attract them and keep them in the region, and also make their operation safe, convenient, and profitable.
The most popular form of legal entity in the UAE is a Limited Liability Company or LLC. You can focus on the local markets and expand your presence in the region little by little, or become an international player straight away. The procedure of LLC registration may seem tricky at first glance, but you can always resort to expert advice. In this post, we will introduce you to LLCs in the UAE, but you can read more on the setup of an LLC in Dubai on our portal – and contact a specialist to ask any questions you may have.
Why should I choose Dubai?
This is a logical question, and we are going to provide the reasons for the choice that seemed convincing to us:
- You can benefit from the best banking services in the region: capitalization is impressive, and the range of services for individuals and legal entities is quite extensive.
- When we talk about a low crime rate, we tend to associate it with criminals in the streets. But the UAE is just as strict about intellectual property rights and it constantly improves its regulations on copyright and trademarks to offer state-of-the-industry protection. As a result, high-tech crimes are minimized, which may be essential for some of you.
- Dubai is a kind of magic place for businesses reputed for money generation and really good investment opportunities. No wonder major companies in the Middle East flock here to set up their headquarters.
The procedure of issuing licenses and company registration is regulated by the Department of Economic Development that focuses on the following priorities:
- Stimulation of different economic sectors
- The attraction of local and international investors by creating a favorable investment climate
- Use of best practices to organize the business sectors
- The concentration of high-quality human, financial, and technical resources in the region to boost creativity and improvement
If you are reading this article, you probably want to start your business and have a specific idea in mind. Look at the list of advantages associated with LLC setup in Dubai to see which of them will be especially beneficial for you or those which are less favorable:
- Any company partner is only liable for the share he or she contributed to the company capital rather than for all the company’s debts.
- An LLC can conduct operations in Dubai and abroad, but you will have to specify it in the Memorandum of Association.
- No public shares are issued, which means that investors and local business partners can exercise full control over LLC’s operations.
- Needless to say, you get access to local, regional, and international markets.
- Investors’ personal assets and the LLC’s liabilities are separated from each other.
- The UAE provides investor visas to international investors and their family members.
- Limited Liability Company’s operations are subject to very few restrictions: for instance, they cannot operate in banking and insurance spheres or make investments in favor of a third party. If you are going to engage in banking or insurance, you will need to establish a Public Joint-Stock Company.
- Local and foreign banks will be happy to open an account for a UAE company.
- As soon as the LLC setup is complete, you can register its branches anywhere in the world.
As you see, a Limited Liability Company in the UAE is a promising undertaking that gives you a lot of opportunities and freedom of action.
Let’s have a look at the main rules of LLC operation:
- Permits and licenses. Make sure the type of activity you are going to conduct does not require a license – or, if it does, get the required license before you start.
- Address. An address in the UAE is a must as you should be able to receive correspondence.
- Name. At the stage of company registration, you’d better come up with several possible names in addition to the main option as the name should be unique in the UAE. In addition, make sure it does not breach any social norms and is not similar to well-known brands to the point of confusion. Your LLC name should also be somehow related to its activity or partners and contain “Limited Liability Company” or “LLC” in it.
- Management. The number of managers in the LLC may range from 1 to 5, and they are appointed by the Memorandum of Association or the General Meeting of Shareholders. They may (but are not required to) hold the company’s shares.
- Accounting. Keeping financial records is mandatory at all times, and they should be available at the headquarters for at least 5 years after the fiscal year ends. You will need one auditor (or more) to audit the reporting on an annual basis. Annual financial reports, such as the balance sheet or income report, are required as well.
In a nutshell, the procedure of LLC registration in Dubai looks as follows:
- Register a company name
- Obtain the required licenses and permits
- Get approval for company registration
- Execute your Memorandum of Association and have it notarized
- Rent an office and have it approved
- Pay the license fees and receive your license
If you see at this stage that you are interested in forming an LLC in Dubai, you can click on the link above to see a detailed list of required documents in our longer article. Remember that our experts can make the whole procedure a hassle-free experience if you feel like delegating the administrative issues and focusing on business instead.
You can also order the services related to business support, such as opening a bank account (in any country, not just the UAE), internal and external audit, accounting and financial planning services, and so on. Our specialists are ready to spare you any routine effort you want to avoid.
We wish you a pleasant business experience in the UAE!
