Company Formation — Mainland & Free Zones
Mainland for full local-market access, or a free zone for 100% ownership and lighter tax. Most Abu Dhabi and Dubai setups start here.
- E-commerce
- Consulting
- Trading
- Local operations
Answer 7 questions, get a written recommendation for your exact situation — free zone, mainland, ADGM/DIFC or international. Free, in about 2 minutes.
You get a written jurisdiction brief you can act on — with or without us.
In France, Germany and the Nordics, top-band founders keep barely half of what they earn. Here is the same income, side by side.
| Personal income tax | up to 55% | 0% |
| Capital gains | Taxed | 0% |
| Dividends (personal) | Taxed | 0% |
| Wealth / exit tax | In several countries | None |
Three reliefs drive the move — 0% personal income tax, 0% on qualifying free-zone income, and 130+ double-tax treaties. But they are conditional, not automatic . The 0% only holds if your residency, structure and substance are built to survive scrutiny back home — the difference between a number on a brochure and money you actually keep.
From a straightforward Abu Dhabi or Dubai company to a regulated financial licence or a layered family-office structure. The assessment tells you which one fits, and some clients need a combination.
Mainland for full local-market access, or a free zone for 100% ownership and lighter tax. Most Abu Dhabi and Dubai setups start here.
English common-law jurisdictions for regulated finance — asset management, advisory, and institutional structures under DFSA or FSRA.
Layered structures for investors and family wealth — UAE operating entities paired with international holding and IP vehicles.
For structures that need to sit outside the UAE — typically for fundraising, treaty access, or market presence.
We advise on international jurisdictions with the same depth as UAE ones. The jurisdictions below come up most often in client work.
IP & European credibility
Best for Patent Box; institutional EU/UK clients. Often paired with UAE for two-entity structures
Asia-Pacific institutional standard
Best for APAC markets; Asian VC; VCC fund vehicles. ~4.25% effective CT for qualifying startups
US VC fundraising
Best for Non-negotiable for US institutional capital. Court of Chancery; QSBS capital gains exclusion
Institutional fund standard
Best for US pension funds; PE/VC fund structures. Required by major institutional LPs
| Jurisdiction | Best for | Advantage | Headline rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong 🇭🇰 | China-connected businesses | Territorial tax system; HKEX access | 8.25%/16.5% |
| China 🇨🇳 | Shanghai & Shenzhen market access | WFOE structures; FTZ incentives; Greater Bay Area | 25% / 15% (HNTE) |
| Estonia 🇪🇪 | Digital nomads; SaaS reinvestment | 0% on retained profits; EU VAT OSS | 0% (retained) |
| BVI 🇻🇬 | Holding structures; SPVs | Flexible; cost-efficient | 0% |
| Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 | MNCs; Vision 2030 sectors | RHQ Programme (0% CT qualifying) | 20% / 0% |
| Qatar 🇶🇦 | Financial services; QFC | No VAT; QIA relationships | 10% |
| Oman 🇴🇲 | Manufacturing; logistics | Oman-US FTA; accessible GCC market | 15% / 3% |
We recommend the structure that fits the client, not a UAE structure by default. The UAE is the right answer in most of our cases. In the rest, it isn’t — and we say so.
US institutional investors expect a Delaware C-Corporation. A UAE entity is rarely an acceptable lead vehicle.
What we recommend: Delaware as the primary structure. Layer UAE in only if there is a genuine commercial reason.
CFC rules can attribute UAE profits back to the founder in their home country, wiping out the tax advantage.
What we recommend: Coordinate with home-country advisors first. UAE may still work, but only after the CFC exposure is assessed.
Estonia’s 0% tax on retained profits can beat UAE while the business reinvests aggressively.
What we recommend: Start with Estonia or another EU-aligned structure. Add UAE later if a relocation or operating arm justifies it.
Most institutional LPs require Cayman or another established fund jurisdiction. UAE fund vehicles rarely qualify.
What we recommend: Cayman for the fund, with a UAE or UK management entity where it makes sense.
Treaty access, withholding, and governance can sit better in a European holding jurisdiction than in UAE.
What we recommend: Look at Netherlands, Ireland, Cyprus, or Luxembourg first. UAE may have no role.
You speak with people who structure entities for a living — not a call centre booking the cheapest setup.
We compare the UAE against 17+ international options and will tell you plainly when the answer is somewhere else.
We know which banks open which accounts under which structures. Setup advice without banking reality is half an answer.
Most of our work is with clients we incorporated years ago — corporate governance, compliance, and structure changes as the business changes.
Most founders forming a UAE company also want the 10-year Golden Visa for themselves and their family. We assess both together, so your company structure and your residency line up from the start.
Company owners and founders of approved projects can qualify on the investor or entrepreneur route.
Property investment from AED 2 million can support a 10-year residency, often alongside your company.
Professionals, executives and specialists meeting salary and qualification criteria can be sponsored independently of an employer.
The same advisory-led, licensed team handles the work that comes after the structure — government paperwork and long-term residency, in the UAE and abroad.
The licence is the start, not the finish. These are the obligations every UAE company carries — we set you up so they stay routine, and handle the filings with you.
UAE corporate tax applies at 9% on taxable profit above AED 375,000 (0% below). Registration is mandatory for every company — even those expecting 0% liability or a free-zone exemption.
VAT is 5%. Registration becomes mandatory once taxable turnover passes the AED 375,000 threshold, with voluntary registration available earlier. We assess whether and when you need to register.
Companies must keep proper books and file annually. Several free zones and all corporate-tax registrants have accounting and, in many cases, audit obligations. We plan for these from day one, so there is nothing to scramble for at year-end.
Economic substance, UBO and AML obligations continue after the licence is issued. The right structure keeps these manageable; the wrong one makes them a recurring burden.
The things founders and family offices ask before they start.
The UAE is often the right answer when you want residency tied to your business, most of your revenue is international or regional, UAE banking can support how you operate, or you want tax efficiency with operational flexibility. That works across a free zone, mainland, ADGM, or DIFC structure.
Look beyond the UAE when you are raising US institutional venture capital that expects a Delaware C-Corporation, home-country CFC rules could override UAE tax benefits, you are reinvesting profit into EU growth, or your investors require Cayman or another established fund jurisdiction. TRUVIS tells you when the UAE is not the right answer, before you sign anything.
TRUVIS is advisory-first: company formation is the last step, not the first. It is a licensed UAE corporate services provider, not a referral broker. Every engagement produces a written recommendation, and its advice is grounded in banking and compliance reality.
No. The TRUVIS Hub jurisdiction assessment is free and takes about 2 minutes. It compares ADGM, DIFC, UAE Mainland, and free zones to find the structure that fits your business.
TRUVIS Hub covers ADGM, DIFC, UAE Mainland, and UAE free zones. It also flags when a jurisdiction outside the UAE — such as Delaware, Cayman, or an EU holding jurisdiction — fits your business better.