Overview
The Department of Economy and Tourism issues commercial licences for companies established on the Dubai mainland, outside the free zones.
A mainland licence is a commercial permission. It is not a virtual-asset permission, and the two are frequently confused.
The dual-licence model
A virtual-asset business operating on the Dubai mainland needs two permissions:
- a DET commercial licence carrying the relevant activity; and
- a VARA licence for the virtual-asset activity itself.
The same structure applies in the commercial free zones, with the free-zone authority in place of DET. The point holds in both cases: incorporation and regulatory authorisation are separate, sequential steps, and only the second permits the business to operate.
Ownership
Full foreign ownership of mainland companies has been available for most activities since the 2021 amendments to the federal companies legislation. Some activities remain restricted. That is a question to be checked against the specific activity code rather than assumed from the general position.
Requirements
Trade name reservation and initial approval. An activity selection that genuinely describes the business. A physical tenancy registered through Ejari — mainland companies need real premises. Visa quota tied to office space. Corporate documents for shareholders, attested where they originate abroad.
Other emirates
Each emirate has its own economic department: ADDED in Abu Dhabi, SEDD in Sharjah, and the equivalents in Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain. The mainland licensing logic is the same. What differs is the virtual-asset layer above it, because only Dubai has established an Emirate-level authority. Elsewhere, the federal perimeter held by the CMA is the one to test against.
How we help
We select and argue the activity codes, handle trade name, initial approval and licence issuance, run the attestation chain for foreign shareholder documents, and sequence the DET and VARA applications so neither waits on the other longer than it must.
Frais
Ce sont les charges qu'un titulaire de licence supporte réellement. Les montants restent vides tant que chacun n'a pas été vérifié auprès du barème publié par l'autorité — un chiffre non vérifié vaut moins que pas de chiffre du tout.
Mainland commercial licence
Annuel
Pas encore vérifié
Trade name reservation
Ponctuel
Pas encore vérifié
Initial approval
Ponctuel
Pas encore vérifié
Office tenancy and Ejari registration
Annuel
Pas encore vérifié
Residence visa, per person
Variable
Pas encore vérifié
Interaction avec les autres régulateurs
Questions fréquentes
Mainland or free zone?
Mainland lets the company contract with the onshore UAE market directly, without a distributor or a service agent. A free zone is usually cheaper and faster. Neither answers the licensing question — a virtual-asset activity needs VARA either way.
Do we still need a local partner?
For most activities, no. Full foreign ownership of mainland companies has been available since the 2021 amendments, subject to the activity list. Some activities remain restricted, which is a question to check against the specific activity code rather than assume.
Sources
- Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism — commercial licensing
- Federal commercial companies legislation on foreign ownership of mainland companies — 2021 amendments permitting full foreign ownership for most activities