Limited Liability Company

LLC Setup in the UAE

Shareholders, memorandum, manager

LLC setup is the default answer for most businesses that intend to trade in the UAE and want the company, not the owner, to carry the risk. It is a mainland company form with shareholders, a notarised memorandum and an appointed manager whose authority is written down. We handle all three, and the licence that sits on top of them.

Set Up Your LLC See the Steps

Set Up Your LLC

Tell us the activity and who the shareholders are. We will structure it.

Full Name

Who will own it?

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3S Business Services is a registered business setup consultancy based in Dubai. We coordinate your setup process end to end.

Shareholding Structured Before Filing

10+ Years in UAE

One Point of Contact

Licensed Dubai Business Setup Consultancy

Charges Quoted Separately

Amendments and Share Transfers Handled

What We Handle

What LLC Setup Actually Involves

An LLC is a document-heavy form, and the documents matter later. A memorandum drafted carelessly is the thing you fight about when a shareholder wants out.

Shareholding Structure

Who holds what, in writing, before anything is filed. Verbal splits between founders are the single most common cause of expensive disputes later.

Activity and Ownership Check

Your activity mapped to the authority's list, and any ownership condition attached to it identified. Most activities are open to full foreign ownership; a defined list is not.

Trade Name and Approval

Name checked against the naming rules and reserved, then initial approval obtained so the memorandum can be drafted against a real file.

Memorandum of Association

Drafted and notarised, setting out shares, profit distribution, management powers and what happens when someone wants to leave.

Manager Appointment

The manager named on the licence with defined powers. This person can bind the company, so who it is and what they may sign is a real decision.

Premises, Licence and Visas

Tenancy registered, licence issued, establishment card opened and visas processed for shareholders and staff.

Compare

Mainland LLC or a Free Zone Equivalent

Free zones issue their own limited liability forms under different names. They are not the same instrument and they do not do the same job.

What Matters	Mainland LLC	Free Zone Equivalent
Registered by	The emirate's economic department	The free zone authority
Sell directly across the UAE	Yes	Inside the zone and internationally
Memorandum notarised	Yes	Zone template, usually not notarised
Premises	Registered tenancy	From a flexi-desk upward
Government tender work	Generally accepted	Generally not

The Process

How Your Company Gets Formed

LLC setup runs in this order, and you will know what stage you are at and what we need from you next.

Structure the Deal

Shareholders, percentages, who manages and what happens if someone leaves. Settled between the founders before a single form is submitted.

Activity and Approval

Activity codes confirmed, ownership conditions checked, trade name reserved and initial approval obtained.

Memorandum Drafted

The memorandum prepared to reflect what you actually agreed, then notarised with the shareholders present or acting under power of attorney.

Premises Registered

Office arranged and the tenancy registered, sized against the visa allocation you will need rather than the minimum that fits.

Licence Issued

Trade licence and establishment card delivered, and the company formally exists as a separate legal person.

Banking, Visas and Tax

Corporate account opened, visas processed, and tax registration handled when the criteria are met.

Paperwork

What You Will Need to Provide

Passport copies for every shareholder and the manager

Emirates ID and visa page for anyone already resident

Two or three proposed trade names

The agreed shareholding split, in writing

Tenancy contract for the registered premises

Corporate documents, attested, where a company is a shareholder

Share capital is declared in the memorandum, and what is expected differs by emirate and by activity, so we confirm it for your case rather than repeating a figure from elsewhere. The UAE government's business services overview sets out the framework, and the Federal Tax Authority covers registration once you are trading. In Dubai the registrar is the Department of Economy and Tourism.

Questions

LLC Questions

How much share capital do I need?

There is no single figure and we will not print one, because it differs by emirate and by activity and the numbers circulating online are frequently out of date. Capital is declared in the memorandum rather than necessarily deposited and frozen. Tell us the activity and emirate and we will confirm what applies to you.

Can a foreigner own an LLC outright?

On most mainland activities, yes. UAE law opened the great majority to full foreign ownership, while keeping an Emirati participation requirement on a defined list of activities of strategic impact. Which list yours falls on is checked at structuring, before you pay anything.

What does the manager on the licence actually do?

The manager is the person the authority recognises as able to act for the company, and that authority is real. They can commit the company within the powers the memorandum gives them. Choose deliberately, write the powers down, and do not treat it as a formality to be filled with whoever is available.

What happens if a shareholder wants to leave?

Shares are transferred by a formal amendment with the authority, usually requiring notarisation and the agreement of the others. Whether that is straightforward or painful depends almost entirely on what the memorandum says about exits. This is why drafting it properly at the start is worth the attention.

Is an LLC the same as a free zone company?

No. Free zones issue their own limited liability forms under their own names, registered by the zone rather than by an economic department, and they trade under different rules. If you are weighing the two, our free zone registration page covers that side.

Should I set up an LLC or stay a sole establishment?

That is a liability question rather than a cost one, and it is worth settling before you read any further here. Our sole proprietorship vs LLC page sets out the test in four questions.

Related Services

Sole Proprietorship vs LLC Mainland Business Registration Free Zone Company Registration Commercial Licence vs Trade Licence Corporate Bank Account Opening

Settle the Shareholding, Then File

Tell us the activity, who owns what and who will manage it. We will come back with the ownership position for your activity, a memorandum that reflects what you actually agreed, and what LLC setup will cost you from the authority and from us, in writing, before you commit to anything.

Set Up Your LLC Call +971 4 395 5747

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