Construction & Contracting in the UAE

Key points

the UAE mainland licences are issued by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), which currently processes most standard files in around 4 working days. Among the strengths of a the UAE mainland licence are unrestricted UAE-wide trading and Government and corporate tenders, and that is why local service businesses gravitate here. In short, businesses that benefit most from the UAE mainland licensing include retail, restaurants, contracting, real estate brokerage and consulting with government clients, because they serve customers on site across the emirate.

Step by step

1. 
   Step 1

   Activity and legal form

   We pick the precise activity codes from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) list and settle on the legal form — normally a LLC, or a sole establishment for individual professionals.

2. 
   Step 2

   Trade name and initial approval

   Your trade name is reserved and initial approval secured from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), together with any external approvals the activity requires. This is also the point at which we answer any question specific to starting a contracting company in the UAE.

3. 
   Step 3

   Office, MOA and submission

   After the MOA is signed and the office tenancy registered, GoldenKey lodges the full application with the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).

4. 
   Step 4

   Licence, Chamber and immigration

   Importantly, the the UAE mainland licence is released, Chamber membership activated, and we open the establishment and labour files so visa processing can start. We keep a written record of this step so your file for starting a contracting company in the UAE is audit-ready.

Documents required

For most clients, for starting a contracting company in the UAE the issuing authority asks for the following documents, and we tell you exactly how each must be formatted.

• A passport-size photograph on a white background
• Attested parent-company documents and a board resolution if the shareholder is a company
• Proof of address such as a utility bill or bank statement, requested by some zones
• The UAE entry stamp or visa page if you are already in the country
• A no-objection certificate from your employer if you hold a UAE employment visa
• A clear passport copy for each shareholder and manager, valid for at least six months

Pricing

From day one, pricing for starting a contracting company in the UAE depends on the package you choose; every option below includes GoldenKey's service and the government fees stated. The figures below for starting a contracting company in the UAE are updated by GoldenKey whenever the issuing authority changes its fees, so the price you see is the current one.

Where to license construction & contracting

Contracting is almost always a mainland licence because projects are delivered on client sites across the emirates. Classification grades and an engineer's credentials are required for most contracting categories.

Ajman Free ZoneOne of the UAE's most affordable free zones — 0-visa packa…Dubai mainlandThe UAE's commercial capital — trade anywhere in the UAE w…Abu Dhabi mainlandThe capital — government contracts, energy supply chains a…Sharjah mainlandIndustrial heartland of the UAE — manufacturing, trading a…Ajman mainlandGoldenKey's home emirate — one of the most affordable main…

Examples of this activity

• Building contractor
• MEP contractor
• Fit-out contractor
• Landscaping

Construction & Contracting guides by nationality

IndianPakistaniBritishRussianChineseNigerianSaudiEgyptianKenyanGermanSingaporeanOmaniFrenchItalianSpanishPortugueseDutchBelgianSwissAustrianSwedishNorwegianDanishFinnishIcelandicIrishPolishCzechSlovakHungarianRomanianBulgarianGreekCroatianSerbianSlovenianUkrainianEstonianLatvianLithuanianAmericanCanadianAustralianNew ZealanderJapaneseSouth KoreanTurkishMalaysianIndonesianThaiVietnameseFilipinoBangladeshiSouth AfricanEmiratiQatari

Why the UAE

Importantly, the dirham has been pegged to the US dollar since 1997, which removes currency risk for starting a contracting company in the UAE and makes international pricing simple. As a rule, the UAE sits within an eight-hour flight of two-thirds of the world's population, and that is why so many entrepreneurs choose it as a base for starting a contracting company in the UAE.

Why GoldenKey

In our experience, you deal with one named consultant from the first call until your the UAE licence, visa and bank introduction are complete, and that consultant answers your WhatsApp messages personally. If a document is missing or an approval is delayed on your the UAE file, we tell you immediately and explain the fix, rather than letting the application sit. From day one, most of our the UAE clients come to us through referrals from other business owners, which is why we take pride in keeping every promise we put in writing.

Frequently asked questions