The compass
Seven emirates, two common-law islands, one region.
Where you sit in the UAE decides which law applies to you, who regulates you and what your investors will accept. Turn the compass.
Emirate
Dubai
- Legal framework
- UAE federal law plus Dubai emirate-level legislation. Onshore companies sit under the Commercial Companies Law with full foreign ownership available across most activities; more than twenty free zones run their own licensing regimes.
- Business environment
- The region's trading, logistics and services hub. Fast incorporation, deep banking and talent markets, and the highest density of regulators and free zones in the country.
- Key regulators
- Dubai Department of Economy & TourismDubai MunicipalityDMCCRTA
- Relevant practice areas
- Corporate set-upCommercial contractsReal estateLitigationEmployment
If you are testing the UAE for the first time, Dubai gives you the shortest distance between a licence and a first customer.