Dubai: Thinking of starting your own business? In the UAE, you can get an instant licence in minutes – in as less as five minutes, in some emirates – thanks to seamless online services and hassle-free set-ups, organised by various cities’ economic departments.

Here’s what you need to know if you want to set up your business in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and other emirates.

What is an instant licence?

Emirates like Abu Dhabi and Dubai offer instant licences for entrepreneurs – a fast-tracked licensing service that allows entrepreneurs to obtain a business licence within five minutes through a fully digital process.

The licence simplifies business set-up, with the usual requirements – such as a lease contract for a physical business location – not immediately required upon registration.

The service is open to UAE nationals, GCC citizens and UAE residents.

Instant licence in Dubai

The instant licence in Dubai is issued within five minutes for businesses with activities that do not require external approvals beyond the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). You can also issue a Memorandum of Association (MoA) and get a virtual site for the first year, after which, a valid business location must be provided upon renewal or any amendments.

The licence includes: Dubai Chamber membership for commercial activities; Establishment card from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA); and, Establishment card from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) with the option to employ three people. This final card is available for the following legal forms: Limited Liability Company (L.L.C), Limited Liability Company Single Owner (L.L.C – SO), sole establishment, and civil company.

Documents required:

  • Unified number (UID)
  • Emirates ID

How to apply:

  • Visit the Invest in Dubai platform – the official integrated digital business setup and investment platform launched by the government of Dubai – by visiting investindubai.gov.ae. Sign in with your UAE PASS.
  • Select the legal structure for your company, such as LLC, LLC – SO, sole establishment or civil company.
  • Choose your business activity by picking an eligible commercial or professional activity from the DET-approved list in the drop-down menu. These activities do not require external government approvals.
  • Reserve a trade name.
  • Enter your details, including any share distribution details for all owners and managers. Upload your documents, including your Emirates ID. An electronic MoA is automatically generated.
  • Pay the fees.

Your digital trade licence and related documents will be issued immediately and be available for download.

Fees: The fees differ based on your business activities and partner structure, but range between Dh5,000 to Dh18,000.

Instant licence in Abu Dhabi

The Department of Economic Development – Abu Dhabi has simplified processes to obtain an instant licence online. Similar to Invest in Dubai’s process, Abu Dhabi’s official platform for government services – TAMM – offers a service whereby you can select the appropriate licence for your business, apply for it, and receive it, within minutes.

TAMM does specify, however, that a lease and articles of incorporation are required to be provided after the instant licence is issued, to complete the registration process. The deadline to provide the lease contract and MoA is 30 days from the date of issuance of the instant licence.

How to apply:

  • Visit TAMM’s website – tamm.abudhabi – or download the TAMM – Abu Dhabi Government app via the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Sign in with your UAE PASS.
  • Navigate to the ‘Business Services’ section and search for ‘Issue Economic Licence – Instant Licence’.
  • Select your preferred legal form (establishment, sole proprietorship, LLC or LLC – SO), and choose up to six business activities.
  • Pay the fees. No documents are required to complete the process at this time.

Your instant licence will be issued and sent to your registered email address immediately. Once you have received your licence, you have 30 days to obtain and upload your lease contract and MoA to your TAMM dashboard, in order to avoid penalties.

Fees: The fees differ based on your business activities and partner structure, but range between Dh790 to Dh5,500.

Instant licence in Sharjah

The Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD) offers a similar instant licence service for both new investors and existing businesses that wish to expand into new activities. The licence has several benefits, including:

  • No location is required to operate the business during the first year of the licence.
  • No lease contract is required during the first year of the licence.
  • No contract is required during the first year if the license holder is a commercial company.

Documents required:

  • Emirates ID or passport

How to apply:

  • Visit the SEDD website – sedd.ae. Log in with your UAE PASS.
  • Navigate to the ‘Digital Services’ section and select ‘Instant Licence’ from the menu options.
  • If you have an existing trade name, the system automatically displays the names registered under your UAE PASS. The user is asked to confirm its use, to issue the licence.
  • If you require a new trade name, you can enter it at this time. The system checks the availability of the trade name and notifies you if it is available or has already been reserved. You can proceed with registering your trade name within the instant licencing process.
  • Next, select the legal form of your company (sole proprietorship, LLC, etc.).
  • Select your business activity. You can select more than one, as needed.
  • Pay the fees.

Once payment has been processed, the instant licence is immediately issued to your email address.

Fees:

  • Licence fee: Dh5,000
  • Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry membership: Dh500

Licence set-up in other emirates

For other emirates, the UAE’s Ministry of Economy and Tourism’s Basher platform offers entrepreneurs a quick, seamless way to set up their business online, from anywhere in the world, within just 15 minutes.

Basher is a state-of-the-art, unified platform that uses blockchain integration and other advanced tech solutions to link services provided by 18 federal government entities, in partnership with a number of private sector institutions – all with the aim of making business processes easier for entrepreneurs.

How to apply:

  • Visit Basher’s website – basher.gov.ae – and sign in with your UAE PASS.
  • Select ‘Business Tools’ and click on ‘Business Setup Navigator’. Follow the instructions and select which emirate you want to set up your business in, and which area of the city.
  • Select the legal form of your company, whether ‘One Owner’ or ‘More than One Owner’, as well as the nationality of the business owners.
  • Select the number of employees in the business.
  • Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to whether you are planning to rent a space to run your business. If yes, you are required to input the location of the business, the property type and the size in square feet.
  • Select the business’s legal type, such as sole establishment, LLC etc.
  • Select the business activities run by your operation.
  • Enter your business’s name in English and in Arabic.
  • Review the information and pay the fees. Submit the application.

The processing time is approximately 15 minutes. Basher will then electronically issue an official trade licence, a membership number with the local Chamber of Commerce, as well as your digital MoA.

Fees: There are no extra service fees by Basher. You are required to pay the standard fees mandated by the respective emirate’s Department of Economic Development. Based on your emirate and business activity, you can calculate the fees via Basher’s useful ‘Business Fees Calculator’ tool here: basher.gov.ae/invest/#/explore-business-opportunities/business-tools/business-fees-calculator