Company · Residence · Family
Business setup and family visas, coordinated with a local consultant.
Build a practical UAE setup plan that connects your company, your own residence and the move for your spouse and children.
Discuss your setup →A business-owner move involves several connected decisions: the company’s activity and licence, the founder’s residence application, and any dependent applications. Through Dubai Tax Resident, you can connect with a local consultant to coordinate that process instead of trying to piece together separate applications yourself.
Our referral partner GenZone can assist with full business setup, the owner’s visa process and family visas. The consultant confirms the suitable jurisdiction, exact services, documents and fees for your circumstances before you proceed. “Full setup” should always be defined in a written proposal.
We are an independent information and referral website. The service agreement is with the provider. We may receive a commission through our partner link.
Who this coordinated service suits
This is a practical starting point if you genuinely need a UAE company and want the residence and family arrangements planned around it: for example, a consultant with international clients, an online business owner or a founder relocating with a spouse and children.
A company is not automatically the right starting point for every mover. If you will remain employed by an overseas company or join a qualifying family sponsor, compare those routes first in the residence-route planner and personal checklist. The goal is a setup that fits what you will actually do.
What to ask the consultant to coordinate
Your company and owner residence
- Business activity, ownership structure and an appropriate mainland or free zone jurisdiction.
- Licence, incorporation documents and the workspace or office arrangement required for the chosen setup.
- The immigration arrangements and visa allocation connected with that company.
- Your entry or status-change process, residence application, medical and Emirates ID steps where applicable.
Agree who handles each stage, what needs your signature or attendance, and which government or third-party costs are included.
Your spouse and children
- Whether you can sponsor each proposed dependent and when the applications can begin.
- Marriage and birth documents, with any required attestation and translation.
- Accommodation evidence, insurance and any age-related medical or other requirements.
- Application timing, fees and renewals for each person.
Dependent visas are separate applications. They should be included in the plan and quote by person, rather than assumed to come automatically with the company.
A clear process from brief to working setup
- Explain the actual business and household. Describe what you sell, where clients are, who owns or manages other companies, how many people will move and your current immigration position.
- Compare the suitable structure. The consultant should explain why the proposed jurisdiction, activities and visa allocation fit. Our free zone versus mainland guide helps you prepare the questions.
- Approve an itemised proposal. Confirm service fees, government charges, third-party costs, exclusions, renewal costs and the steps requiring your presence.
- Complete the company and owner-residence steps. Follow the agreed sequence and retain company documents, application references and receipts.
- Complete the family and settlement steps. Coordinate the dependent applications once sponsorship requirements are met, then align housing, insurance, banking and school arrangements with the actual timeline.
Some preparation can happen before arrival, while other steps require the applicant’s presence or an issued document. Treat any timeline as a case-specific estimate, not a promise of approval by a particular date.
Know the first-year cost and the renewal cost
Ask for two figures: the cash needed to complete the initial setup, and the expected ongoing cost of keeping it compliant. A cheap initial headline can omit costs that become important when a family or several visas are involved.
| Cost group | What the proposal should clarify |
|---|---|
| Company | Registration, licence, activity approvals, workspace, immigration files and visa allocation where applicable. |
| Owner residence | Entry or status change, residence processing, medical examination and Emirates ID charges, as applicable. |
| Dependants | Separate application costs for each person, document work, insurance and any applicable medical checks. |
| Ongoing obligations | Licence and office renewals, immigration renewals, accounting, applicable tax registration and filing, and any additional professional services. |
| Other cash requirements | Housing deposits, insurance, schooling and any banking minimum balance or refundable deposit, where relevant. Separate tied-up cash from a fee. |
Use the income and living-cost calculator to compare the household effect. Enter only expenses you actually bear and avoid counting the same business cost both inside your income figure and again as an extra expense.
Confirm the services outside the core applications
Bank account assistance, bookkeeping, tax advice, health insurance, accommodation, school placement and document attestation may be separate services. Ask the consultant which are included, which can be arranged for an extra fee and which remain your responsibility. A bank makes its own onboarding decision; a consultant cannot guarantee approval.
Likewise, company formation and a residence visa do not by themselves establish departure-country non-residence or guarantee a particular UAE corporate-tax treatment. If you retain a European company, home, business activity or income, have the cross-border position reviewed separately. The formation proposal should identify any need for specialist advice rather than treating it as already resolved.
Prepare a useful consultation brief
You do not need to have every answer before the first conversation. Bring a short description of your activity, client countries, ownership, intended move date and household. Mention any existing UAE visa, overseas company or deadline that could affect the sequence. Use secure channels requested by the provider for passport copies and other sensitive documents.
For the family’s practical preparation, our spouse and children relocation guide explains the decisions to coordinate alongside the applications.
Common questions before you proceed
Can the consultant handle the company and the family visa process?
Yes, those are the connected services to discuss. Your own residence and each dependent’s eligibility, documents and application need to be checked, with the exact scope confirmed in the proposal.
Does every family member’s visa come with the company package?
Do not assume it does. Confirm the number of owner or employee visas supported by the company, then the dependent applications and all per-person fees separately.
Do I need to move the whole family at once?
Not necessarily. Ask the consultant to plan the sponsor’s residence and the dependants’ applications around the required evidence, current status, housing and school timing.
Can you quote a fixed price before reviewing my situation?
The suitable structure and costs depend on activity, jurisdiction, visa numbers, family applications and the person’s current status. Ask for a written, itemised quote that includes both first-year and renewal costs.
Plan the company and the family move together
Speak directly with the consultant about the business setup, owner residence and family applications you need.
Start company setup & visa →This link takes you directly to our referral partner. We may earn a commission. The provider confirms its services and fees with you; applications remain subject to the relevant authority’s requirements and decision.
General process guidance checked 26 October 2026 against Dubai Government business setup information and UAE Government family residence guidance. Actual provider scope and pricing must be confirmed in your proposal.
Frequently asked questions
Often yes, once sponsorship requirements are met, but dependent visas are separate applications. Ask the consultant whether you can sponsor each proposed dependant and when applications can begin, and prepare marriage and birth documents with any required attestation and translation, accommodation evidence, insurance and medical requirements. Each dependant should be quoted per person.
Full setup should always be defined in a written proposal. It typically covers the business activity and jurisdiction, licence, incorporation documents, required workspace, the immigration file and visa allocation, and the owner’s entry, residence, medical and Emirates ID steps. Bank assistance, bookkeeping, tax advice, insurance and school placement may be separate services.
Usually the company and owner residence come first, because dependent applications are coordinated once the sponsor’s requirements are met. A company is not the right starting point for everyone, though: if you will stay employed by an overseas company or join a qualifying family sponsor, compare those routes first. Treat any timeline as a case-specific estimate.
No. A bank makes its own onboarding decision and a consultant cannot guarantee approval. Likewise, company formation and a residence visa do not by themselves establish non-residence in your departure country or guarantee a particular UAE corporate-tax treatment. If you keep a European company, home, business activity or income, have the cross-border position reviewed separately.