Post setup services in
Dubai & UAE

Post setup services are the ongoing compliance and operational tasks a company must complete after its trade licence is issued. They include PRO and document clearing, residence visas and Emirates ID, MOHRE labour registration and WPS payroll, Ejari and office tenancy, opening a corporate bank account, accounting and bookkeeping, VAT and corporate tax registration and filing, UBO and AML compliance, audits, licence renewal, amendments, and eventual liquidation.

Plan for around three to six weeks of setup work. Open a corporate bank account (about two to four weeks), issue the establishment card and residence visas, register Ejari if you're mainland, and register for corporate tax and, if you cross the threshold, VAT. Corporate tax registration is due within three months of incorporation for companies formed on or after 1 March 2024.

Yes. All taxable persons, including free-zone companies and businesses below the AED 375,000 threshold, must register for corporate tax with the Federal Tax Authority and obtain a Tax Registration Number, whether or not any tax is due. Registration is completed through the EmaraTax portal, and missing the deadline carries an AED 10,000 penalty.

UAE corporate tax is 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above that, for financial years starting on or after 1 June 2023. It applies to most mainland and free-zone businesses. A Qualifying Free Zone Person can keep a 0% rate on qualifying income if it meets the conditions, which include audited financial statements.

A business must register for VAT once its taxable supplies and imports pass AED 375,000 over the previous 12 months, or are expected to in the next 30 days. Voluntary registration is allowed once taxable supplies or expenses pass AED 187,500. The standard VAT rate is 5%, and you register through the FTA's EmaraTax portal.

The administrative penalty for failing to register for VAT on time is AED 10,000. The business also becomes liable for VAT retroactively on every taxable supply made from the date it should have registered. Because the AED 375,000 threshold is tested on a rolling 12-month basis, checking turnover monthly is the safe habit.

Renewal cost depends on your activity and authority, so we quote it live rather than fix a number here. A mainland renewal needs a valid Ejari tenancy certificate first; free zones renew the in-zone lease. If you let the licence lapse, late-renewal fines accrue and your visa and labour files freeze until it's renewed.

Around two to four weeks per applicant once your establishment card is active. The steps are the entry permit (about three to five working days), a status change or entry, the medical fitness test, Emirates ID biometrics, and visa stamping. Health insurance has to be in place before the visa is issued, and a standard employment residence visa is valid for two years.

WPS is the UAE's mandatory electronic salary-transfer system, monitored by MOHRE. MOHRE-registered mainland establishments must pay salaries through WPS via approved banks or exchange houses, which proves staff are paid in full and on time. MOHRE has tightened the payment window for 2026, so we keep your monthly salary file submitted on schedule.

Audited financial statements are mandatory for taxable persons with revenue above AED 50 million, for all Qualifying Free Zone Persons, and for tax groups. Beyond corporate tax, many free zones such as DMCC and JAFZA require an annual audit at renewal regardless of size. Smaller mainland companies still need to keep proper books to support their tax return.

No, not for financial years from 2023 onward. Cabinet Decision No. 98 of 2024 ended ESR obligations for financial periods ending after 31 December 2022, removed the related penalties, and refunded penalties already paid for those periods. Your UBO register and your goAML and AML obligations remain fully in force and still need attention.

Every UAE company must keep an Ultimate Beneficial Owner register identifying anyone who owns or controls 25% or more, and update any change within 15 days. Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions, such as real estate firms, auditors and corporate service providers, also register on the goAML portal and meet anti-money-laundering reporting duties. Penalties for UBO and AML breaches reach up to AED 1,000,000.

Our Ledger package is a fixed AED 10,000 a year (excluding VAT) for up to 20 transactions a month, covering IFRS bookkeeping, your annual corporate tax filing and VAT filing when you're registered. Lighter and higher-volume tiers are available for dormant companies and busier SMEs. Government, audit and bank fees are separate and passed through at actual cost.

IFRS bookkeeping, your annual corporate tax return (with Small Business Relief if you're eligible), VAT registration and quarterly filing when applicable, a compliance calendar for your CT, VAT and UBO deadlines, e-invoicing-ready accounting software, quarterly management accounts, and a named point of contact. The fee is billed annually in advance and excludes 5% VAT; statutory audit and payroll are optional add-ons quoted separately.

No. VAT registration is mandatory only once your taxable supplies pass AED 375,000 over a rolling 12 months. You can register voluntarily from AED 187,500 if it suits you, for example to reclaim input VAT. We monitor your turnover and register and file only when it's actually required, so you don't pay for filings you don't need.

Every free zone company must register for corporate tax and file a return, even if it pays nothing. A Qualifying Free Zone Person can keep a 0% rate on its qualifying income if it meets the conditions, which include keeping audited financial statements and staying within the de minimis limits. Income that doesn't qualify is taxed at 9% above AED 375,000, so the bookkeeping behind the claim matters.

Yes, for now. Small Business Relief lets a resident business with revenue at or below AED 3 million elect to be treated as having no taxable income, but only for tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2026. We check whether you qualify and claim it on your return; once it sunsets, we plan for the change rather than letting it surprise you.