Register a company in RAKEZ

The company, yes. RAKEZ runs registration online through its portal, and its Instant Licence page advertises no paperwork and no physical visits. The visa is another matter: first-time residence visa applicants give biometrics at the RAKEZ Medical Fitness Centre or an Emirates ID centre in Ras Al Khaimah. Foreign corporate documents are legalised rather than apostilled, because the UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, and for a branch or a subsidiary RAKEZ wants the signatory's power of attorney attested by the UAE Embassy or Consulate.

Our registration work starts from $2,900; with a UAE bank account set up, from $5,400. Zone fees come on top: RAKEZ packages start from AED 6,000, and Biz Starter at that price lists a licence with coworking access but no visa. Its all-inclusive package with one residence visa is from AED 14,000 on the promotion page, while the getting-started FAQ says AED 16,500 a year, so we confirm the current price before you pay; extra visas on it are AED 4,000 each. Renewal prices vary by licence type, activity and facility, and the E-Channel registration costs AED 2,200 plus a refundable AED 5,050 deposit.

It lists no visa. The RAKEZ FAQ wants the manager to be resident in the UAE, and a residence visa is on RAKEZ's list for opening a bank account, so a company that wants to bank needs one on its side - yours or a resident manager's. The E-Channel registration every RAKEZ company must make has its own fee of AED 2,200 and a refundable deposit of AED 5,050, and every company pays a RAKEZ-approved auditor each year.

Corporate tax is 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above it. A Qualifying Free Zone Person pays 0% on qualifying income and 9% on other taxable income, and it cannot use small business relief (revenue up to AED 3 million, tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029). VAT is 5%, mandatory above AED 375,000 of taxable supplies and imports. Withholding tax is 0%, there is no personal income tax, and the return and payment are due within nine months of the end of the tax period.

Not by any package. RAKEZ promotes its designated zone with 'a guaranteed 0% tax rate', but under the federal law the free zone 0% applies only to the qualifying income of a Qualifying Free Zone Person that meets the conditions, among them adequate substance, non-qualifying revenue within 5% of total revenue or AED 5 million (whichever is lower), transfer pricing compliance and audited accounts. Fail a condition and the status is lost for that tax period and the next four. Which RAKEZ areas are on the federal designated-zone list we confirm before you build VAT or distribution plans on it.

RAKEZ issues the licence within minutes of a complete document set, by its own account. Then come the E-Channel registration and the investor or partner visa, which RAKEZ processes in 3 working days (VIP) or 6 (standard) end to end, plus your biometrics visit. The FTA states 20 business days for corporate tax registration, and the bank sets its own timeline, so we put the dates for your case in the quote.

Yes, with the visa planned first: RAKEZ's FAQ lists a residence visa among the requirements, and the bank-account service promoted on its site asks for the Emirates ID and residence visa of the primary signatory. Freelancers on the RAKEZ permit cannot open a corporate account at all. The regulations also expect share capital to be deposited with a UAE bank unless RAKEZ approves otherwise. Our second package covers bank selection, the KYC file and meeting support; the bank makes the decision.

A flexi desk carries one visa. The all-inclusive package, from AED 14,000 on one RAKEZ page and AED 16,500 on another (we confirm the current price), includes one residence visa and lets you add up to three more at AED 4,000 each. A new investor or partner visa is AED 3,800 all-inclusive on the VIP track or AED 4,620 at standard charges, before VAT. Beyond the package, RAKEZ's Operating Rules leave the number to its absolute discretion, and u.ae says the package you sign up for is one of the factors. A single shareholder takes an investor visa, several shareholders take partner visas, and RAKEZ generally issues those for two years regardless of age.

Not directly. Under RAKEZ's rules a free zone company trades outside the zone only through an agent, representative, distributor or parent company that holds the relevant UAE licence. The federal alternative is a mainland branch or company; RAKEZ's own FAQ on mainland branches may predate later federal ownership changes, so we confirm the current route with RAKEZ first. For a QFZP, income of a mainland branch is not qualifying income and is taxed at 9%.

A licence renewal application no later than 30 days before expiry (RAKEZ generates the renewal quote only two months ahead), with a late penalty of AED 50 a day. Audited financial statements from a RAKEZ-approved auditor within six months of the year end, or a fine of AED 2,500. A current UBO declaration, with changes reported within 15 days. The corporate tax return within nine months of the end of the tax period. The E-Channel registration may also need annual renewal at AED 1,200.