Most "cost of starting a business in Dubai" content lands in one of two places: a single vague number that doesn't hold up once you're actually filing paperwork, or a lead-generation calculator that won't show a figure until you hand over your contact details. This guide is neither — it's a real, itemized breakdown built from the actual license cost data we've published across more than twenty specific business activities, plus every recurring fee that sits underneath the license itself.
What This Breakdown Covers
This guide covers the universal cost stack every Dubai business pays regardless of activity, license fee ranges across a representative spread of business types we've priced in detail, and the costs people consistently forget to budget for. It doesn't replace the activity-specific breakdown for your exact business — each figure below links to the full guide for that activity.
The Universal Cost Stack: What Every Dubai Business Pays
- Trade name reservation — AED 620 to AED 1,000, one-time, regardless of activity.
- DET initial approval — around AED 120, one-time.
- Establishment card (company immigration file) — AED 1,500 to AED 3,000 one-time on mainland, often bundled into the license package on free zones — this is the registration that has to exist before you can sponsor any employee or investor visa.
- Investor or residence visa, per person — AED 4,000 to AED 7,000 all-in, covering the entry permit (AED 500–1,200), medical fitness test (AED 300–700), Emirates ID (AED 270–370), and visa stamping (AED 1,000–3,000).
- Staff medical insurance — AED 1,200 to AED 2,000 per employee annually, mandatory for anyone sponsored on a UAE residence visa.
- Ejari registration — AED 220 to AED 500-plus, required before a license tied to physical premises can be finalized.
- Corporate bank account minimum balance — not a government fee, but real capital you need available — typically AED 25,000 to AED 250,000 depending on the bank tier, separate from setup cost entirely.
License Fee Range by Business Type: What We've Actually Priced
License cost varies enormously by activity — a solo consultant and a wholesale jewelry trader aren't paying anywhere near the same regulatory bill. Here's the DET trade license fee range across a representative spread of the activities we've broken down in full:
| Business Type | DET License Fee (Year One, AED) |
|---|---|
| Solo freelancer (E-trader route) | ~1,370 total, not a license range |
| Consultancy (professional license) | 3,500 – 5,500 |
| IT/software (professional) | 3,500 – 5,500 |
| Photography studio (stills only) | 7,500 – 15,000 |
| Jewelry trading (retail) | 10,000 – 15,000 |
| Tea shop / small F&B | 12,000 – 18,000 |
| Salon and beauty | 12,000 – 20,000 |
| Pharmacy | 12,000 – 18,000 |
| Restaurant | 12,000 – 20,000 |
| General trading | 12,500 – 15,000, plus AED 15,000 DED activity fee on mainland |
License fee alone is only part of the picture — regulatory approvals layered on top (municipality, civil defence, sector-specific bodies) typically add another 40% to 100% on top of the base license fee before you reach a realistic total. We've broken down the full regulatory stack, not just the license fee, for each of these activities individually — see our general trading, jewelry trading, pharmacy, and photography and videography guides for a full picture beyond the license fee alone.
The Hidden Costs Most People Forget
- The market fee — calculated as roughly 5% of your annual rent and billed alongside your license renewal, this catches people who budgeted for the license fee alone and forgot rent-linked charges scale with it.
- Staff medical insurance — easy to forget when budgeting a solo setup, then it becomes a real recurring line item the moment you sponsor your first employee.
- Corporate bank account minimum balance — not technically a setup cost, but capital that needs to sit untouched in the account, which catches founders who budgeted every dirham toward setup and left nothing for banking.
- Renewal costs — close to the first year's licensing spend repeats annually — a first-year total isn't a one-time number, it's closer to your steady-state annual cost.
- Fit-out and inventory — for any business needing physical premises, fit-out and initial stock frequently exceed the entire regulatory cost stack combined, and rarely show up in "license cost" estimates at all.
Total First-Year Cost by Business Size
Solo Freelancer or Consultant, No Staff
The lightest entry point — an E-trader license or solo professional license keeps total first-year cost in the low thousands to around AED 18,000, with no visa or medical insurance cost if you're not sponsoring anyone.
Small Service Business, 1-3 Staff
A consultancy, IT company, or similar professional service with a small team typically lands AED 20,000 to AED 45,000 in year one once visas, insurance, and the establishment card are factored in on top of the license.
Retail or F&B With Physical Premises
Municipality approvals, civil defence clearance, and Ejari push this bracket to roughly AED 20,000 to AED 41,000 in regulatory cost alone — before fit-out, which for F&B specifically often matches or exceeds the licensing cost itself.
Regulated or High-Compliance Business
Pharmacy, jewelry trading, and similar activities carrying sector-specific approvals (DHA, DNFBP, SIRA) typically run AED 22,000 to AED 65,000-plus in regulatory cost before facility fit-out or inventory, which for these activities can add AED 50,000 to AED 200,000-plus on top.
Free Zone vs Mainland: Does It Change the Total?
Not as dramatically as headline pricing suggests — a cheap free zone license often ends up close to mainland cost once a visa and physical presence are added, and mainland carries activity-specific fees free zones don't. We've compared the two in full, including a real cost table, in our free zone vs mainland comparison.
Why "Cheapest License" Isn't the Same as "Total Cost"
A license fee is the number every provider leads with because it's the easiest one to make look small — but it's rarely more than a third of what you'll actually spend reaching operational status. Establishment card, visas, insurance, Ejari, sector-specific approvals, and the market fee are all real, unavoidable costs sitting on top of whatever license fee got you in the door. The activities in this guide with the widest gap between "license fee" and "true first-year cost" are exactly the ones where regulatory approvals — not the license itself — drive the real number.
Why Get an Accurate Cost Breakdown From Takween Advisory
Every business's real total depends on activity, structure, staff count, and premises — the ranges in this guide are a starting point, not a quote. Takween Advisory has priced out the full regulatory stack for dozens of specific business activities and gives every client an itemized breakdown before any commitment, so there's no gap between what you budgeted and what it actually costs. Book a free consultation to get an accurate, activity-specific cost breakdown for your business.
True Cost of Starting a Business in Dubai: Universal Cost Stack Table
Here's a quick-reference summary of every universal cost item covered in this guide.
| Item | Estimated Cost (AED) | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Trade name reservation | 620 – 1,000 | One-time |
| DET initial approval | ~120 | One-time |
| Establishment card | 1,500 – 3,000 | One-time (mainland) |
| Investor/residence visa, per person | 4,000 – 7,000 | Every 2-3 years |
| Staff medical insurance, per employee | 1,200 – 2,000 | Annual |
| Ejari registration | 220 – 500+ | Annual, tied to lease |
| Market fee | ~5% of annual rent | Annual |
| Bank account minimum balance | 25,000 – 250,000 | Held, not spent |