Why Choose Dubai?

The tax-free income, sophisticated business technological infrastructure, international outreach and the opportunity to establish offshore companies are synonymous with Dubai. While the global economic crisis did effect Dubai in the past year or so, investors will be glad to know that Dubai is already on its recovery path. Trading companies are flourishing and the services industry is back on track, despite the fall in the real estate and construction sectors.

Dubai business licenses are available for both mainland and freezone, but the licensing criteria varies according to the type of company been setup and the range of activities undertaken by that company.

Dubai (mainland) licenses are issued for the following activity types:

Commercial Trading
Service Providers and Professional Consultancies
Tourism and Travel Agencies
Manufacturing and Processing
Branch and Regional Offices

Dubai Market Potential

Dubai is the Middle East's trading hub and the meeting point for the Far Eastern and Western commercial worlds. While the oil sector gained quite a reputation for United Arab Emirates in general, Dubai depended more on its non-oil commercial industries, such as imports and exports.

Among the main features of Dubai's market are:

Noticeable High Revenue – over US$17 billion domestic imports take place every year
Continued Growth – the imports market has reached beyond expectations by doubling in amount since 1989
Wealthy – Dubai is strategically located in the centre of the world's wealthiest region
Diverse – a wide variety of trade, services and manufacturing industries ensure prosperity through diversification
Easy Access – served by nearly 200 shipping lines and 100 international and regional airlines
Freedom – no trade barriers, quotas or exchange controls

Dubai Business Environment

Internationally standardized, highly efficient, excellent service quality and advanced infrastructure welcome the entrepreneur in Dubai. As one of the most developed and modern states in the world, Dubai offers a large number of benefits for those who wish to setup their business in Dubai.

The key advantages are:

Free enterprise system
Latest telecommunications infrastructure
Modern public transportation and roads system
High-end financial and services sectors
Prime residential property and office premises
Affordable and reliable utilities such as gas, water and electricity
Internationally acclaimed education, health and government services
Urbanized living conditions

Costs in Dubai

A Dubai business setup has several advantages from a cost factor viewpoint. Most benefits are correlated to the type of business been setup, but in general, there are some guaranteed advantages, including:

No income taxes
No corporate taxes
No trade barriers
No foreign exchange controls
Competitive energy costs
Competitive real estate costs
Competitive labour costs
Competitive import duties (4% with several exemptions)

Doing Business in Dubai Free Zones

Special incentives are available for free zone business setups, including the following.

100% foreign ownership and control
Renewable 15-year guarantee of no taxation
No customs duties
Flexible investment options
Efficient transport and distribution facilities
Full administrative and recruitment support