Doing Business In Dubai

Where East meets West

2 international airports: Dubai International and Dubai World Central

Dubai International Airport is the world’s largest international airport by traffic volume (Dubai Airports)

Dubai International Airport is connected to 214 cities in 94 countries (Dubai Airports)

Airport passenger traffic of 41,277,749 in H1 2019 (ADAC)

Sovereign state

Over 200 nationalities. Strong emphasis on tolerance and anti-discrimination

UAE is ranked no.1 globally for macro-economic stability (WED Global Competitiveness Report 2018)

UAE ranks 45th in the Social Progress Index (2018)

Dubai's economy grew 1.94% in 2018 to AED398.13 billion (Dubai FDI)

Structured strategic plans to create a sustainable, knowledge-based economy and diversification away from its dependence upon oil (Dubai Plan 2021)​.

Industry specific free zone throughout Dubai

Dubai ranks No. 1 retail city in MENA (Coresight Research Report, c/o  Dubai Advantage)

Dubai ranks 26th in the International Franchise Attractiveness Index 2019 FOR SHOPPING AND RETAIL

The UAE is currently ranked 11th globally in the World Bank's annual Ease of Doing Business Report 2019. This is due to reforms which have boosted the country's competitiveness.

The UAE is the 5th most competitive country globally (2019 IMD World Global Competitiveness Ranking)

Dubai ranks 44th in the knowledge factor, 27th in the technology factor and 18th in the future readiness factor of the 2017 Digital Competitiveness Ranking (Dubai Digital Competitiveness Report 2018)

UAE ranks 1st globally in public private partnerships (2018 IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking)

Dubai is currently ranked 27th globally​ in the Resilient Cities Index. It is down six positions from a decade ago and is expected to go up to 26th in 2028. The Index measures a city's ability to withstand and embrace the technological, demographic and leadership disruption facing real estate both now and in a decade (June 2019, Savills).

No corporation tax (except oil, foreign banks & insurance)

No personal income tax

VAT at 5% - one of the lowest rates globally

No restrictions on repatriation of money

268,574 business licenses issued in Dubai during the first eight months of 2019. Of these, 181,989 were Limited Liability Company (LLC) licenses, 2,140 were Foreign Branch licenses, 78,491 were individual establishments and the remainder were 'other; structures (WAM News Agency).

 Industrial areas, specialized free zones, two world class seaports, a cargo village, a modern highway network, state-of-the-art telecommunications and reliable power and utilities. 

Modern business centres, world-renowned shopping malls, state of the art commercial buildings and fully connected industrial zones.

Commercial Companies Law

UAE Trademark Law

Bankruptcy Law

Foreign Investment Law

Import / Export Controls

Agreements in place with 94 nations to avoid double taxation on overseas investments.

FDI inflow into the UAE in 2018 was AED10 billion targetting a range of sectors from oil and gas to digital technologies (UNCTAD)

Dubai ranks 6th globally with a total FDI capital of AED38.5bn (Dubai FDI Annual Results & Rankings 2018)

Dubai ranks 3rd globally with 523 FDI projects (Dubai FDI Annual Results & Rankings 2018)

The UAE ranks 1st globally in internet and telephony level of competition (2019 Knowledge Index Report)

The UAE ranks 5th globally for ICT price basket, internet and telephony level of competitiveness and laws relating to ICT (2019, Sector Competitive Index for Informations & Communications Technology Inputs).

Dubai has 3 major seaports: Jebel Ali, Port Rashid and Al Hamriya

Dubai ranks 11th: Top 20 Box Ports 2019 (Hellenic Shipping News)

Dubai ranks 5th in International Shipping Center Development Index 2019

Jebal Ali Port has 19.3M TEU handling capacity (DP World)

Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal is the world's largest single covered cruise facility capable of handling 14,000 passengers a day (DP World)

Compulsory health insurance for everyone

Dubai Health Authority operates 4 hospitals, 12 primary healthcare centres, 17 medical fitness centres and 6 specialty centres.

Dubai Healthcare City is a hub for private high tech hospitals & medical training centres

194 private schools in Dubai (Edarabia)

17 schools are rated as Outstanding; 28 as Very Good; 74 as Good; 52 as Acceptable & 5 as Weak (Edarabia)

263 Early learning centres in Dubai (Edarabia)

80% of the total child population in Dubai is under 5 years old (Edarabia)

Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) is a hub for universities & professional training centres

A diverse array of leisure and entertainment attractions, inc. theme parks and sports facilities such as Burj Khalifa, Dubai Frame, Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, Dubai Opera, Dubai Parks & Resorts & Aquaventure Water Park.

Cultural events, festivals and museums, inc. The Dubai Shopping Festival, GITEX, Dubai Desert Classic, Dubai International Jazz Festival, Etihad Museum, Sheikh Saeed Al-Maktoum House, and Dubai Museum.