Business SetupDubai Freezone

Ultimately, it boils down to your business model. No two companies have the same business model, and there can always be a best-fit free zone for every business model. A business setup consultant can help you identify the right free zone you should be located in, depending on your business needs.

After you have selected a free zone, or even shortlisted a few of them, you can look at commercial space options. You could choose anything from a single desk in a co-working space to a fully furnished office, and everything in between. You could even opt for semi-furnished office space and do up the interiors according to your liking – there is plenty of flexibility to be had in a free zone. Multiple office options are available, so you can pick and choose an office space that catches your fancy. The rule of thumb is that you need to lease 100 square feet of office space for every employee you plan to hire.

That is not to say you cannot start small and expand later on. Once your company has been registered, you cannot change your registered office address except once in a year, notably at the time of renewing your Business License. In a free zone, your registered office address is a PO Box at the free zone, so you can move into a larger office at any time without changing your address. This is another advantage of being located in a free zone, one that you cannot have with a company on the mainland.

So if you feel like adding more employees, you just have to lease more office space. Because of the multiple office configurations provided, you might be able to add more commercial space to your existing office. Or you could move into a larger office space. You can also scale down and move into a smaller office at any time. This way, you can save on operating costs if things are not going as expected and you need to let go of some of your employees.

A business setup consultant can let you know how much commercial space costs at each free zone, so that you can arrive at the right decision. He/She can also help you draw the company formation documents, which are required for incorporating a company in a free zone. The company formation documents might be better known in your company as the Memorandum of Association if there is only a single owner for the company, or as the Articles of Association if there are multiple owners for the company.

Along with the Lease Agreement, the Articles of Incorporation must be submitted to the Free Zone Authority when applying for free zone company registration and a Business License. Additional documentation, such as copies of the passports of all shareholders and proof of residency in their respective country of residence, may also be required. If everything is in order, the application is approved in a matter of days. You can then move into your office and commence operations immediately.

You can also open a corporate bank account for your business, so that you are able to make and receive payments with ease. Owing to strict anti-money laundering regulations in the Middle East, it is not easy to open a bank account. However, with the right business setup consultant in your corner, the process could take as little as two hours instead of the whole day.