How to open a company in Dubai as a Russian in 2026

A free zone licence is issued within days and online, while a bank account takes weeks. What to choose, what the first year costs, the taxes paid by the company and an owner from Russia, and why banks refuse.

In detail

In 2026 a Russian citizen sets up a company in Dubai the same way as a citizen of any other country: 100% in their own name, with no local partner, and a free zone licence is often issued within days and online. The cheapest licence without visas in neighbouring Sharjah costs about $1,600 a year, in Dubai's own free zones about $3,500. But the licence is the fast part. What a Russian owner waits for longest is the bank account, and money is most often lost on the wrong zone and activity. Below: what to choose, what the first year costs, the path step by step and the taxes paid by the company and its owner. Turnkey prices are on our UAE company registration page.

Can a Russian open a company in Dubai in 2026

Yes. The UAE has not joined Western sanctions, and since 2021 the Commercial Companies Law has allowed foreigners to own 100% of a company not only in free zones but also on the mainland, for most activities. There are no separate bans on Russian citizens at registration.

Restrictions begin where money comes in. UAE banks settle in dollars through US correspondent banks, so owners from Russia are checked longer than usual, and individuals and companies on sanctions lists will be refused almost everywhere. The free zone registrar also screens the founder, and a link to sanctions lists will stop the case at that stage.

Over the past two years the Emirates' standing with banks has improved. In February 2024 the country left the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force, from 5 August 2025 the European Commission removed it from the list of high-risk money laundering countries, and from 1 January 2026 the Russian Finance Ministry removed the UAE from its list of offshore zones. For an owner from Russia this means fewer extra questions from European counterparties and from the Russian tax office.

Free zone, mainland or offshore company: what to choose

The first decision is not the emirate but the type of company. It determines the price, the right to work with clients inside the country and the number of visas.

There are more than forty free zones in the Emirates, each with its own list of activities and prices. In Dubai these include Meydan, the International Free Zone Authority, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre and Dubai Internet City, and nearby are the zones of Sharjah, Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah. Zones in neighbouring emirates are cheaper, and the owner can still live and work in Dubai: a UAE visa is valid across the country.

Since 3 March 2025 Dubai Executive Council Resolution No. 11 has been in force: free zone companies, except those in the Dubai International Financial Centre, may operate on the Dubai mainland under a separate licence or temporary permit from the Department of Economy and Tourism. Such activity is accounted for separately, and mainland income does not qualify for the 0% rate for free zone companies.

Which free zone to choose in Dubai and neighbouring emirates

Zones differ not only in price but in which activities they allow, how many visas a flexi desk gives and how banks see them. Below are the zones most often chosen by owners from Russia and the former Soviet Union.

The rule of choice is simple: activities and number of visas first, price second. A zone at $1,600 a year pays off only if your activity is on its list and banks are willing to work with that zone's companies. A prestigious Dubai address, on the other hand, makes sense when the company will have staff, an office and turnover it needs to explain to banks and counterparties.

Documents needed to register a company in Dubai

• the founder's and director's international passport with at least 6 months of validity left;
• a colour photo on a white background;
• proof of residential address: a bank statement or utility bill;
• a short description of the business and planned activities;
• for a corporate founder - articles, a registry extract and a resolution to set up a subsidiary, with consular legalisation and an English translation.

A Russian internal passport is not accepted for registration. Documents of a Russian corporate founder go through legalisation, which adds several weeks, so it is simpler for the owner to set up the company in their own name.

How much it costs to open a company in Dubai

The dirham is pegged to the dollar at 3.6725 dirhams per dollar. The amounts below are rounded up and show free zone and government fees, excluding our services.

The total for the most common option - a Dubai free zone company with an owner's visa - is from $6,900 for the first year. This excludes health insurance, the bank, bookkeeping and our support. The licence and desk are renewed every year, so count not only the start but the upkeep: many zones give a discount for paying several years ahead. Our manager in the chat will calculate the cost of support for your zone and number of visas, and turnkey prices for each zone are on the UAE company registration page.

How to open a company in Dubai: step by step

1. Define the activities. The licence is issued for a specific list, and it determines the zone, the price and the bank's questions. The activities in the licence must match real payments.
2. Choose a zone or the mainland and a package: without visas, with one visa or with a quota for staff.
3. Check and reserve the name and get the registrar's initial approval - usually 1-3 working days.
4. Submit the founder's documents: passport, photo, proof of address, and for a corporate founder its legalised corporate documents. The registrar screens the founder and may refuse without giving reasons.
5. Sign the articles and the desk agreement and receive the licence. In free zones this takes from a few days to 1-3 weeks, and many zones accept an electronic signature.
6. Obtain the establishment card and the owner's visa: entry to the UAE, medical test, fingerprints, Emirates ID - about 2-4 weeks.
7. Open a bank account - the longest step, from 2 weeks to 2-3 months.
8. Register for corporate tax within 3 months of incorporation, and for VAT if turnover exceeds the threshold. Submit beneficial owner details to the registrar.

From decision to a working account usually takes 1-3 months. The licence is the fastest part and the bank the slowest, so the bank package is prepared right away, not after the licence is issued.

Can you open a company in Dubai remotely

The company itself - yes. Most free zones register it online: documents are filed electronically, the articles are signed with an electronic signature and the licence arrives in your online account. A non-resident needs neither to travel nor to hold a visa for this.

That is where remote ends. For the visa the owner enters the UAE, takes a medical test and gives fingerprints. The bank almost always wants to see the signatory in a branch at least once. So the realistic plan is to register the company from home and then come for 1-2 weeks to get the visa and attend the bank meeting.

Investor visa and residence through a company

A free zone or mainland company gives its owner a residence visa, usually for 2 years with renewal, and the owner can sponsor visas for a spouse and children. The number of visas depends on the package and office: a flexi desk gives one or two visas, separate premises more. An offshore company gives no visas.

A regular residence visa lapses if the owner stays outside the UAE for more than 180 days in a row. Those who spend little time in the Emirates should compare it with the 10-year golden visa, which has no such limit: the conditions are in UAE golden visa. Life, taxes and the cost of moving are covered in the UAE in 2026: residence, taxes and cost of living.

A bank account for the company: what banks check for Russians

Registering a company does not guarantee an account. The bank decides on its own and does not have to explain a refusal. For a company with an owner from Russia it usually requests:

• the licence, articles and beneficial owner details;
• the signatory's passport, residence visa and Emirates ID;
• the desk agreement or office lease;
• a business description: clients, suppliers, payment countries and expected turnover;
• proof of the origin of the share capital and first receipts.

Refusals most often come down to four reasons: no real presence beyond a virtual desk; owners or counterparties linked to sanctioned countries; turnover and payment countries that do not match the licence; unproven origin of funds. Many UAE banks restrict rouble transfers and settlements with Russian banks, so the incoming payment flow is planned before applying. More on personal and corporate accounts in opening a bank account in the UAE, and our account support on the UAE business account page.

What taxes a UAE company pays in 2026

All companies must register for corporate tax, including free zone companies and companies without profit. A new company registers within 3 months of incorporation, and late registration carries a penalty of AED 10,000, about $2,800. It is waived if the first return is filed within 7 months of the end of the first tax period. The return is due within 9 months of the year end, even with zero tax. Small business relief is not available to qualifying free zone persons or members of large multinational groups. More on rates on the UAE taxes page.

Economic substance and reporting

The separate economic substance rules, under which companies filed notifications and reports for years, no longer apply in the UAE: Cabinet Resolution No. 98 of 2024 limited them to 2019-2022. But the requirement of real presence has not gone away - it moved into corporate tax. A free zone company that wants to pay 0% must carry out its core activity in the UAE, have staff and expenses here proportionate to its income and file audited accounts.

• Bookkeeping follows international financial reporting standards; records are kept for 7 years for corporate tax and 5 years for VAT.
• An audit is mandatory for qualifying free zone persons and for revenue above AED 50 million, and many zones require audited accounts to renew the licence.
• Beneficial owners with a stake of 25% or more are entered in the company register, and details are filed with the registrar and updated on every change.
• Electronic invoicing becomes mandatory: from 1 January 2027 for companies with revenue of AED 50 million or more, and from 1 July 2027 for the rest.

Murblz specialists handle bookkeeping and audit in the Emirates: details on the UAE audit and accounting page.

Taxes for an owner from Russia: controlled company and information exchange

If the owner remains a Russian tax resident, the UAE company is a controlled foreign company for them. They notify the tax office of their stake in a foreign company and of the controlled company itself, and its profit of up to 10 million roubles a year is not taxed in Russia. Dividends the company pays to its owner are subject to Russian personal income tax. More on the controlled foreign companies page.

The UAE takes part in the automatic exchange of financial information, so account details may reach the tax office of the owner's country of residence. This is not a reason for fear but a reminder: a Russian resident reports foreign accounts and income on their own. Those moving to the Emirates for good should work out in advance how to stop being a Russian tax resident: the procedure is in how to become a Russian tax non-resident.

What changed in 2025-2026

• March 2025. Dubai Executive Council Resolution No. 11 opened the Dubai mainland to free zone companies under a separate licence or temporary permit.
• August 2025. The European Commission removed the UAE from its list of high-risk money laundering countries.
• September 2025. The Finance Ministry approved a phased move to electronic invoicing from 2027.
• January 2026. The Russian Finance Ministry removed the UAE from its list of offshore zones.
• August 2026. Ministerial Decision No. 131 extended small business relief to tax periods ending 31 December 2029.

Risks and pitfalls

• A cheap zone without the right activity. If your activity is not on the zone's list or costs twice as much there, the saving at the start turns into moving the company.
• A virtual desk. It is enough for the licence, but often not for the bank and the 0% rate.
• Missed tax registration. The AED 10,000 penalty reaches even a company without profit.
• Mainland work without a permit. A free zone company selling to UAE residents without a licence or permit risks penalties and its 0% rate.
• An account that gets closed. A bank may close an account with notice and without explanation, most often after an unanswered document request or payments outside the profile.
• A visa that lapses. A regular residence visa ends after 180 days outside the UAE in a row.

If you already have a company in the British Virgin Islands, you can move it to Ras Al Khaimah instead of closing it: how this works is explained on the BVI to UAE redomiciliation page.

How we help

The law does not forbid setting up a company in Dubai on your own. But mistakes cost more than the fees: a zone where your activity costs twice as much, a licence that does not match real payments, a virtual desk without the number of visas you need and a missed tax registration with a penalty of about $2,800. Murblz specialists choose the zone and activity for your business, register the company, arrange visas, prepare the bank package and register the company for tax. Our manager in the chat will calculate the cost of support.

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