Emirates ID on the basis of a UAE company
Residence for the owner through a company registered in the UAE. Suits you if the business is already open or is being opened alongside.
- An investor or partner in a commercial venture in the UAE
From the medical test until the residence visa is issued the partner advises staying in the country. No agency regulation forbids leaving, but a trip breaks the order of the steps: the fingerprinting and the medical test usually have to be repeated and the timeline slips. Better not to plan trips in that window.
How to get an Emirates ID by registering a company in the UAE
UAE residence is granted only where there is a basis for it. Registering a company of your own is the most common one: the owner receives a visa from their own firm and depends on no employer.
The visa term depends on the licence type — one year or two. No office lease is needed: free zones include a registered address in the package.
The company remains a working tool rather than a formality: with it you can hire staff and arrange visas for them.
Who it suits
- An investor or partner in a commercial venture in the UAE
- Business owners
- Entrepreneurs
The company must be registered in one of the following forms: public joint stock company, private joint stock company, limited liability company, limited partnership or general partnership
How a UAE residence visa works
A UAE residence visa is not a stamp in a passport but a chain of three documents. First comes the entry permit, then the residence visa itself, and only after that the Emirates ID, the resident's plastic card. Without an Emirates ID you cannot open an account, rent a home or get a phone line.
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A visa always rests on a basis: property, your own company, employment, income from abroad. Once the basis is gone, the status is not renewed.
Midway through the procedure you have to come to the UAE for the medical test and fingerprinting. This is the only step that cannot be done remotely, and you cannot leave the country before the visa is issued: leaving resets the procedure.
Medical insurance is mandatory. Since 1 January 2025 a policy is a prerequisite for issuing and renewing a residence visa; the rule is addressed to private-sector employers and applies on a mandatory basis in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. An investor or freelancer sponsors themselves, so the policy is taken out in their own name.
What can be done without coming to the UAE
Remotely
This option- Filing the licence application
- Registration with the immigration authority
- Obtaining the entry permit
- Receiving the Emirates ID after the visa
In person only
- Medical test
- Fingerprinting
The trip is needed once and for a few days — for the medical test and biometrics.
How to bring your family on a UAE residence visa
A resident with an Emirates ID sponsors their spouse, children and parents. On the golden visa the family gets residency for 10 years too. On the 2-year visa the spouse and children are handled the same way, while the Dubai immigration authority gives parents a 1-year residency.
The order is strict: the main applicant receives their status first, and only then does the family application start. Filing everything as one package will not work.
Company owner's visa or employee visa
The difference is who sponsors you: your own company or an employer. The owner's visa rests on their licence — the company is registered first, and the Emirates ID is then arranged through it. The employee visa starts with the employer: they obtain a work permit from the labour ministry, and only after that is the residence visa opened. From there the paths coincide — entry permit, a trip in for the medical test and biometrics, Emirates ID.
One does not rule out the other: the owner's company then opens visas for its own staff, and their number depends on the licence package.
| Company owner's visa | Employee visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sponsors you | The sponsor is your own UAE company: the visa comes from your own firm and no employer is needed | The sponsor is the employer: the company opens a visa for a specific position |
| What is needed before filing | A company is needed before filing — already open, or registered alongside | A UAE employer with spare visa quota is needed before filing — the quota is checked before hiring |
| Order of the process | First the licence and the company's registration with the immigration authority, then the visa | First the work permit from the labour ministry, then the visa |
| Processing time | 10–21 days, including one trip in for the medical test and biometrics | 7–30 days; before the start, legalisation of the diploma in the country that issued it |
| Price | From $1,400: RAKEZ — $1,400; AFZA — $1,520; Mainland, IFZA, Meydan, SHAMS, DMCC — $2,100; company formation is paid for separately | Price upon consultation; government duties and visa fees are not included |
A visa rests on a basis: with your own company that basis is in your hands, with an employee visa it is in the employer's, and when the basis disappears the status is not renewed.
The terms the expert works on
Guarantees the outcome by contract
Writes the outcome and the timeline for every service — including opening a bank account — into the contract, and answers for them.
Bills in stages
You do not pay the whole sum up front: invoices come in instalments as each stage closes.
Fixes the price in the contract
The cost is locked in and does not grow as the work goes on. Prices on the site are indicative — the final figure comes after your case is reviewed.
Charges no hidden fees
No penalties or surcharges beyond the contract. No Pactors markup either: you pay the expert their own price.
Works with lawyers of 8+ years in UAE law
The licence for your activity is matched, and the requirements worked through, by qualified lawyers.
Thinks a step ahead
Picks the zone and the licence so that a year from now you do not hit a limit and have to redo the whole thing.
Deals with authorities directly
Handles government bodies, free zones and UAE banks personally — no chain of subcontractors.
Residence permit in the UAE: comparing the options
The difference is not the price — it is who each option suits. The “Best for” column is the business profile the option is built around.
| Option | Best for | Timeline | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emirates ID on the basis of a UAE companyyou are here | Business owners, entrepreneurs | 1–3 weeks | from $1,400 |
| SHAMS free zone (Sharjah) | Media, content and creative, digital, unlimited visas | ~1 week | from $1,575 |
| RAKEZ free zone (Ras Al Khaimah) | Manufacturing, warehousing and logistics, e-commerce, startups | ~1 week | from $1,650 |
| Meydan free zone (Dubai) | Consulting, IT and digital, trading, media, any activity | ~1 week | from $3,500 |
| IFZA free zone (Dubai) | IT and digital, consulting, services, a first company in the UAE | ~1 week | from $3,500 |
| Freelancer licence | IT and development, design, media and content, marketing, consulting | ~6 weeks | from $4,500 |
| Mainland (Dubai) | B2C in the UAE, government contracts, retail and food service, import/export | 1–2 weeks | from $5,890 |
| DMCC free zone (Dubai) | Precious metals and stones, commodities and energy, digital assets, trading | 1–2 weeks | from $9,400 |
What the service includes
| Filing and support throughout | |
| Medical test and biometrics | |
| Emirates ID | |
| Help with a personal bank account | |
| Company formation (charged separately) | |
| Corporate bank account— billed separately |
Documents and programme requirements
- 1A UAE company (or one being opened)
- 2A trip in for biometrics
How the process runs
1–3 weeks- Step 1We select the free zone and the activity to fit the task, and prepare the documents.
- Step 2We file the licence application — remotely.
- Step 3Registration of the company with the immigration authority.
- Step 4Arranging the UAE entry permit.
- Step 5Arrival in the UAE: medical test and fingerprinting.
- Step 6Issue of the residence visa.
- Step 7Emirates ID — we collect it remotely and hand it over.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an office to register the company?
How many years is a company-based visa issued for?
Can I hire staff?
Do I have to file returns if there is no activity?
How many times do I need to come to the UAE?
Related breakdowns
Residence permit costs in 2026: 51 countries in one table
Income and investment thresholds for residence permits in 51 countries: remote work, passive income, business and investment, from official programme terms.
Opening a company in Dubai in 2026: steps and prices
A licence in 5 minutes for AED 1,370, the Invest in Dubai single window and what the Unified Licence really is. The real steps and the ones needing a trip.
UAE staff visas 2026: quotas and establishment card
You cannot hire in the UAE without an establishment card, a MoHRE file and a free visa quota. The order of steps, timelines and permits from AED 250.
We'll check your case before you pay
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