Company Setup in UAE — License to First Filing
Mainland & Free Zone. Real All-In Pricing. Compliant From Day One.
Anyone can sell you a license. The AED 5,750 package usually costs over AED 18,000 by the time you can actually operate — and the broker is gone before your mandatory Corporate Tax registration (AED 10,000 penalty if missed). We set up your company with the full first-year cost quoted upfront, registration to bank account, with your books running from day one.
Why Founders Set Up With Sky Sigma
The Real All-In Number, Upfront
That AED 5,750 license you saw advertised typically lands above AED 18,000 once the mandatory extras, medicals, onboarding, and compliance are added. We quote the full first-year cost before you commit — no surprise invoices later
Right Zone, Not Cheapest Sticker
Mainland vs 45+ free zones is a decision about your activity, team size, banking, and customers — not just price. We compare the zones that actually fit and tell you why, in writing
Compliant From Day One
Every new UAE company must register for Corporate Tax — miss the deadline and the FTA penalty is AED 10,000. VAT thresholds and AML (goAML) obligations follow fast. Your setup includes all of it, not just the license
An Accountant, Not a Broker
Setup brokers disappear after the license is issued. We are the team that runs your books, VAT, and Corporate Tax afterwards — so we set the company up the way it needs to operate, with our FTA accuracy guarantee in writing
45+
Free Zones Compared
1–5
Days to a Free Zone License
100+
UAE SMEs on Retainer
0
FTA Penalties for Clients
Everything Your Setup Includes
One bundle from trade name to first filing — including the compliance steps license brokers leave out.
From Idea to Operating Company
Three steps, fixed fees, no detours through five different vendors.
Free Structure Consult
We map your activity, team size, banking requirements, and budget to the right structure — mainland or a shortlist of free zones — and give you the real all-in first-year cost for each option.
We Register Everything
Trade name, license, MOA, company files, and team onboarding — plus the compliance layer brokers skip: Corporate Tax registration and a VAT assessment, done before the deadlines.
You Operate, Books Running
Bank account application supported, bookkeeping live from day one (first 3 months included), and your filing calendar set. From day 90 you choose any monthly plan — from AED 350/month.
Fixed Advisory Fee. Third-Party Costs at Cost.
License and zone fees vary — from around AED 5,750 in northern-emirate free zones to AED 12,500+ in Dubai zones, plus roughly AED 12,000 in first-year extras most quotes hide. Our advisory fee is fixed, quoted upfront, and includes Corporate Tax registration, a VAT assessment, and your first 3 months of bookkeeping. You see every receipt.
The License Is the Easy Part
The UAE crossed one million active business licenses in 2025, and Dubai alone issues roughly nineteen thousand new ones every quarter. Getting licensed has never been easier — which is exactly why the setup industry competes on sticker price. The AED 4,888 and AED 5,750 packages are real, but they are license-only numbers: no registration extras, no medicals, no onboarding paperwork, no office product, and none of the compliance a company legally needs the moment it exists.
That compliance layer is where new founders get hurt. Corporate Tax registration is mandatory for every company — including free zone entities — and missing it costs AED 10,000 before you have earned a dirham. Cross the VAT threshold without registering and the penalties compound. Operate in a DNFBP sector — real estate, precious metals, corporate services — and AML registration on goAML is required too, with fines from AED 50,000. None of this appears in a license broker's quote, because the broker is paid when the license prints.
Setting up with Sky Sigma inverts that. We are an FTA-registered accounting firm — clients across DMCC, IFZA, RAKEZ, JAFZA, SHAMS, and the mainland — and the setup we deliver is the one we will have to live with as your accountants: correct activity wording, a banking-ready KYC file, tax registrations done inside their deadlines, and books running from day one. Your first three months of bookkeeping are included, and from there our monthly plans start at AED 350. One team, from trade name to your first Corporate Tax filing — with our accuracy guarantee in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about company formation, free zones, and first-year costs in the UAE.
Know Your Real Setup Cost Before You Sign Anything.
Tell us your business activity, how many people you plan to bring on, and where your customers are. You get a written comparison of your best 2–3 options — mainland and free zone — with the genuine all-in first-year cost of each, and the compliance calendar your new company will carry. Free, and yours to take anywhere.