Obtaining an e-commerce license in the UAE

Largely due to the pandemic, the development of the e-commerce sector has become more rapid than ever. You can open your business in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or another emirate and get a number of benefits:

- free conduct of international and local trade;

- 100% foreign ownership of the company when registering in the free zone;

- fast and easy registration process;

- 0% income tax and income tax;

- the ability to trade several types of goods under one license;

- resident visa for 3 years;

- full repatriation of profits and capital.

The specialists of Make Fortune Business Solutions provide you with full consultation on options for registering an e-commerce business in the UAE. Our goal is for your business to flourish and develop.

 

Procedure for obtaining an e-commerce license in the UAE

To open an e-commerce business in the UAE, you have two options: registering a company in one of the free zones in any of the seven emirates or obtaining a license from the Department of Economic Development and opening a local company.

The procedure for starting a business in the UAE is as follows:

1. Choose a business structure

Before applying for company registration, you need to decide on the organizational structure that is best suited for your business. You can create a limited liability company, a branch of a company, a representative office, a joint venture. Depending on the organizational structure, the licensing process will differ slightly.

2. Select the location of the company

You can start your e-commerce business in the mainland of the UAE as well as in free zones in all emirates. There are certain free zones in which e-commerce companies are favored.

Both mainland and free zones have advantages and disadvantages for e-commerce businesses. You can choose the location of your business that suits your type of business. The main licensing authority in mainland Dubai is DED (Department of Economic Development). The different free zones have their respective licensing authorities.

3. Register your company name

The name of the company must be unique. For consideration, you submit at once three preferred options for the name of the company in case the name is already in use. The use of words that could be perceived as an insult is not allowed.

4. Applying for an e-commerce license

After reserving your company name, you pay the registration fee and apply for a license.

5. Office rental

When registering in the free zone, the "Flexi" option is possible, which makes it possible to rent a table in the common office for several hours a week. This is the most budgetary option, but of course, the UAE real estate market has a lot of options.

6. Obtaining the importer code

If you are planning to import your products from abroad to the UAE, you need to obtain an importer code from one of the customs authorities.

7. Obtaining a visa

You can get a UAE resident visa for 3 years. You will then be able to apply for a visa for your family members.

8. Opening a corporate bank account

In the UAE, banks are serious about checking counterparties. Many people underestimate the procedure for opening a bank account, believing that they will have no problems after obtaining a business license. This is not true! Having a license does not guarantee you opening a bank account. We, Make Fortune, are experts in UAE bank account opening. We estimate the profile of each client in advance and let you know the time it may take to open a bank account in the UAE.