Trade anywhere in the UAE, with no free zone restrictions. The government fee depends entirely on what you do, so you see both numbers before you start.
Quote · Dubai mainland
Standard activities, total fromAED 27,500
Mainland or free zone
Neither one is better. It depends on who you sell to and whether you need an office.
Pick if you wantMainland
Pick if you wantFree zone
| Side by side | MainlandThis page | Free zone |
|---|---|---|
| Where you can trade | In its favour: Anywhere in the UAE | Inside the zone and abroad |
| Selling to UAE customers | In its favour: Directly | Through a distributor or branch |
| Government contracts | In its favour: Possible | Not directly |
| Office | Required, with an Ejari | In its favour: Not needed |
| Government fee | Higher | In its favour: Lower |
| Time to licence | 2 to 3 weeks | In its favour: Faster |
| In its favour | 3 of 6 | 3 of 6 |
Your activity decides your price
Most agencies publish one "from" price and let you find the difference on a call. Here are both tiers, so you can place yourself first.
No extra authority sign-off. DET issues the licence on its own.
Government fee · plus my fee AED 2,500AED25,000
+ my feeAED 2,500
A second authority signs off before DET issues the licence. Their fees and conditions push the number up.
Government fee · plus my fee AED 2,500AED35,000–40,000
+ my feeAED 2,500
Even if it comes to 40 or 50 thousand, I still only take my fee. You pay the authority directly.
The office requirement
Mainland needs physical office space registered with an Ejari. Free zone does not. The rent goes to the landlord, not to me and not to the authority.
Office figures are indicative. The exact rent depends on the building and is agreed with the landlord.
What the government fee covers
Dubai or Sharjah mainland
Both let you trade across the UAE. For some clients the emirate on the licence matters, and for others it makes no difference.
Commercial licenceDET
Government fromAED 25,000My fee AED 2,500
AED 9,000less government fee in Sharjah
Commercial licenceSEDD
Government fromAED 16,000My fee AED 2,500
Who mainland is wrong for
Mainland still fits if youSell to customers inside the UAENeed a shop, site or warehouseWant government contracts
See the free zone pageFive steps
TypicalCan run toWorking days
Documents you'll need
A general list. I confirm the exact set for your case before you start.
Mainland questions
General trading lets you trade almost any product, so DET needs sign-off from other authorities before it issues the licence. Those approvals carry their own fees, paid on top of the standard licence. My fee stays the same.
For most activities, no. Foreign owners can hold 100% of a mainland company for most commercial and professional activities. A short list of strategic activities still has ownership conditions. I check yours before you apply.
Not a virtual address on its own. Mainland needs an Ejari-registered space. A flexi desk in a business centre is the cheapest option that counts, and it is what most of my one-person clients use.
Usually not as a straight conversion. The common routes are a mainland branch of your free zone company, or a new mainland company. Some free zones allow a dual licence with DET. I tell you which route applies to your zone.
The visa quota follows the floor area on your Ejari. A flexi desk usually covers one or two visas. If you plan to hire, I size the office for the next twelve months so you are not moving mid-year.
Rather talk it through
I'll reply personally with the tier, both fees and whether a free zone would suit you better.
