Why owners choose us for UAE company formation
We are a small, depth-led firm that opens companies in the UAE for business owners from the UK, Ireland and Australia — whether you are moving a business you already run or building a new one. You deal with Gareth from the first call onwards. We speak to the bank directly about the company before we set it up, so the activity, the structure and the documents line up with what they need, and we stay with you year after year. If the UAE is not the right move for your business, we will say so.
Speak to us about your situationOn a straightforward case a UAE setup takes about three to four weeks end to end. What it costs depends on the activity, the free zone and the number of visas, so we set the exact figure in the first conversation — the first-year and renewal costs for a typical one-person company are set out in full on our UAE company registration process page.
What actually makes the difference
Plenty of firms will sell you a licence. The difference shows up later, at the bank, at renewal, or when something needs fixing. We approach formation from the legal substance — backed by formal UAE-law training — not a product catalogue.
- You deal with Gareth directly — the same person from the first call onwards, not handed between departments.
- Long experience — Gareth has worked in this industry since 2009 and in the UAE since 2013, across hundreds of company setups, and the team came from inside the large UAE free zones — the authorities that register and licence companies in their own area — where the licences are issued.
- We speak to the bank directly about the company — to the people who decide on new accounts, including at Mashreq and Emirates NBD. Before we set anything up, they tell us if they see a problem and what they would need in place to open the account.
- One firm for the whole job — the company, the bank account, the visas, and the accounts and tax each year.
- We stay small on purpose. If the UAE is not right for you, we will tell you.
The company formation agent you deal with
Gareth has been opening companies since 2009 and has worked in the UAE since 2013, and built Start Business Services to bring the whole job under one roof.
Everyone on the team worked inside the large UAE free zones before joining. They used to be the people issuing the licences. They have seen the process from the other side, so they can read how a free zone or a bank is likely to respond to a company, and what tends to make either of them uneasy, before anything is sent in. Most of the time, you are dealing with Gareth himself.
How we get the bank account right before the company exists
The bank account is the part of moving to the UAE where most people come unstuck. The way the company is set up — the activity it will trade under, who owns it, how it is structured — decides which banks will work with you, so we settle that before anything is filed.
At Start Business Services we look at the formation, the activity and the ownership, then speak to the bank's compliance team about the company — the people who decide on new accounts — before we apply to the free zone. They tell us if they see a problem and what they would want in place to open the account. Then we set the company up to match what they told us.
We have spent years working with banks including Mashreq and Emirates NBD, so we know how each one tends to respond, and where an application usually runs into trouble.
One firm for the whole job
We handle everything you and the company will need, and we do not disappear once the licence is issued. The company, the bank account, the visas and Emirates identity cards — and then the bookkeeping, the yearly accounts and the tax.
We take you, your staff and your family to the appointments. For tax back home, we work alongside qualified tax advisers in the UK, the UAE and Australia, or with your own adviser if you have one — and we keep in touch with them directly, so you are not left holding the two sides together. Most of the real work comes in the first year, and that is where we stay involved.
Who we work with
Owners with a real business, moving or expanding into the UAE as part of a longer-term plan — whether the business is well established or just starting out. People who have already decided the UAE is right and just want it done properly. They come from the UK, Ireland, Australia, Europe, South Africa and Asia. We know the UK well, but we are not limited to UK owners.
Who we turn away
We turn away two kinds of enquiry: people whose only reason for coming is to lower a tax bill, and anyone who is not really going to run a business — a company on paper and nothing more.
A new business or a startup is fine; what matters is that there is a genuine business behind it. A setup built only around tax tends to fall apart later, at the bank and at renewal, so we would rather say so at the start.
"Working with Gareth and the team was the best experience I could have asked for. I really value simplicity and efficiency, and the team delivered both."
— Matthew Williams · Google review
"The bank account opening process was simple — Gareth helped me with some of the questions at the application stage I would have got wrong. The entire service was worth the money and, more importantly, caused me no stress whatsoever."
— Peter Komolafe · Google review
"My wife and I decided to close our business in Australia and relocate to Dubai to reopen it — on very short notice. We couldn't have managed everything without Gareth and his team. We've since started a second business with them too."
— Craig McDonald · Google review
Questions owners ask
How experienced are you?
Gareth has been opening companies since 2009 and has worked in the UAE since 2013, and everyone on the team came from inside the large UAE free zones before joining. You are dealing with people who have run this process from both sides.
Do you only work with British owners?
No. We work with owners from the UK, Ireland, Australia, Europe, South Africa and Asia. The UAE side runs the same way wherever you are moving from.
Do you handle the tax side back home?
We are not your tax adviser at home, but we work closely with qualified tax advisers in the UK, the UAE and Australia, and with your own adviser if you have one. We handle the UAE side and keep the two joined up.
Can I speak to people you have worked with?
Yes. A number of our clients are happy to speak with someone in a similar position. Ask when we first talk and we will connect you.
Thinking about moving or expanding your business into the UAE?
A short, no-cost conversation: tell us what the business does and where it is heading, and we will tell you whether we are the right firm — and how we would do it.
Speak to us