Consultation
Understand your objectives, constraints, ownership model, and the wider context around your UAE business.
COMPANY FORMATION
UAE Company Formation in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the Free Zones.
TRUVIS advises and manages UAE company formation across mainland, free zone, ADGM, DIFC, and specialist jurisdictions with a written structure recommendation before incorporation begins.
Mainland & free zones
ADGM / DIFC options
Banking-ready structure
STRATEGIC ADVISORY
Precision in Business Formation Strategy.
The UAE offers more than 45 licensed free zones, two major financial centres, and mainland licensing across all seven emirates. The challenge is not the number of options; it is choosing the structure that matches your activity, ownership, banking profile, investor expectations, and compliance obligations.
TRUVIS conducts a structured pre-registration assessment for every formation mandate. The recommendation covers jurisdiction, entity type, license activity, banking strategy, compliance obligations, and total cost so the decision is commercially practical and defensible.
DECISION STANDARD
Advisory before execution.
Every service is structured around clarity, documentation, and long-term operational fit — not simply completing a transaction.
- 01 Jurisdiction fitMainland, free zone, ADGM, DIFC, and sector-specific options reviewed before execution.
- 02 Banking readinessDocuments and structure prepared with bank due diligence and KYC expectations in mind.
- 03 Long-term governanceEntity setup aligned with renewals, tax, compliance, ownership changes, and future growth.
OUR PROCESS
A Structured Path From First Discussion To Ongoing Management.
Every mandate follows a defined advisory process designed to produce recommendations that are commercially practical, regulatorily sound, and executable.
Assessment
Review activity, jurisdictional options, regulatory position, banking considerations, tax exposure, and implementation risks.
Recommendation
Provide written, specific, and justifiable advice explaining the recommended structure and the reasoning behind it.
Execution & Management
Implement incorporation, coordinate documentation, support banking readiness, and manage renewals and compliance follow-through.
FORMATION COVERAGE
One UAE market, multiple legal pathways.
TRUVIS evaluates each structure against commercial activity, investor objectives, regulatory complexity, banking profile, and long-term operating needs.
ZONE SELECTION
Which UAE Structure Fits Which Business Profile?
A low-cost licence is not always the right licence. TRUVIS matches each setup to banking, tax, compliance, sector, and operating requirements.
TRUVIS STANDARD
Built to stand up to banks, authorities, auditors, and advisors.
TRUVIS keeps each mandate aligned with the practical realities of the UAE market: regulatory expectations, banking due diligence, ownership documentation, corporate governance, tax obligations, and the client's long-term operating model.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Answers reflect the position as at October 2026. Rules change and every application is decided by the relevant authority, so treat this as orientation rather than advice on your specific case.
How long does company formation in the UAE take?
It depends on the jurisdiction and the activity. Many free zone licences are issued within days to a few weeks once the document set is complete. Mainland licences that need external approvals take longer, and regulated entities in ADGM or DIFC can take several months because authorisation runs alongside incorporation. In practice, the bank account and visas that follow the licence are often the longer part of the timeline.
Can a foreign investor own 100% of a company in Abu Dhabi or Dubai?
Yes, for most activities. Since the 2021 amendments to the Commercial Companies Law, most mainland activities allow full foreign ownership, with conditions remaining for a limited list of strategic activities. Free zones, including ADGM, KEZAD and Masdar City in Abu Dhabi and DMCC and DIFC in Dubai, have always allowed full foreign ownership. Our jurisdiction guide explains how to choose between them.
What documents are needed to set up a UAE company?
For individual shareholders: passport copies, proof of residential address and, for some authorities, a CV or business plan. For corporate shareholders: the certificate of incorporation, memorandum and articles, a board resolution and details of the ultimate beneficial owners, usually legalised or attested. Requirements vary by authority, so we confirm the exact list before anything is submitted.
What has to happen after the trade licence is issued?
The licence is the start of the compliance calendar, not the end of setup. Typical next steps are the establishment card, visas, corporate tax registration with the FTA, VAT registration once the threshold is met, the UBO register, the corporate bank account and a renewal calendar. See Entity Management for ongoing support.
EXPERT SUPPORT
Talk to a Corporate Advisor.
Get clarity on the right UAE structure before committing to a jurisdiction, licence, or banking path.