The Headline Setup Price: What Is Usually Included

There is a familiar kind of headline in our industry: a single, low, memorable setup price. It is easy to see why it works. It is worth understanding what a figure like that typically covers, though, because a headline price is usually built around the initial trade licence, and a licence on its own is only the starting point of a working company.

A licence alone does not make a working company

In practice, a licence on its own does not let you operate. To actually run the company you will typically also need an immigration establishment card, at least one residence visa, an Emirates ID and medical, somewhere to office (even a flexi-desk), and depending on your activity, government or regulator approvals. Each of those is a real, legitimate cost. Added together, the working figure is often several times the number on the ad.

I am not saying those headlines are wrong. "From" pricing is legal and normal. I am saying it is incomplete, and incomplete is a difficult way to plan a business or a move to a new country.

What we do differently

Our approach is the opposite. We show the full range before you ever speak to us, including the parts most ads leave for later. You can pick your business activity, see the compliant route for it, and get an itemised estimate in your own currency, converted at live exchange rates.

The number you hear from us is the number you pay. That is the whole idea.

Planning a UAE setup? See your real, itemised cost range in about thirty seconds with our activity-aware cost calculator, download the free UAE setup guide, or book a free 30-minute call. The number we quote is the number you pay.