The first legal decision a business makes is also one of its most consequential: what kind of entity, and where. Mainland LLC, free-zone company or offshore vehicle — each carries different ownership rules, licensing, tax treatment and market access, and the wrong choice is expensive to unwind. We help founders and established groups select and set up the structure that actually fits their plans.
A mainland company, licensed by the relevant Emirate’s economic department, trades directly across the UAE market — and following the reforms to the Commercial Companies Law, most activities now permit up to 100% foreign ownership. A free-zone company offers streamlined setup, full foreign ownership and zone-specific benefits (and in qualifying cases favourable tax treatment), but faces limits on trading directly onshore. An offshore entity suits holding and asset-owning purposes rather than active UAE trade. The right answer depends on your activity, your customers, your investors and your tax position — which is exactly the analysis we run with you.
We advise on entity selection and jurisdiction (mainland or the specific free zone that fits your activity); handle incorporation, licensing and initial approvals; draft the memorandum and articles to reflect your real intentions rather than a template; put the founding shareholder arrangements in place; and set up the registers, corporate books and bank-account documentation the company needs to operate. Where a group is involved, we design the holding structure from the outset.
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