Business Setup in Dubai Mainland
A Dubai licence that lets you trade anywhere in the UAE.
A Dubai mainland company is licensed by the Department of Economy and Tourism and can trade directly with customers anywhere in the UAE, bid for government contracts and open branches in any emirate. Most commercial and professional activities now allow full foreign ownership, so an outside partner is no longer required for the great majority of business types.
Teerma handles the whole file: choosing activities that match what you actually sell, reserving the trade name, preparing the memorandum, arranging the tenancy and Ejari your licence needs, and following the approval through to the printed licence and establishment card.
Why businesses choose it
- Trade anywhere in the UAE, with no restriction on where your customers are
- Full foreign ownership for most commercial and professional activities
- Eligible to work with government departments and semi-government bodies
- Visa quota grows with your office space, so the company can scale
- Straightforward corporate bank account applications with UAE banks
Licence types
- Commercial — trading and general trading
- Professional — consultancy and services
- Industrial — light manufacturing and assembly
How long it takes
Usually 5–10 working days once documents and initial approval are in place.
Costs depend on your activity, visas and office. Use the cost calculator for an itemised estimate.
What we handle for you
Activity selection and trade name, initial approvals, the memorandum and licence application, tenancy or desk paperwork, establishment card, visas and Emirates ID, and the documents your bank will ask for. You get one point of contact and a clear list of what is needed from you.
Questions we are asked
Do I need a local partner?
For most activities, no. Full foreign ownership is available across a wide list of commercial and professional activities; a small number of strategic activities still require a UAE partner, and we will tell you before you commit.
Do I need an office?
Yes — a mainland licence is tied to a tenancy registered through Ejari. A small office or a shared desk is enough to start, and the size determines how many visas you can hold.
Ready to start, or still comparing?
Tell us what you plan to do and how many visas you need. We will send the exact cost and the document list the same working day.
Talk to an advisor