Mainland UAE setup, finally without the sales call.
Open a Dubai or Abu Dhabi mainland company with one guided workflow — DED licence, PRO services, visas, banking, renewals and compliance. Itemised AED pricing on every page and a clear handoff to Formenzo for free-zone formation.
- Family visa stamped — Priya Sharma2h ago
- Tasheel filing — labour contractyesterday
- VAT Q2 return — submitted3d ago
We file with every UAE government body that matters.
- Core focus
- Mainland
- Years operating
- 11+
- Operations support
- PRO
- Late-fee incidents
- 0
Dubai and UAE mainland
DED-licensed throughout
visas, renewals, filings
12-month rolling
Two specialist brands, one UAE setup group
Use YABS for UAE mainland company formation, PRO, visas, banking and compliance. Use Formenzo for free-zone company formation and free-zone package comparisons.
Everything a UAE founder actually needs.
From DED trade licence on day 1 through annual renewal on day 365 — under one roof, on one online application.
YABS is a Dubai DED-licensed company formation and PRO services provider. We open mainland LLCs through Dubai DED and Abu Dhabi DED, process visas through GDRFA and ICP, file labour contracts through MOHRE Tasheel centres, register tenancies with Dubai Land Department (DLD) Ejari, and handle Federal Tax Authority (FTA) corporate tax and VAT registration — all from a single online application.
Mainland company formation
Dubai DED or Abu Dhabi DED licence, 5–7 working days, 100% foreign ownership for most activities.
Industry packages
Restaurant, salon, trading, event management, e-commerce — DED + ministry approvals bundled.
PRO services
Tasheel, Amer, MoFAIC attestation, document clearing — full retainer or per-transaction.
Visa services
Employment, family, golden, investor visas + Emirates ID + Ejari, end-to-end.
Banking
UAE corporate account opening — Wio, Mashreq Neo, Emirates NBD, RAKBANK, FAB.
Compliance
Corporate tax, VAT, UBO, ESR, GoAML, annual licence renewal — your whole calendar.
Pre-built for what you actually do.
DED licence + ministry approvals + ancillary permits, bundled by industry. Activity codes named, costs itemised, timelines realistic. No other UAE setup firm publishes the full activity-code-to-ministry-approval mapping — we do, because that's what makes the timeline accurate.
Restaurant & café
from AED 35kDED + Dubai Municipality + DHA + Civil Defence.
Salon & spa
from AED 22kDED + Dubai Municipality + DHA permits.
General trading
from AED 28kMaster commercial + Customs + Chamber.
Event management
from AED 18kDED + DET + per-event permits.
E-commerce
from AED 16kDED + Ejari + payment gateway.
Medical clinic
from AED 45kDHA / DOH pre-approval + DED.
Real estate
from AED 35kRERA + DED + AED 300k paid-up.
Construction
from AED 30kDED industrial + Municipality classification.
From eligibility to licence, in 4 steps.
Average completion time: 9 minutes. No sales-call gate. Quote is fixed at quote stage. Track every milestone in the portal until your trade licence delivers.
- 01
Eligibility
60 sec3-question quiz: nationality, activity, customer base. Instant verdict on mainland vs free zone fit. 60 seconds.
- 02
Service
2 minPick a package or build your own. Live AED total recalculates as you toggle add-ons. No sales-call gate.
- 03
Details
5 minTrade name preferences, activity codes, shareholder details. Email OTP — no password to manage.
- 04
Quote + pay
2 minItemised AED quote: government fees + YABS service + 5% VAT broken out. Pay 25% deposit. Track in portal.
Mainland vs free zone — no sales call needed.
UAE customers? Government tenders? Physical premises? Mainland. Export-only or holding structure? Free zone — and our sister brand Formenzo handles those.
Mainland
- Sell to UAE customers directly: Yes — unrestricted
- Bid on UAE government tenders: Yes
- 100% foreign ownership: Yes (since 2021)
- Setup cost from: AED 16,000
- Office requirement: Mandatory for trading/F&B
- Visa quota: Larger, scales with office sqft
- Corporate tax: 9% over AED 375k
Free zone
- →Sell to UAE customers directly: Need a UAE distributor
- →Bid on UAE government tenders: No
- →100% foreign ownership: Yes (always)
- →Setup cost from: AED 5,000
- →Office requirement: Mandatory but smaller
- →Visa quota: Zone-set tiers
- →Corporate tax: 0% on qualifying income
Same parent organisation, two specialised brands. YABS & Formenzo share the technology, the team, and the operator standards — but serve fundamentally different business models.
YABS vs the firms you're already considering.
Same Dubai DED licence, same MOHRE-attested contracts, same 5–7 working day timeline. Different operating model — published pricing, online application, free portal, written guarantee.
| Dimension | YABS | Shuraa | Virtuzone | Creative Zone | Adam Global |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Itemised AED pricing on every page | Yes | Quote-only | Quote-only | Partial | Quote-only |
| Online application without sales call | Yes (4 steps) | Form → call | Form → call | Form → call | Form → call |
| Standard mainland LLC start price | AED 16,000 | AED 18,500+ | AED 22,000+ | AED 19,000+ | AED 25,000+ |
| Activity-code-to-ministry mapping published | Yes (every package page) | No | No | Partial | No |
| Written delivery guarantee | 14 working days | None | None | None | None |
| Customer portal — renewal + visa tracking | Yes (free) | No | Paid tier only | Limited | No |
| WhatsApp deadline alerts (60/30/7 days) | Yes | Email only | Email only | Email only | None |
| Free-zone routing if you don't need mainland | Honest — refer to Formenzo | Sells you both | Sells you both | Sells you both | Sells you both |
| Compliance retainer — corp tax + VAT + UBO + ESR | All bundled, AED 12k/yr | À la carte (AED 18k+) | À la carte (AED 22k+) | Bundled (AED 15k+) | À la carte (AED 25k+) |
What founders actually say.
Verified reviews from active YABS clients across Dubai mainland activities — restaurant, trading, IT, salon, real estate. Aggregated rating: 4.9 / 5 across 180 reviews.
See all 180 reviews on Google“We came in expecting the usual UAE setup runaround — endless calls, vague pricing. YABS quoted us in 8 minutes, delivered the licence in 6 days, and the renewal portal has saved us from two near-miss fines already.”
“I'd been with another PRO firm for 3 years and didn't realise how broken the process was until YABS took over. WhatsApp updates, document vault, every renewal coordinated 30 days early. We pay less and never worry about deadlines.”
“Set up the mainland LLC, opened the bank account, processed two employment visas and a family visa — all through YABS in under 4 weeks. The itemised AED breakdown on every invoice is exactly what my accountant needs.”
Your customer portal is free.
Trade licence renewals, visa expiry, document vault, MOHRE filings and FTA tax filings are tracked for active YABS clients. WhatsApp and email reminders help keep every deadline visible.
12 renewal categories tracked
Trade licence, visa, EID, Ejari, VAT, corporate tax — every expiry on one calendar.
0 late-fee incidents
Active clients haven't missed a single renewal deadline. WhatsApp alerts 60/30/7 days out.
PRO request inbox
Tasheel, Amer, attestation requests filed direct to YABS team.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Dubai mainland company formation take?
A standard Dubai mainland LLC takes 5–7 working days from initial Dubai DED application to trade licence issuance, provided documents are in order. Regulated activities — healthcare, education, financial services — extend the timeline to 15–30 working days due to additional ministry approvals.
Can a foreigner own 100% of a Dubai mainland company?
Yes. Since the UAE Commercial Companies Law amendment in 2021 (Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2021), foreign investors can hold 100% ownership of most mainland activities through Dubai DED. A small negative list — primarily oil, gas, and certain strategic sectors — still requires Emirati ownership.
What is the cost of a Dubai mainland trade licence in 2026?
Dubai DED government fees for a standard mainland LLC range AED 9,000–18,000 depending on activity and approvals. Add YABS service fee plus 5% VAT on the service fee. Total typical cost AED 22,000–45,000 fully delivered. Industry packages (restaurant, medical) cost more due to ministry approvals.
Mainland vs free zone — which is right for my business?
If you sell directly to UAE customers (restaurant, retail, salon, services to UAE residents), mainland is required. Free zones cannot trade on the mainland without a UAE distributor. Both allow 100% foreign ownership since 2021. For freezone setup, our sister brand Formenzo specialises.
Do I need a local sponsor for mainland Dubai?
No, not for most activities. Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2021 removed the mandatory UAE national partner requirement for the majority of Dubai DED commercial and professional licences. A small list of strategic activities (oil, gas, security) still requires Emirati ownership.
Can I apply online without a sales call?
Yes. YABS publishes itemised AED pricing on every package page and offers a 4-step online application: eligibility quiz, service selection, document upload, payment. Quote is fixed at quote stage. Only premium multi-visa setups require a confirmation call before final submission.
Ready to start?
Apply online in 4 steps. Itemised AED quote, no sales-call gate.
This page was last reviewed by the YABS compliance team in Q2 2026 and reflects current Dubai DED, Dubai Municipality, DHA, MOHRE, FTA, and DLD requirements.