Company Setup
Company Setup Services in the UAE
Most company formation providers in the UAE will get you a licence. Far fewer will ask the questions that decide whether the entity they set up is the right one: how the business will be taxed, whether it can qualify for the free zone 0% rate, whether a bank will open the account, and what happens when a second shareholder, a second entity or a second country enters the picture. Those questions are cheaper to answer before the licence is issued than after.
Reflechir sets up mainland, free zone and offshore companies for founders, SMEs and foreign groups entering the UAE, with the corporate tax, VAT, substance and banking implications worked out as part of the formation, and the accounting, tax registration and compliance handled by the same team once the company is trading.
What we set up
- Mainland Company Formation: Department of Economy licences in Dubai and the other emirates for businesses that need to trade freely across the UAE, take government contracts or open branches anywhere in the country.
- Free Zone Company Formation: the right free zone for the activity, cost and substance requirements, with the Qualifying Free Zone Person conditions assessed before the zone is chosen.
- Offshore Company Formation: holding and asset-protection structures where they are appropriate, and clear advice where they are not.
- Corporate Bank Account Assistance: preparing the business, the documents and the compliance file so that the bank's onboarding is a formality rather than a months-long uncertainty.
Decisions made before the licence
- Jurisdiction: mainland, free zone or offshore, based on where customers are, whether physical premises are needed, visa requirements and the tax outcome, not on the cheapest package.
- Legal form and ownership: LLC, sole establishment, branch or holding structure, and how shares are held, so that future investors, exits and succession are not blocked by the initial set-up.
- Tax position: corporate tax registration, small business relief eligibility, free zone qualifying-income analysis, VAT registration thresholds and transfer pricing where there is a group.
- Substance and banking: office, staff and management presence sized to what the tax rules, the free zone and the bank will each expect.
- Activities and licence scope: licence activities matched to what the business will actually do and invoice for, so the bank, the FTA and the customer see the same description.
How the engagement works
A structuring call establishes what the business does, who owns it and where it will operate; Reflechir then issues a written recommendation with the jurisdiction, structure, costs and timeline, and a fixed fee for the formation. Once approved, we prepare and file the application, coordinate approvals, visas and the lease, register for corporate tax and VAT where required, open the accounting file and support the bank account application. Formation through Dubai Setup, Reflechir’s company formation arm, is delivered by the same team.
Why Reflechir
- Tax first: the entity is designed by the people who will file its corporate tax and VAT returns, not by a licence reseller.
- Bank-ready from day one: licence activities, ownership documents and the business plan are prepared with the bank's compliance questions in mind.
- One firm afterwards: bookkeeping, payroll, tax filings and licence renewals continue with the same team, so nothing about the set-up has to be explained twice.
If you are planning a company in the UAE and want the structure decided properly before the licence is issued, contact Reflechir Consultancy for a structuring call.
Further reading: Free zone corporate tax and the 0% rate · Corporate tax registration step by step · VAT registration in the UAE