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Mainland license · 2026

Professional license in Dubai

The DET licence for expertise and services rather than goods, with 100% ownership and lower government fees.

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Filed with DET since 2009.

10,000+ engagements, 50+ industries.

Services & expertise

What is a professional license in Dubai?

The DET licence for expertise and services rather than goods, with 100% foreign ownership and lower government fees than a commercial licence.

100%Foreign ownership
LowerGov fees than commercial
LSA?Depends on your structure
Check if this is your license

Which license

Professional or Commercial?

Pick the wrong category and you either cannot legally do your work or pay for permissions you never use. Here is the split, plainly.

For service businesses
ProfessionalExpertise & services
CommercialTrading goods
What it coversThe core activity
Expertise and services
Trading goods
Revenue fromWhere income comes from
Your skills, e.g. IT or design
Selling products, e.g. retail
Foreign ownershipWho holds the shares
100% foreign owned
100% on most activities
Government feesRelative license cost
Lower
Higher
Local service agentFor some structures
Sometimes, by structure
Not required
Sell physical productsTrade goods directly
No, services only
Yes
Best forWho it suits
Consultants and agencies
Traders and retailers
Best for
Consultants, agencies, and skilled professionals selling expertise.
Businesses buying and selling physical products.
The simple test

If you sell what you know, it is professional. If you sell what you stock, it is commercial. If you do both, you may need a commercial license or a second activity, and we will tell you which.

When a Local Service Agent is actually required

An LLC needs no LSA

Register as a mainland LLC and no Local Service Agent applies. You get limited liability and a structure that reads cleaner to banks, in exchange for a mandatory annual audit.

A Sole Establishment or Civil Company may

If you register as a Sole Establishment or Civil Company and are not a GCC national, you need a Local Service Agent under Article 73 of the Commercial Companies Law.

Compare structures

What an LSA is not

The misconception every guide half-gets: an LSA does not own part of your business. They hold zero equity, take no profit, and have no control. They are a paid administrative link to government, on a fixed annual fee.

How a Local Service Agent relates to a professional license by structure

0%

equity, profit, and control an LSA holds in your business

How the LSA rule works
Your structure

Which structure for your professional license?

The structure decision drives everything else: whether you need an LSA, whether you face a mandatory audit, and how banks read you. Here is the honest comparison.

100% Foreign Owned

Sole Establishment

Best for
Solo professional
Local service agent
Required, non-GCC
Liability
Unlimited, personal
Annual audit
Not required
Ownership
100% foreign
View sole establishment
Most Popular

LLC

Best for
Teams and scaling
Local service agent
Not required
Liability
Limited to capital
Annual audit
Required, under the CCL
Ownership
100% foreign
View LLC formation

Civil Company

Best for
Two or more professionals
Local service agent
Required, non-GCC
Liability
Unlimited, personal
Annual audit
Not required
Ownership
100% foreign
View civil company

*A Sole Establishment adds an LSA fee; an LLC adds a mandatory annual audit instead. Both allow 100% ownership.

What counts

Activities on a professional license

If you sell expertise rather than goods, your activity sits here. These are the professional fields we license most.

  • A management consultant at work

    Management Consulting

    Advisory and strategy

    ScenarioYou advise businesses across the UAE.
    Why it fitsAdvisory work is classic professional activity.
    Risk noteSome advisory fields need sector approval.
  • A software and IT team

    IT and Software

    Development, support, SaaS

    ScenarioYou build software or provide IT services.
    Why it fitsIT services are licensed as professional activity.
    Risk noteSome data and telecom activities need permits.
  • A design and marketing studio

    Design and Marketing

    Agencies, studios, branding

    ScenarioYou run a creative or marketing agency.
    Why it fitsAgency and design work is professional activity.
    Risk noteMedia activities may need extra clearance.
  • A legal and compliance practice

    Legal and Compliance

    Advisory, consultancy

    ScenarioYou provide legal or compliance advisory.
    Why it fitsProfessional licensing covers legal consultancy.
    Risk noteLegal practice needs the relevant approvals.
  • A financial advisory office

    Financial Advisory

    Consultancy and services

    ScenarioYou offer financial or accounting advisory.
    Why it fitsAdvisory and accounting are professional activity.
    Risk noteRegulated finance needs Central Bank or SCA sign-off.
  • An engineering consultancy

    Engineering Consultancy

    Design and advisory

    ScenarioYou provide engineering design or consultancy.
    Why it fitsEngineering consultancy is professional activity.
    Risk noteEngineering practice needs Municipality approval.

Real 2026 cost

What a professional licence costs by route

Lowest entry, zone-limited

Free zone professional

Flexi-desk, zero or one visa. Lowest entry cost, but you operate within the zone or internationally, not directly with mainland clients.

Flexi-desk
Zero or one visa
No LSA
Common for solo consultants

Mainland Sole Establishment

With LSA and an Ejari-registered office. The common route for a solo consultant serving mainland clients. No mandatory audit.

LSA included
Ejari office
No mandatory audit
Year oneFrom AED 15,310AED, first year; free zone and LLC packages pending
Limited liability

Mainland LLC

No LSA, limited liability. Adds a mandatory annual audit, but protects personal assets and reads cleaner to banks.

No LSA
Limited liability
Annual audit

Want the exact figure for your structure?

See mainland setup costs

Is it right for you

Is a professional license the right fit?

A professional license fits a specific kind of business: one that sells expertise. Here is who it suits and who should look at a commercial license instead.

Recommended
Likely5 signs

It fits if

  • You sell a service or expertiseConsulting, IT, design, advisory, or similar.
  • You want 100% foreign ownershipA professional license allows it in full.
  • You want lower government feesProfessional fees run below commercial.
  • You serve mainland clientsA mainland professional license reaches them.
  • You are a solo practitionerA Sole Establishment is a lean route in.
See if you qualify
Maybe not5 signs

Look elsewhere if

  • You sell physical productsThat needs a commercial license instead.
  • You trade and consult bothYou may need a commercial license or a second activity.
  • You only serve overseas clientsA free zone is usually cheaper for that.
  • Your activity is regulatedLegal, medical and engineering work needs its own approval.
  • You need warehousing or storageStorage sits with a commercial licence, not a professional one.

The process

How to get a professional license

Six stages from decision to a live license. A standard professional license completes in about one to two weeks with documents ready.

  1. Critical stage

    Activity and structure

    Confirm the professional activity and whether a Sole Establishment or LLC fits, which decides the LSA question.

  2. Trade name and approval

    Reserve the name with DET and secure initial approval.

  3. LSA or MOA

    For a Sole Establishment, appoint the LSA; for an LLC, notarise the Memorandum.

  4. Ejari and office

    Register your tenancy on Ejari, required before the license issues.

  5. License issuance

    Submit to DET; the professional license is issued on approval.

  6. Critical stage

    Establishment card and visas

    Open your immigration file and process investor and staff visas.

Banking

Opening an account on a professional license

For a professional license, banks look closely at the individual behind the practice and the nature of the service income. A clear profile clears in a few weeks.

01

Match the bank to your structure

We match your profile to the bank most comfortable with your structure and activity.

02

Prepare the file

Your credentials, expected income, and source of funds, documented before applying.

03

Manage to approval

The bank runs KYC and we manage the file through to activation.

Banks DMCS opens professional accounts with

A professional practice clears review on a clear profile and a structure banks trust.

Yearly obligations

What keeps a professional license valid

The license is annual, and so are the things that keep it valid. Miss one and your renewal stalls. Four obligations keep a professional license active.

  1. 01

    License renewal

    Renew every year with DET on a valid Ejari. Your lease must run at least three months past the renewal date.

  2. 02

    Corporate tax

    Register with the FTA and hold a TRN, even below the AED 375,000 threshold, and file the annual return.

  3. 03

    LSA or audit

    A Sole Establishment renews its LSA agreement; an LLC completes its mandatory annual audit.

  4. 04

    UBO and records

    Keep ultimate beneficial owner details current and retain accounting records as required.

Why DMCS

Why set up your professional license with DMCS

A professional license is simple to issue and easy to get wrong on structure. The LSA-versus-audit decision is where we earn our fee.

Where professional setups go wrong

We get the structure right before the license

Whether you need an LSA, whether you take a mandatory audit, and how a bank will read you all follow from the structure.

01

We get the LSA question right

We tell you whether your structure actually needs a Local Service Agent, and what it costs, rather than treating it as an unavoidable line on every professional license.

02

We weigh LSA against audit honestly

A Sole Establishment saves the audit but adds an LSA; an LLC removes the LSA but adds an audit and reads cleaner to banks. We show you both before you choose.

03

One team, license to compliance

The people who structure and file your license also handle your visas, banking, and first renewal, so nothing falls between steps.

Talk to a setup advisor

Real results from our clients

What our clients say about working with us

Real Google reviews from founders we have set up and kept compliant on the Dubai mainland.

DMCS.

Dubai Mainland Company Setup, by the team behind Riz & Mona

163+ Google reviews

Write a review
A
Abdul Sami3 months ago

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.

P
Paolo Chua8 months ago

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.

A
Amy Elliott Dunne4 months ago

The accounting and bookkeeping service has been exceptional. Attention to detail is impressive, and communication is always clear. Tasks are handled promptly.

R
Rashed Al Falasi5 months ago

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.

M
Marwa Khalil2 months ago

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.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

It is the DET license for businesses that sell expertise and services rather than goods: consultants, agencies, IT, design, and legal work. Your revenue comes from what you know, not from trading products. It carries lower government fees than a commercial license and allows 100% foreign ownership.
It depends on your structure, not the license itself. If you register as a Sole Establishment or Civil Company and are not a GCC national, you need a Local Service Agent under Article 73 of the Commercial Companies Law. Register as an LLC and you do not. The LSA holds no equity, takes no profit, and has no control.
Yes. A professional license allows 100% foreign ownership. Where a Local Service Agent is required for a Sole Establishment or Civil Company, that does not dilute ownership: the LSA holds no shares and takes no profit. You own the business outright and keep all of it.
A professional license covers expertise and services: your revenue comes from your skills, like consultancy or design. A commercial license covers trading goods: buying and selling products. Pick the wrong one and you either cannot legally do your work or pay for permissions you never use.
A Sole Establishment is simpler and needs a Local Service Agent as a non-GCC national, with no mandatory audit. An LLC needs no LSA and gives limited liability, but adds a mandatory annual audit. The LLC costs a little more to run and protects your personal assets, and reads cleaner to banks.
A mainland professional license starts from around AED 15,310 for a Sole Establishment in year one, with most first-year setups landing between AED 15,310 and AED 28,500. The range depends on your structure, your office, whether you need an LSA, and how many visas you take.
A standard professional license takes about one to two weeks once documents are ready. Activities that need external approval from a sector regulator can take longer. If you have foreign documents to attest, that runs in parallel and often sets the real pace.
Passport copies and photos for each owner, your proposed trade name and activity, an NOC if you hold a UAE work visa, and an Ejari tenancy. A Sole Establishment adds the LSA agreement; an LLC adds a notarised Memorandum. We give you the exact list for your structure.
Yes, once you hold a valid residence visa through your professional license and meet the salary and housing conditions, you can sponsor your spouse and children. Parent sponsorship has its own higher thresholds. The visa quota itself is tied to your office size.
Yes, on the same terms as any mainland company: 9% on profit above AED 375,000, and 0% below. Registration with the Federal Tax Authority is mandatory even if you owe nothing, and revenue under AED 3 million can elect Small Business Relief, a window set to close on 31 December 2029.
Regulated professions do. Legal, healthcare, engineering, education, and financial advisory activities need sign-off from the relevant authority, such as the DHA, KHDA, or the sector regulator, on top of the DET license. We confirm whether your specific activity carries an external approval before you file.
Yes, and it can be cheaper to start, often with a flexi-desk and no LSA. The trade-off is reach: a free zone professional license lets you work within the zone and internationally, but not directly with mainland clients without an agent. If your clients are in the UAE, mainland is usually the answer.

Get your professional license set up right.

Tell us your activity and whether you want limited liability, and we return the right structure, an itemized quote with the LSA or audit shown. No obligation.

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