Cost breakdown · 2026
The real 2026 breakdown. Every DET fee, the office and visa costs, and the hidden charges that turn a cheap package into a real bill.
Cost overview
A Dubai mainland license costs about AED 15,000 to 30,000 for the license and government fees, but the real first-year total lands between AED 40,000 and 90,000 once you add the mandatory office, Ejari, establishment card and one visa.
The office is what moves the number, not the license fee.
With a compliant flexi-desk, a single-owner professional setup can start near AED 40,000.
Every line item, government fees first, then the mandatory extras. These are indicative 2026 rates, set by DET and confirmed at the voucher stage. They vary by activity and office.
AED 14,240
Mainland LLC · Government line items
Annual renewal
AED 12,000
Liability
Limited
Trade name
Reservation, by name type
Initial approval
DET no-objection to activity
License registration
DET registration line
DET license fee
By activity, higher for trading
MOA notarisation
LLC, scales with share capital
Establishment card
Before any visa; from
Fees at cost
Government charges pass through exactly as the DET voucher bills them. No markup.
Office is the real total
The number most ads leave out is the mandatory office and market fee. We put it front and centre.
Confirmed at voucher stage
DET sets the fee by activity, so nothing appears on your voucher that you did not expect.
The most misquoted cost in Dubai. A Dubai Municipality charge on your office rent, collected through your DET voucher, that scales with rent, so flexi-desk ads quietly assume it away.
Cost by license type
Your license type sets the base DET fee. Four types, three cost tiers, and the gap between them is smaller than most people expect.
Consultancy, IT, marketing and skilled services. A smaller office requirement, so lower rent and market fee. Often the cheapest mainland route.
Trading, retail, import and export. Chamber of Commerce membership required. The most common mainland license.
Industrial needs an approved facility, which raises office cost. Both may need extra regulatory approval before the license issues.
The DET gap between cheapest and dearest is a few thousand dirhams. The office and visa count separate a AED 40,000 setup from a AED 90,000 one.
DET fees are indicative for 2026 and vary by activity and activity count. What actually separates a lean setup from a large one is the office and the number of visas, not the license type.
Hidden costs
A low advertised price usually quoted the DET fee and stopped.
The advertised price is the real total
The market fee is missing. A percentage of your rent, on the DET voucher, scaling with rent, at issuance and renewal.
You can sponsor visas on the license alone
You need the establishment card first. AED 2,000 to 3,500, mandatory before you sponsor anyone, one-off at setup and renewed later.
Corporate tax registration is nothing to plan
Free to register, AED 10,000 to forget. Deadline set by FTA Decision No. 3 of 2024; penalty by Cabinet Decision No. 10 of 2024.
There is no extra paperwork cost for an LLC
MOA notarisation applies. AED 900 to 3,200, scaling with share capital. It is a one-off at setup, not a recurring cost.
Any activity is licensed at the base fee
Regulated work needs external approvals. AED 1,000 to 20,000 for food, health and construction, per category, before issuance.
The rent is the only office cost
Office extras sit on top. Security deposit, DEWA connection, fit-out, utilities, and sustainability and waste fees.
Mainland premium
It comes down to one requirement: mainland needs a real office. That single rule explains most of the cost gap.
Cost sequence
The costs do not all hit at once. Here is the order they come in, so you can plan cash flow, from trade name to visa in six stages.
The first small government fees, around AED 750 combined.
Once the structure is set. AED 900 to 3,200 for an LLC.
Before the license issues. The biggest single cost, from AED 12,000.
At issuance. The license fee plus the market fee, paid together.
After the license. Per person, from around AED 5,500.
On time, after issuance. Free, but AED 10,000 if you miss the deadline.
Mainland vs free zone
The honest side-by-side, for a single-owner, one-visa setup. Free zone is cheaper in year one almost always; you pay the mainland premium for one thing.
Free zone is cheaper in year one, almost always. You pay the mainland premium for one thing: the right to trade directly in the UAE market. If you need that, it is worth it. If you do not, it is not.
A mainland renewal costs AED 8,000 to 15,000 a year, lower than year one. Here is what carries on and what drops away.
The base license fee repeats each year, plus the market fee on your rent.
Your tenancy re-registers at the current market rate; rents have been rising.
The card renews, and residence visas renew on a two-year cycle.
Initial approval and MOA notarisation are one-time and do not repeat.
Why DMCS
DMCS has set up UAE companies since 2009, with more than 10,000 client engagements, from one office at The Exchange Tower in Business Bay. On cost, the value is a quote with no hidden lines.
Every government fee, the market fee, the office and the visas, listed before you pay, so nothing appears on the DET voucher that you did not expect. We put the office cost front and centre, because it is the number most ads leave out and the one that matters most to your budget.
Every government fee, the market fee, the office and the visas, listed before you pay, so nothing on the DET voucher surprises you.
The number most ads leave out is the one that matters most to your budget. We put it front and centre, and flag the corporate tax deadline and market fee before either ambushes you.
If a free zone fits your business, we tell you, rather than upselling the mainland. The right call saves money for years.
Tell us your activity, office plan and visa count. We send an itemized quote with every government fee, the market fee and the visas, so you see the real total before you commit. No hidden costs.
Real results from our clients
Real Google reviews from founders we have set up and kept compliant on the Dubai mainland.
Thank you to the team for supporting us with our company setup. Our case was not straightforward, especially the bank account opening, but they stayed committed and got it done.
I had a great experience opening a corporate bank account. The process was smooth and efficient. The staff were friendly, professional, and explained everything clearly.
The accounting and bookkeeping service has been exceptional. Attention to detail is impressive, and communication is always clear. Tasks are handled promptly.
They confirmed our activity grouping before filing and flagged an issue the bank would have raised. Licensed in under two weeks with no surprises on the invoice.
We came for a mainland LLC and stayed for renewals and PRO work. The same team answers the phone after the license is issued, which is rare here.
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