Set up in Dubai without being sold the wrong company.
Most consultants sell you the package that pays them best. We ask what you sell, who buys it and where they are, then build the licence, visa and bank structure around that. Six questions and you get a quote built for your business, not a headline price.
Half our clients have already paid someone else.
They were put in a free zone when they needed mainland. They were sold five activities they will never use. They were promised a bank account that three banks then refused. Fixing a UAE structure costs more than getting it right once.
The reason it happens is simple: most setup firms are volume businesses paid a commission by the free zone they send you to. That is a conflict of interest, and it is never disclosed.
We ask about your customers before your budget
Where your buyers are decides mainland versus free zone. Everything else follows from that. It is the first question we ask and the last one most consultants get to.
The price you see is the price you pay
Fixed written quotation before you transfer anything, with government fees itemised separately so you can see what is ours and what is the authority's.
We will tell you not to do it
If a UAE company does not make sense for your situation, we say so. We would rather lose the fee than set up a structure you close in a year.
Four promises, each one aimed at a specific way this industry fails people.
These are not features. They are the four complaints that come up again and again in reviews of UAE setup firms, and what we do about each one.
The quote is the price
The single most common complaint about setup firms is a quote that grows after you have paid. Yours does not. If a fee appears that was not on your quote, we kill it or we cover it.
One person, start to finish
You get a direct line to Joule, not a ticket queue and not a new account manager every fortnight. He owns the escalation with whoever is doing the filing.
The structure recommendation is free, in writing, and independent
Before you pay anyone anything, you get the recommended jurisdiction and activity in writing with the reasons. We are not paid a commission by the free zone we send you to. Take it elsewhere if you want.
The bank conversation happens first, not last
We tell you your realistic odds of getting a corporate account before you spend on a licence, not after. If your profile is going to struggle, you hear it on day one.
There is no best package. There is only the one that fits you.
Every firm advertising a headline price is selling you the route that pays them most. Which of these three is right for you depends entirely on where your customers are and who you need on a visa. Answer six questions and we will tell you which, and what it costs.
UAE Free Zone
The fastest, cheapest legal route to a UAE trade licence and residency.
- Trade licence (1 year)
- 1 x residence visa allocation
- 100% foreign ownership
- Up to 5 business activities
- No physical office required
- Flexi-desk access
- Corporate bank account introduction
Dubai Free Zone
A Dubai-registered licence with the credibility clients and banks recognise.
- Dubai trade licence (1 year)
- 1 x residence visa allocation
- 100% foreign ownership
- Up to 3 business activities
- No physical office required
- Flexi-desk access
- Priority bank account introduction
Dubai Mainland
Trade anywhere in the UAE, sell to government, and hire without limits.
- DED mainland trade licence
- 1 x residence visa allocation
- 100% foreign ownership
- Full UAE market access
- Government and semi-government tenders
- Flexible office space options
- Priority fast-track available
We do not publish package prices, because a price without your circumstances attached is a number designed to get you on the phone. Your quote is built from your actual answers and you see it in about a minute.
Build my personalised quote →
Licence, residency and banking under one roof
Three things have to work together for a UAE business to actually function. Splitting them across three providers is where most setups fall apart.
Business Setup
Mainland, free zone and offshore formation, structured around what you actually sell.
- Activity and jurisdiction selected for you, with reasons
- All filings, approvals and documentation handled
- Free zone licences typically issued in days
Residence Visas
Investor, partner, employee, family and Golden Visa applications from start to Emirates ID.
- Eligibility checked before you spend a dirham
- Medical, biometrics and stamping coordinated
- Spouse, children and parents included
Corporate Banking
The step that kills most UAE setups. We prepare the file the way compliance wants it.
- Matched to banks that accept your nationality and activity
- Documentation built to each bank’s checklist
- Follow-up managed until the account is live
Mainland or free zone?
This one decision drives your cost, your customers and your visa quota. Here is the honest comparison, including the parts that do not favour us.
| Free Zone | Mainland | Offshore | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sell directly to UAE customers | Through a distributor or agent | Yes, anywhere in the UAE | No trading in the UAE |
| Foreign ownership | 100% | 100% for most activities | 100% |
| Residence visas | Limited by package | Linked to office space | None |
| Physical office | Flexi-desk usually enough | Ejari tenancy required | Not applicable |
| Government tenders | Generally not eligible | Eligible | No |
| Typical first-year cost | Lowest | Higher | Low, but no residency |
| Corporate tax position | 0% possible on qualifying income if conditions are met | 9% above AED 375,000 taxable profit | Depends on where it is managed |
| Best if you are | Consulting, e-commerce, holding IP, serving clients abroad | Retail, F&B, contracting, selling to UAE firms or government | Holding assets or shares, not trading |
From first call to open bank account
Five stages. You always know which one you are in, and what we need from you next.
Tell us the plan
A 15-minute call about what you sell, where your customers are, and whether you need residency. No pitch.
We design the structure
The right jurisdiction and activity codes for your business, with the reasons written down so you can check them.
Licence issued
We prepare and file everything. Free zone licences typically land in days, mainland in one to three weeks.
Visa and Emirates ID
Entry permit, medical, biometrics and stamping handled end to end, for you and your family.
Bank account open
We match you to banks that actually accept your profile and prepare the file the way compliance wants to see it.
(replace with a real portrait — a face materially lifts trust on this section)
I arrived in Dubai in 2007 and spent the last of my money on a good suit. This city gave me a Fortune 150 career and several businesses of my own. I am not selling you a package. I am telling you what I would do.
Joule Sullivan founded Custom Made after watching too many capable founders get pushed into the wrong structure by consultants paid on volume. Every engagement here starts with the same question: what are you actually building, and who is going to buy it?
What founders say after the licence lands
Every review below is from a client who completed a setup with us. We publish the awkward ones too.
★★★★★I had quotes from three of the big setup firms and they all pushed me into the same free zone package. Custom Made was the only one that asked what I actually sell before recommending anything. Ended up mainland, which was right.
★★★★★Licence, visa, Emirates ID and a corporate account with a real bank inside six weeks. I was told by another consultant that the bank part would take three months.
★★★★★What I paid was what I was quoted. No surprise government fee at the end, no extra charge for the things that were meant to be included.
Straight answers to the questions everyone asks
How much does it really cost to set up a company in Dubai?
It depends on three things: where your customers are, how many visas you need, and whether your activity requires an external approval. That is why we do not publish a package price. The licence is also only part of it — visas, medicals, Emirates ID, establishment cards, health insurance and bank charges all sit on top, and a headline price that ignores them is not a real number. Our quote builder gives you the whole figure, itemised, in about a minute.
Free zone or mainland — which one do I need?
If your customers are outside the UAE, or you sell services online, a free zone is usually cheaper and faster. If you want to sell directly to UAE customers, open a shop or office, bid for government work, or hire without visa quota limits, you need mainland. Choosing wrong is expensive to undo, which is why we ask about your customers before we quote.
How long does the whole process take?
Free zone licences are often issued within a few working days once documents are in. Mainland typically runs one to three weeks depending on the activity and any external approvals. Residence visas add roughly two to four weeks after the licence. Bank accounts are the variable: four to eight weeks is normal, and no consultant can guarantee approval.
Can I own 100% of my company as a foreigner?
Yes. Free zones have always allowed 100% foreign ownership, and since the 2021 reforms most mainland commercial and industrial activities do too. A short list of strategic-impact activities still requires an Emirati partner or agent. We check your specific activity before you commit.
Do I have to live in the UAE to keep my company and visa?
You do not have to live here full time, but a UAE residence visa lapses if you stay outside the country for more than six consecutive months. There are separate tests for tax residency, which is a different question again, and one you should take proper tax advice on in your home country.
Will you guarantee my bank account?
No, and be careful of anyone who does. The bank makes that decision, not us. What we can do is put you in front of the banks most likely to accept your nationality, activity and expected turnover, and submit a file that does not get rejected on a technicality.
What is corporate tax going to cost me?
UAE corporate tax applies at 9% on taxable profits above AED 375,000, with a 0% band below that. Qualifying free zone persons can access a 0% rate on qualifying income if they meet substance and other conditions. Registration is mandatory regardless of profit. We handle registration and connect you with tax advisers for the planning side.
What makes you different from the big setup firms?
Scale. The large firms run on volume and push whichever package pays them the most that quarter. We take fewer clients, ask what you sell before recommending a structure, and publish our prices so you can check us against anyone. Our founder moved here in 2007 with almost nothing and built businesses from Dubai, so the advice comes from having done it.
Find out what your UAE company actually costs
Six questions, then an itemised quote built for your business and a call from Joule to walk you through it.
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