Registration

Registering your company, step by step

The sequence is broadly the same whether you're registering in a free zone or on the mainland — what varies is who reviews each step and how long approvals take.

1. Choose your business activity. This determines which zones or mainland categories you're even eligible for, and it's the single most common place founders lose time by picking too narrow or too broad an activity code.
2. Choose your structure and jurisdiction. Free zone, mainland, or offshore — see the free zone comparison and mainland guide if you haven't already.
3. Reserve a trade name and submit initial approval — usually the fastest step, often same-day.
4. Submit licence application and documents — passport copies, business plan (for some activities), and, for mainland, a Memorandum of Association.
5. Sign the lease or flexi-desk agreement required by your jurisdiction, then receive your trade licence.
6. Apply for visas (yourself and any employees) once the licence is issued.
7. Open a business bank account — start this early; see banking for why it's rarely the fast step people expect.