Corporate Services — frequently asked.
Practical answers on UAE company formation, residency, the Golden Visa, second citizenship, and the structural questions that follow.
By Moore Law Firm FZ-LLC · Meydan Freezone Licence No. 2309392 · Corporate service provider & consultancy.
Mainland or freezone — which one is right for me?
The right answer depends on the actual commercial activity. Mainland licences are appropriate where the business will trade directly with UAE-resident customers, hold government contracts, or operate retail and service activity to the local market. Freezone licences are appropriate for international-facing business — consulting, professional services, investment management, technology, and trading with parties outside the UAE — and may benefit from the qualifying-freezone-person framework under the corporate-tax regime. Offshore vehicles serve specific holding purposes and cannot conduct UAE-based commercial activity. The decision should be made on the merits of the activity, not on cost or speed.
How long does UAE company formation take?
The formation step itself — securing the licence and registering the entity — typically takes two to four weeks for freezone entities and three to six weeks for mainland entities, depending on the activity, the authority, and the documentary requirements. Banking generally takes longer than formation, and is the practical bottleneck for most international clients. End-to-end setup including formation, banking, residency, and operational readiness usually runs eight to twelve weeks. Coordinated handling significantly shortens the total timeline compared to piecemeal execution.
Is UAE banking really as hard as people say?
Demanding rather than hard. UAE banks operate to international standards on enhanced due diligence, source-of-funds documentation, and ongoing compliance — comparable to or stricter than European private banking. For international clients with substantive profiles, properly-prepared applications generally proceed. The matters that stall are typically those where the documentary preparation has been inadequate, where the wrong bank has been approached for the profile, or where unexplained features of the underlying activity have not been addressed in advance. Working with the right bank, with the right preparation, is the difference.
What does the Golden Visa actually require?
The Golden Visa is a 10-year UAE residency available under several defined categories — including investors (real-estate-based and capital-based pathways), entrepreneurs, specialised talent, and other defined profiles. Each category has specific eligibility criteria, documentary requirements, and qualifying thresholds. The right category depends on the applicant's profile rather than on which category is fastest or cheapest in the abstract. Most categories permit dependent sponsorship for spouse and children. The visa is renewable subject to maintaining the qualifying conditions.
What is the difference between an investor visa and a Golden Visa?
An investor visa is typically a 2- or 3-year residency issued in connection with ownership of a UAE entity, tied to the underlying licence. A Golden Visa is a 10-year residency under the long-term residence framework, with its own qualifying criteria independent of any particular entity. For founders establishing a UAE business, the investor visa is often the starting point, with upgrade to Golden Visa as the underlying position develops. The two coexist within the UAE residency framework, serving different stages of a client's UAE engagement.
Do I have to be physically in the UAE to maintain residency?
Some UAE residency categories include physical-presence requirements; others do not. Standard residency permits typically require entry into the UAE at least once every six months to remain valid. Golden Visas do not carry the same minimum-presence requirement, which is one of their attractions for internationally-mobile holders. For clients whose underlying tax-residency position depends on UAE substance rather than just the residency permit, actual presence and operational substance in the UAE matter regardless of the formal minimum.
How does the new UAE corporate-tax regime affect my structure?
The federal corporate-tax regime, effective from 1 June 2023, applies a standard 9% rate on taxable income above AED 375,000 for most UAE entities, with a small-business relief regime and various reliefs available. Freezone entities may qualify for a 0% rate on qualifying income under the qualifying-freezone-person framework, subject to substance, activity, and operational conditions. Existing structures designed before the regime should be reviewed against current conditions. New structures should be designed to fit the regime from the outset, with substance built rather than retrofitted.
What does qualifying-freezone-person status actually require?
The framework is specific. The entity must maintain adequate substance in the freezone — premises, employees, operational activity proportionate to the income claimed. Its income must derive from qualifying activities (defined positively rather than by exclusion), and its non-qualifying income must remain below specified thresholds. Various procedural requirements apply, including transfer-pricing documentation and audited financial statements. The status requires active management throughout the year — it is not a one-time qualification. Where conditions are genuinely met, the savings are material.
When is a second citizenship genuinely useful?
For internationally-mobile families, the value sits in long-horizon optionality — multiple jurisdictions of residence and citizenship that together provide structural resilience across decades and generations. A single secondary citizenship rarely transforms a position on its own. As part of a properly-designed portfolio of jurisdictional options, it adds meaningful flexibility. The decision should follow from a clear view of the underlying objectives — mobility, residency optionality, family inclusion, succession — rather than from the marketing of any specific programme.
Why use Moore Law rather than a generalist formation agent?
For routine UAE company formation with no broader complexity, generalist formation agents are perfectly capable. For matters where the UAE entity needs to fit within a broader international position — Danish-side tax positioning, cross-border holding structures, integration with an existing European group, family-office portfolio architecture, coordinated Golden Visa and property work — the integrated handling that Moore Law provides across its three divisions produces a materially better result than fragmented engagement with separate specialists. The choice depends on what the matter actually requires.