Trade anywhere in the UAE, with nothing off limits.
A DED mainland licence is the only structure that lets you sell directly to UAE customers, open a physical shop or office, bid for government contracts and scale your visa quota with your team.
Your money comes from inside the UAE
- ✓ You sell directly to UAE businesses or consumers
- ✓ You need a shop, clinic, restaurant, showroom or site presence
- ✓ You want to bid for government or semi-government tenders
- ✓ You are hiring a team and need visa quota headroom
- ✓ You are in contracting, real estate, F&B, retail or healthcare
- ! All your clients are overseas — a free zone is cheaper and faster
- ! You do not want to sign an office tenancy in year one
- ! You are testing an idea and want the lowest possible entry cost
Dubai Mainland
- ✓DED mainland trade licence
- ✓1 x residence visa allocation
- ✓No visa quota ceiling
- ✓Full UAE market access
- ✓Government and semi-government tenders
- ✓Flexible office space options
- ✓Priority fast-track available
Excludes office rent, Ejari, external approvals and government fee changes. Your written quote itemises all of it.
Everything between the idea and the licence
Activity selection
Choosing DED activity codes that cover what you actually do, without triggering approvals you do not need.
Trade name reservation
Name checked against DED rules before you print anything with it on.
Initial approval & MOA
Memorandum drafted and notarised, shareholding structured the way you asked for.
Office & Ejari
Compliant space sized to your visa quota, with the tenancy registered properly.
External approvals
Municipality, RERA, DHA, Civil Defence or others where your activity requires them.
Licence & establishment card
Issued and handed over, with immigration and labour files opened ready for visas.
Dubai mainland questions
Do I still need a local sponsor for a mainland company?
For most commercial and professional activities, no. The 2021 reforms removed that requirement across the large majority of mainland activities. A limited list of strategic-impact activities still requires Emirati participation or a local service agent. We confirm your specific activity code before you commit to anything.
Why is mainland more expensive than a free zone?
Because it comes with obligations a free zone does not have: a real tenancy contract registered on Ejari, higher government fees, and in some cases external approvals. What you buy for that is unrestricted access to the UAE market and eligibility for government work.
How many visas can a mainland company get?
Visa quota is tied to the size of your registered office space rather than a fixed package limit. More square metres means more visas. That is the practical advantage over free zones once you are hiring.
Can a mainland company also work with clients overseas?
Yes. Mainland does not restrict export or international service delivery. The restriction runs the other way: a free zone company cannot freely trade inside the UAE, a mainland company can trade both inside and outside.
Find out what your mainland licence 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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