Can I convert from Free Zone to Mainland later?

Yes, but it usually means getting a new license with new fees. It's much cheaper to choose the right setup from the start. That's one of the biggest things we help people avoid during consultations.

What are the annual renewal costs?

License renewal, visa renewals, and office or shared space. We give you the full first-year and second-year picture in writing before you commit.

Do I need to pay corporate tax?

9% applies to taxable profit above AED 375,000. Qualifying Free Zone companies may pay 0% on qualifying income if they meet specific conditions. We'll walk you through where your business is likely to land and refer you to a tax advisor for formal advice.

Business Setup in UAE

BUSINESS SETUP

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Tell Us What You're Building. We'll Handle the Rest.

License, visas, bank account, and everything after. You focus on the business. We deal with the authorities, the paperwork and the timelines.

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Free Zone or Mainland? Here's the Honest Comparison.

Most of what you'll read online is out of date. Here's where things actually stand.

Criteria	Free Zone	Mainland
Ownership	100% ownership	100% ownership, across eligible sectors.
Selling inside the UAE	Not directly. You need a mainland distributor, agent, or a dual license.	Sell anywhere in the UAE, to anyone.
Government Contracts	Generally not eligible	Eligible
Office requirement	Shared space is usually enough	Physical premises with Ejari required
Visa quota	Tied to your package	Tied to office space
Corporate tax	0% on qualifying income, otherwise 9%	9% on taxable profit above AED 375,000
Setup cost (first year)	Need details for the right cost	Need details for the right cost

Choose Free Zone

Your customers are outside the UAE, you're trading internationally, or you want the lowest entry cost.

Choose Mainland

Your customers are in the UAE, opening a shop/office, hiring a larger team, or bidding for government work.

We Fix the Most Common Mistake

People set up in a Free Zone, then discover they can't invoice UAE clients directly. Converting later costs more than choosing correctly the first time.

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What Will It Cost?

It depends on three things, and any quote that skips them isn't a real quote.

Some require additional government approvals, while others don't.
Free Zone pricing varies widely between authorities. Mainland depends on your activity and whether you need premises.
Usually the highest additional cost, and it scales with no. of people you need.

Seen the ads with a low cost? That is usually the cost for just the license, with 1 or 2 business activities and no visas. That price may not apply to your business.

The cost nobody shows you is the renewal cost. Every year, forever. Businesses budget carefully for setup and get caught in year two. We give you year one and year two together, in writing, before you commit.

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WHY AENIX

Most Consultants Stop at the License. We Start There.

Aenix isn't a licence broker. We're a UAE logistics and business operations company, which means the day your licence is issued is the day our actual work begins.

One partner. One point of accountability. From registration to your first delivery.

Our clients don't just come back, they refer us. Because when something goes wrong, we don't disappear. We show up.