Dubai Business Setup for Bangladeshi Founders 2026: You Have a Treaty, and It Has Been Working Since 2011

Start with the fact that changes the planning conversation, because it is the one most Bangladeshi founders do not know they have.

Bangladesh is on the UAE Ministry of Finance double taxation agreement list. The agreement was signed on 17 January 2011 and entered into force across 2011 and 2012 [1]. It is not a proposal, not an announcement and not something under negotiation. It has been operating for well over a decade, and your adviser in Dhaka can read it this week.

That is a stronger starting position than a lot of nationalities have. The Philippines does not appear on the UAE treaty list. Neither does Australia [1]. Founders from those countries have no allocation of taxing rights, no agreed treatment of categories of income, and crucially no residence tie-breaker. Their position rests entirely on their home country's domestic law. Yours does not have to. What the treaty does not do is settle your position on its own, and that is where most of the real work sits.

Since 2013, BusinessDubai.ae has registered UAE companies for founders from Bangladesh and across South Asia, from Sharjah licences at around AED 5,750 to Dubai mainland structures with staff visas [9]. This guide covers what the treaty actually gives you, what each route costs in AED, and where Bangladeshi-owned setups most often stall.

What is actually in force between the UAE and Bangladesh?

Short answer: a double taxation agreement, signed 17 January 2011 and in force from 2011 and 2012. It is long established and it is the instrument your Bangladeshi adviser should be reading.

The comparison is worth making explicitly, because it is the difference between having an instrument and having none.

Real Talk: Having a treaty is not the same as being covered by one. It allocates taxing rights between two states once your residence position is settled, and it gives you a tie-breaker when both states could claim you. It does not decide where you live, it does not operate automatically, and it usually has to be claimed with evidence. Founders who treat the treaty as a result rather than as a tool are the ones who get a surprise in their second filing season.

Our double taxation agreements overview explains how the UAE treaty network operates generally, and our Pakistani founders guide covers the neighbouring position for comparison.

Not sure whether your income actually falls inside the treaty? Check your eligibility→

Why do Bangladeshi founders choose Dubai?

Short answer: full foreign ownership, a low but non-zero tax regime, residence that is not tied to an employer, and a community and supply chain that already exist here.

100% foreign ownership. Free zone companies have always allowed it. Mainland companies now allow it for most business activities, which removed the single biggest structural objection South Asian founders used to raise. Some regulated activities still involve local participation, so confirm your specific activity rather than assuming. Our local sponsor requirements guide sets out where the requirement survives.

An established community and a working supply chain. Bangladeshis are among the largest expatriate populations in the UAE, which means suppliers, staff, accountants, freight agents and customers who already understand how business between the two countries is done. That shortens the part of setup no licence can shorten.

A trading position that suits the export sectors. Dubai works as a re-export and distribution hub, which is why founders in garments, food, general trading and logistics look at it first. Our import and export business guide covers how duty lands on goods entering the UAE, and our Dubai Customs registration guide covers the code you need before you import anything.

Residence that does not depend on an employer. Your own licence supports your own residence, and the Green Visa routes go further by removing the sponsor entirely for five years.

A tax position that is favourable rather than zero. The UAE has had Corporate Tax since 2023. Anyone still calling Dubai a zero-tax jurisdiction is working from a pre-2023 script.

The reason that does not hold up is discretion. The UAE is a well-regulated jurisdiction with beneficial owner registers and information-exchange commitments, and founders expecting fewer questions than at home are usually surprised at the bank rather than at the licensing authority. Our UBO requirements guide covers what you must disclose.

Free zone or mainland: which one fits your customers?

Short answer: the decision turns on where your customers are, not on your nationality and not on your budget.

Choose free zone if you export goods or services, re-export through Dubai, or sell to customers outside the UAE. Choose mainland if you need to invoice UAE customers directly, sell to government, or operate premises the public walks into.

Common Mistake: Buying a free zone licence on price when your actual customers are in Dubai. It is expensive twice: once for the licence that cannot serve your market, and again for the restructure that follows. Our free zone company setup and mainland company setup pages price both routes, and our free zone versus mainland comparison sets out where the line falls.

If you want mainland market access from a free zone entity, Dubai Executive Council Resolution 11/2025 created a route for that, covered in our free zone access to the mainland guide. If you are holding assets rather than trading, an offshore company formation suits holding structures and intellectual property, but it gives you no residence and no right to trade inside the UAE, so it complements an onshore licence rather than replacing one.

What does a Dubai setup actually cost in year one?

Short answer: a Dubai free zone licence from about AED 12,800 with one visa included, or a Dubai mainland licence from about AED 18,200 before any visa.

These are indicative first-year figures from our own published pricing, so you can size the decision before you speak to anyone [9].

Residence visas on mainland packages cost an additional AED 4,000 to AED 5,200 each [9]. That line is the one most often missing from a comparison, because free zone packages frequently include a visa and mainland packages do not.

Quick Math: The gap between a Sharjah licence at about AED 5,750 and a Dubai free zone licence with a visa included at about AED 12,800 is roughly AED 7,050 in year one [9]. For many founders that is the whole question. But price the second year too. The Dubai free zone renewal is about AED 9,920 and the Dubai mainland standard renewal is about AED 15,000, and those repeat for the life of the company. A licence in the wrong emirate for your customers costs more in lost revenue than the AED 7,050 you saved.

If cost is the binding constraint, read the emirate pages before you commit. Our business setup in Sharjah and business setup in Ajman pages set out what each emirate gives you and what it does not, and our cheapest free zones ranked guide shows where a headline price excludes something you will have to buy anyway.

What the licence price never includes: bank onboarding time, document attestation from Bangladesh, accounting, and Corporate Tax registration. Our Dubai business setup cost breakdown covers the full first-year picture, and our business setup in Abu Dhabi page covers the emirate most often compared with Dubai on cost.

Want the two routes priced against your actual customer base rather than against each other? Talk to a setup expert→

What tax will you actually pay?

Short answer: not zero. Corporate Tax is 0% up to AED 375,000 of taxable income and 9% above it, and most small companies pay nothing only because they elect a relief on a return they still have to file.

Small Business Relief is where most Bangladeshi-owned companies land. It treats revenue at or below AED 3,000,000 as producing no taxable income, and Ministerial Decision No. 131 of 2026 extended it to tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029, from a previous cut-off of 2026 [4]. Three conditions catch people out: it must be elected on the return, it is closed to Qualifying Free Zone Persons, and other exemptions and deductions are switched off for any period in which you elect it, though the loss rule cuts both ways: a loss made in a period where you elect is forfeited, while unutilised losses and disallowed net interest expenditure from earlier periods where you did not elect carry forward into later periods where you again do not elect [4].

Real Talk: Owing nothing and having nothing to do are not the same thing. Registration and filing obligations exist independently of liability, and the relief that produces your nil result is claimed on the return itself. The most common failure we see at this scale is a founder who concluded there was no tax to pay and therefore did nothing for two tax periods.

The 0% free zone rate is conditional. It applies only to qualifying income of a Qualifying Free Zone Person, which requires substance and activity conditions and audited financial statements. Selling to UAE consumers or into the mainland is generally an excluded activity, and many free zone businesses never reach QFZP status at all. Our Qualifying Free Zone Person guide sets out the conditions, and our Corporate Tax filing guide covers the return.

Splitting a business artificially to keep each part under AED 3,000,000 engages the general anti-abuse rule in Article 50 of the Corporate Tax Law [4]. It is not a structuring idea. It is a named risk.

How does the 2011 agreement help you in practice?

Short answer: it allocates taxing rights between the two states and gives you a tie-breaker. It does not decide where you are resident, and it does not close your Bangladeshi file on its own.

The agreement has been in force since 2011 and 2012 [1]. It is the instrument you and your Bangladeshi adviser should read together, because it governs how categories of income are treated when both states could otherwise tax the same amount.

Compare that with a founder from the Philippines or Australia, where no UAE treaty exists at all [1]. They have no allocation rules and no tie-breaker, so if both countries consider them resident, both domestic laws simply apply and nothing reconciles them. Your treaty is what stops that happening.

What it does not do matters more to most founders than what it does.

It does not choose your residence. Your position under Bangladeshi law depends on Bangladeshi rules and on where you physically spend your time. A UAE company and a residence visa are evidence, not a determination.

It does not operate automatically. Treaty relief usually has to be claimed, and a claim usually rests on evidence that you are a UAE tax resident. That evidence is a UAE tax residency certificate, which has its own test and is separate from your visa.

Pro Tip: Sequence the advice. Speak to a Bangladeshi adviser about your residence position and any outward-investment or remittance requirements before you commit capital, then build the UAE structure to fit the answer. Doing it the other way round narrows your options, because some choices become harder to unwind once the company exists and income has run through it.

On moving money to and from Bangladesh, the UAE side is straightforward. The Bangladeshi side is governed by Bangladesh Bank foreign exchange regulation, which changes, and on which we are not the right advisers. That is not a hedge. It is the boundary of what a UAE formation firm can responsibly tell you.

Our double taxation agreements overview covers how relief is claimed across the wider network.

Which residence visa fits a Bangladeshi founder?

Short answer: investor residence through your own licence is the default, and the Green Visa is worth checking because it removes the sponsor entirely for five years.

Two details in that table are routinely misreported.

ICP publishes no minimum investment amount for the investor and partner route [5]. Figures circulate widely and are not in the official source. If an adviser quotes a hard number as an ICP requirement, ask where it is published.

The freelance route says each of the two previous years [5]. One strong year does not qualify you, and an average across two years is not the test either.

Green, Golden and Blue permits carry a 180-day grace period after expiry or cancellation, extending to sponsored family members [6]. That is materially more room than an employment-sponsored permit, and for a founder whose licence renewal might slip it is a genuine safety margin.

Our Green Visa guide covers all three routes, our investor visa requirements guide covers the company route, and ten ways to get UAE residency maps the wider set.

What should Bangladeshi founders expect on banking?

Short answer: enhanced due diligence, timelines measured in weeks rather than days, and a real possibility of decline. Documentation quality is what moves the outcome.

This is the part most guides skip, and skipping it does founders real harm, because banking is the step where launches stall.

UAE banks apply enhanced due diligence across a range of shareholder profiles, and Bangladeshi shareholders should expect to sit inside that. Account opening timelines vary widely, from about a week to several months, and applications are sometimes declined outright. That is not a reason to abandon the plan. It is a reason to plan for it.

What determines the outcome is not your passport in isolation. It is the coherence of your business model, the quality of your documentation, the activity on your licence, and whether a compliance officer can see plausible transaction flows.

What genuinely helps, in the order it matters:

• Documented source of funds, traceable and consistent across every statement you submit. This is the single largest determinant.
• A licence activity that matches what you will actually do, described identically in the licence, the business plan, the website and the application form.
• A business plan a compliance officer can follow without three rounds of follow-up questions.
• Realistic first-year projections. A projection that does not match the licence or the funding is a red flag, not an ambition.
• Named, verifiable customers and suppliers, particularly where your trade route runs through Bangladesh.
• Physical premises where the model calls for them, rather than the cheapest flexi-desk attached to a business that plainly needs a warehouse.

What does not help is choosing a broad general trading activity because it sounds flexible. Flexibility on a licence is not free: it costs you explicability, and that is what banking approval turns on. A general trading licence attached to a garments import business reads as unexplained, and unexplained is the one thing a compliance function cannot approve.

Do not promise a supplier, a member of staff or a landlord a payment date that depends on an account opening in two weeks. Plan against the pessimistic case, apply to more than one bank, and do not treat a first decline as final. Our guides to opening a corporate bank account in Dubai and handling a rejection cover the document set and the remediation route, and our AML and CFT compliance guide explains what the bank is actually testing for.

What will the bank account cost once it is open?

Short answer: between AED 79 and AED 250 a month, and the transfer pricing usually matters more than the monthly fee.

Once you are through onboarding, the running cost is knowable. These figures are as at August 2026 and you should confirm current pricing with the bank before you choose [10].

Quick Math: Take a trading business paying forty suppliers a month. At AED 25 per local transfer that is AED 1,000 a month, or AED 12,000 a year, on top of the monthly fee [10]. The whole spread between the cheapest and dearest monthly fee in that table is AED 171 a month, about AED 2,052 a year. For a payment-heavy business the transfer line is worth roughly six times the monthly fee difference.

Four other lines are worth checking before you commit [10]. FAB Basic charges AED 100 a month if you fall below the AED 10,000 balance, and the same AED 100 fall-below fee at Mashreq Pro and Pro Plus is waived after six months. Ruya charges AED 105 to close within six months, while Wio and Mashreq closures are free or waived. Mashreq offers free WPS payroll while Ruya charges AED 31.50 per file per month after a free setup. Card foreign exchange markups run to 3% plus scheme charges at Ruya, and 2.5% on non-AED transactions at Mashreq plus roughly 1.15% scheme fee.

Our UAE business bank account comparison works through the full table, including the lines the published data does not state.

Can you sponsor your family?

Short answer: yes, subject to standard income and accommodation conditions, and the overstay exposure is per person, which is the number households get wrong.

Green, Golden and Blue holders may sponsor spouse and children in accordance with the approved requirements, and the 180-day grace period on expiry or cancellation extends to those dependants [5][6]. That household-level protection is a genuine advantage over an employment-sponsored permit, where the whole family's status hangs on one employer relationship. The conditions vary by residence category and cover income and accommodation. Our UAE family visa requirements guide covers them, including the rules that catch people sponsoring adult children and parents.

Real Talk: Overstay fines are AED 50 per person per day, flat rather than escalating, with an additional AED 100 smart services fee [7]. A family of four in violation for sixty days is AED 12,000, not AED 3,000. Worse, paying does not resolve anything, because ICP requires that status is adjusted or the person leaves the UAE [7]. There is also an AED 2,000 penalty for misuse of smart services [7]. For visit and tourist visas the fine is calculated from ten days after expiry [7].

Our overstay fines guide covers the grace periods, which differ enormously by permit type, and our visa cancellation guide covers the order things have to be unwound in.

What do you have to do every year?

Short answer: eight recurring obligations, chained together so that a late tenancy renewal becomes a blocked visa two months later.

The dependency chain catches people. Ejari gates the licence, the licence gates the establishment card, and the card gates every visa. Cancellation runs in reverse: dependants, individual, employees, establishment card, licence. Miss a tenancy renewal in March and you can be unable to renew a family visa in May.

Pro Tip: Put the tenancy renewal in your calendar ninety days ahead, not thirty. It sits at the top of the chain, so it is the only date where being early buys you slack everywhere downstream. Our post-setup guide sets out the sequence, our Ejari registration guide covers the tenancy step, and our establishment card guide covers the middle link most founders have never heard of until it blocks them.

If you employ staff, our UAE labour law guide for employers covers your obligations with article numbers, including the 30 to 90 day notice range under Article 43 and the end of service calculation under Article 51.

One thing you can stop doing: Economic Substance notifications and reports were cancelled for financial years ending after 31 December 2022, with fines for those years cancelled and paid fines refunded [8]. The regime still applies to 2019 to 2022, and ADGM and DIFC run their own registrar confirmations. Our economic substance regulations guide covers the amendment.

Want the licence, the visas and the annual filings handled rather than remembered? Get a free consultation→

Real Client Stories

Real examples from businesses we have helped set up. Names have been changed for privacy.

Rafiq, the garments exporter who bought the wrong licence for his customers

Rafiq supplied ready-made garments from Dhaka and wanted a Dubai entity to serve regional buyers. He took the cheapest free zone package he could find, on price alone, then discovered that a meaningful share of his intended buyers were UAE wholesalers he needed to invoice directly. A free zone company generally cannot do that without a distributor, a branch or a permit.

The restructure was manageable but paid for twice: once for the licence that could not serve his market, and again for the mainland licence that could, at about AED 26,355 in year one with one visa attached [9]. His customers, not his budget, should have chosen the jurisdiction.

His comment: "I saved about eight thousand dirhams on the licence and spent more than that unwinding it four months later."

Nusrat, the consultant who thought a UAE visa closed her Bangladeshi file

Nusrat incorporated a consultancy in a Dubai free zone, obtained residence, and continued to spend most of the year in Dhaka with her family. She assumed the company and the visa had settled her tax position. They had not, because that depends on the other country's law and on physical presence. The 2011 agreement allocates income between the two states and gives a tie-breaker [1], but it does not choose your residence for you.

The correction was manageable once addressed. She adjusted the time she spent in each country and obtained a UAE tax residency certificate to support the position. What she needed was a Bangladeshi adviser, and she needed one before incorporation rather than eighteen months after it.

Her comment: "Everybody told me what the Dubai company would do. Nobody told me the question I actually needed answered was on the other side."

Shahed, the founder whose launch date depended on a bank

Shahed signed a warehouse, committed to a supplier and agreed a staff start date, all on the assumption that his corporate account would open in two weeks. It took considerably longer. His first application was declined and the second required a rebuilt document pack: a clearer source of funds trail, a narrower licence activity matching what he actually did, and named counterparties on both sides of his trade route.

The account opened and the business is running. It cost him three months of warehouse rent against no revenue, and a supplier relationship that started badly.

His comment: "Nobody told me a bank could say no. I had planned every date around a yes."

Start with the structure, not the licence price

For a Bangladeshi founder the honest summary is short.

You have a double taxation agreement, signed 17 January 2011 and in force from 2011 and 2012 [1], which is more than founders from the Philippines or Australia have, because neither country appears on the UAE treaty list at all [1]. Read it with a Bangladeshi adviser rather than assuming it settles anything by itself. Corporate Tax is favourable rather than zero, at 0% up to AED 375,000 and 9% above [3], with Small Business Relief running to tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029 on election [4]. A Dubai free zone licence with one visa included runs about AED 12,800 in year one, with cheaper options outside Dubai from about AED 5,750 in Sharjah [9]. Banking is the step most likely to delay you, applications are sometimes declined, and the way to manage it is documentation quality rather than optimism.

Since 2013, BusinessDubai.ae has handled UAE formation for founders from Bangladesh and across South Asia: the licence, the residence route, the bank introduction and the compliance that follows. We will tell you which structure fits your actual customer base before you pay for a licence, and our post-setup services team then runs the tax registration, the annual return and the renewal chain.

Get a free consultation→

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a double taxation treaty between the UAE and Bangladesh?

Yes. Bangladesh appears on the UAE Ministry of Finance double taxation agreement list, signed on 17 January 2011 and in force from 2011 and 2012 [1]. It has been operating for well over a decade.

Which nationalities have no UAE tax treaty at all?

The Philippines and Australia do not appear on the UAE treaty list [1]. Founders from those countries have no allocation of taxing rights and no residence tie-breaker, so their position rests entirely on their home country's domestic law. Bangladeshi founders are not in that position.

Does the treaty mean I pay no tax in Bangladesh?

No. It allocates taxing rights between the two states and gives a tie-breaker where both could claim you. It does not decide where you are resident, it does not operate automatically, and relief usually has to be claimed with evidence. Take advice in Bangladesh.

Can a Bangladeshi national own 100% of a Dubai company?

Yes. Free zone companies allow full foreign ownership, and mainland companies do too for most business activities. Some regulated sectors still involve local participation, so confirm your specific activity.

Will a Dubai company mean I pay no tax at all?

No. Corporate Tax is 0% up to AED 375,000 of taxable income and 9% above [3]. Small Business Relief can produce nil taxable income at or below AED 3,000,000 of revenue, to periods ending on or before 31 December 2029 [4], but it must be elected and is closed to Qualifying Free Zone Persons. There is no UAE personal income tax.

Does a UAE residence visa end my Bangladeshi tax residence?

Not by itself. Your position under Bangladeshi law depends on Bangladeshi rules and on where you actually spend your time. The treaty allocates income and provides a tie-breaker; it does not decide residence for you.

How much does a Dubai company cost for a Bangladeshi founder?

Indicatively, a Dubai free zone licence from about AED 12,800 with one visa included, or a Dubai mainland standard licence from about AED 18,200 before any visa and about AED 26,355 with one [9]. Ajman Free Zone is from about AED 12,800 and Sharjah licences from about AED 5,750.

What is the cheapest emirate to set up in?

Of the routes we register, Sharjah is the cheapest at from about AED 5,750, with Ajman Free Zone from about AED 12,800 [9]. Both are outside Dubai, which matters if your customers, staff or credibility are in Dubai specifically.

When do I need to register for VAT?

Once taxable supplies and imports exceed AED 375,000 you must register. Voluntary registration is available above AED 187,500 of taxable supplies, imports or expenses [2].

Do I have to register for Corporate Tax even if I owe nothing?

Yes. Registration and filing obligations exist independently of liability, and Small Business Relief is elected on the return rather than instead of it [4].

Can my free zone company get the 0% rate automatically?

No. The 0% rate applies to qualifying income of a Qualifying Free Zone Person, which requires substance and activity conditions and audited financial statements. Selling to UAE consumers or into the mainland is generally an excluded activity.

What is the minimum investment for a Green Visa as an investor?

ICP publishes no minimum investment amount for the investor and partner route. The stated conditions are proof of investment or contribution to a UAE business venture plus the necessary licences and approvals [5]. Specific figures quoted elsewhere are not in the official source.

What salary do I need for the Green Visa skilled worker route?

A minimum monthly salary of AED 15,000, alongside a bachelor's degree minimum, MOHRE occupational classification levels 1 to 3, and a valid UAE employment contract [5].

What income do I need for the Green Visa freelance route?

Annual income of not less than AED 360,000 in each of the two previous years, plus a Ministry-issued freelance or self-employment permit and a bachelor's degree, specialised diploma or equivalent [5]. Both years must clear the figure.

How hard is it for a Bangladeshi founder to open a UAE business account?

It varies considerably and applications are sometimes declined. The determinants are documented source of funds, a licence activity matching the real business, a plausible transaction profile and realistic projections. Plan for weeks rather than days, and do not commit to payment dates that depend on it.

What does a UAE business bank account cost to run?

Monthly fees range from about AED 79 to AED 250 across the accounts we compared as at August 2026, with only FAB Basic imposing a minimum average balance of AED 10,000 [10]. For payment-heavy businesses, per-transfer pricing usually matters more than the monthly fee.

Can a free zone company sell into the UAE mainland?

Not directly as a general rule. It typically needs a distributor, a branch or a permit. Dubai Executive Council Resolution 11/2025 created a route for mainland access from a free zone entity, which our free zone access to the mainland guide covers.

Can I sponsor my family from Bangladesh?

Yes, subject to the standard income and accommodation conditions. Green, Golden and Blue holders may sponsor spouse and children, and the 180-day grace period on expiry or cancellation extends to those dependants [5][6].

What happens if my visa expires while I am in the UAE?

Overstay accrues at AED 50 per person per day at a flat rate, plus an AED 100 smart services fee, and paying the fine does not resolve the violation because status must be adjusted or the person must leave [7]. Green, Golden and Blue holders have a 180-day grace period first [6].

Do I still have to file Economic Substance reports?

Not for financial years ending after 31 December 2022. Cabinet Decision No. 98 of 2024 cancelled the notification and report requirement for those years and cancelled the related fines, with paid fines refunded [8]. The regime still applies to 2019 to 2022, and ADGM and DIFC run their own registrar confirmations separately.

What is the dependency chain everyone warns about?

Ejari or a valid tenancy gates the licence renewal, the licence gates the establishment card, and the card gates every visa. Cancellation runs in reverse. A slipped tenancy date in one month can block a visa two months later.

Is there a UAE and Bangladesh trade agreement I can use for tariffs?

The Ministry of Finance list we rely on here covers double taxation agreements, not trade agreements. Trade agreement status is a matter for the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism, so confirm the current position with them and do not build a landed-cost model on an announcement.

Can I move money freely between Dubai and Bangladesh?

The UAE side is straightforward. The Bangladeshi side is governed by Bangladesh Bank foreign exchange regulation, which changes, and which requires local advice on outward investment and remittance before you commit capital.

What is the biggest mistake Bangladeshi founders make?

Buying a licence before deciding who the customers are, and planning a launch date around a bank account that has not opened yet. The third is assuming that owing no Corporate Tax means having nothing to file [4].

Related reading: Free Zone vs Mainland vs Offshore, UAE Green Visa Guide, Dubai Business Setup for Pakistanis

References

[1] UAE Ministry of Finance. Double Taxation Agreements listing, recording the agreement with Bangladesh signed 17 January 2011 and entering into force across 2011 and 2012, the agreement with Pakistan signed 7 February 1993, and the absence of the Philippines and Australia from the list. MoF double taxation agreements

[2] Federal Tax Authority. Registration for VAT, setting the mandatory threshold at AED 375,000 of taxable supplies and imports and the voluntary threshold at AED 187,500 of taxable supplies, imports or expenses, at a rate of 5%. FTA VAT registration

[3] The Official Portal of the UAE Government and Federal Tax Authority. Corporate tax at 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above, and the requirement to file a return and settle the liability within nine months from the end of the tax period. u.ae corporate tax

[4] UAE Ministry of Finance and Federal Tax Authority. Ministerial Decision No. 131 of 2026 amending Ministerial Decision No. 73 of 2023 on Small Business Relief: availability extended to tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029, the AED 3,000,000 revenue threshold applying to the current and all previous periods, election required on the return, Qualifying Free Zone Persons excluded, and Article 50 of the Corporate Tax Law applying to artificial separation of a business. MoF financial legislation

[5] Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP). UAE Green Residency: skilled worker conditions including AED 15,000 minimum monthly salary and MOHRE classification levels 1 to 3, freelance conditions including annual income of not less than AED 360,000 in each of the two previous years, and investor and partner conditions with no minimum investment amount published. ICP Green Residency

[6] Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP). Cancellation of residency permits, including the 180-day grace period for Golden, Green and Blue residence holders and their family members. ICP residence permit cancellation

[7] Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP). Payment of visa or residence violation fine: AED 50 per person per day flat, an AED 100 smart services fee, an AED 2,000 penalty for misuse of smart services, and the requirement that status be adjusted or the individual leave the UAE after payment. ICP visa and residence violation fines

[8] UAE Ministry of Finance. Announcement of Cabinet Decision No. 98 of 2024 amending Cabinet Decision No. 57 of 2020, cancelling the Economic Substance Notification and Report requirement for financial years ending after 31 December 2022, cancelling associated fines and refunding fines already paid. MoF announcement on Economic Substance

[9] BusinessDubai.ae. Published formation pricing and internal data from UAE registrations since 2013: Dubai free zone from AED 12,800 first year with one visa included and AED 9,920 renewal; Dubai mainland standard from AED 18,200 first year with no visa, AED 26,355 with one visa and AED 15,000 renewal; Dubai mainland package AED 20,800; IFZA Dubai AED 20,100; SHAMS Sharjah AED 15,200; Ajman Free Zone AED 12,800; Sharjah mainland AED 18,400; Abu Dhabi mainland AED 22,600; Sharjah licences from AED 5,750 including SPC Free Zone instant licensing; and residence visas on mainland packages at an additional AED 4,000 to AED 5,200 each. businessdubai.ae

[10] BusinessDubai.ae. UAE business banking comparison as at August 2026: monthly fees from AED 79 to AED 250, minimum balance and fall-below conditions, transfer pricing, WPS charges, closure fees and card foreign exchange markups. Confirm current pricing with the bank before you apply. UAE business bank account comparison

This guide covers the UAE side. It is not Bangladeshi tax advice; take advice in Bangladesh on your residence position, outward investment and remittance requirements before you incorporate.