5. APPLY FOR YOUR TRADE LICENSE

There are four types of trade licenses in the UAE, also called business licenses, that you can choose from:

CommercialLicense

ProfessionalLicense

IndustrialLicense

TourismLicense

Youcanalsoapplyforanyofthesetradelicensesif you plan to start a business in UAE mainland. The licensingstructureinUAEfreezonesisdifferentand is also dependent on the business activity your companydecidestoundertake.

6. REGISTER YOUR COMPANY

Company registration and licensing is a simultaneous process. However, the entire process of documentation and approvals goes through various stages. In this step, you also have to get all the approvals from relevant government authorities as requested bytheDepartmentofEconomicDevelopment. And ,the documents required are different for eachcompanytypeandactivity.

7. FIND A LOCAL AGENT (IF REQUIRED)

Earlier, opening a business in Dubai, required to mandatorily find a local partner. An Emirati partner/agent must be a UAE national only. As Finding a trustworthylocalagentcanseemtiring,especiallyforanaspiringentrepreneur lookingforbusinessstartupinDubai.Abusinesssetupconsultantcanconnect you with companies that offer corporate sponsorship where you will be given documentedauthorityand100%ownershipofyourbusiness.

8. GET YOUR EXTERNAL APPROVALS

DED may request additional approvals from other government or non-government agencies, depending on your business activity. For instance, some businesses may be asked togetapprovalsfromthemunicipality,specific banks,embassies,etc.