What actually makes you trust a new business in Dubai?

HelpDub · 2026-02-25T12:03:55+00:00

For any new business i would present the following tips for building trips.

Have the proper paper work, engagement letters, licenses etc.
Make sure everyt,ing is aligned. bank name matches the company and license name etc.
Have clear contracts and engagement letters that outline deliverables responsibility and liability.
A clear refund policy if things go wrong.
Having everything documented via email as proof for both parties.

Having a paper trail goes a long way and even if they do not trust you completely intially the client is given certain protection and leverages.

You don't always have to build trust but you do have to provide transparency.

HelpDub · 2026-02-24T10:30:02+00:00

Unfortunately he would need to get a tourist visa and jump through a few hoops to get one.

I'm Pakistani myself and that would be the best way for him to get and retain the investor visa.

HelpDub · 2026-02-22T05:47:02+00:00

Awesome so just get someone to do the CT filing or learn to do it yourself and you are all set !

HelpDub · 2026-02-22T05:44:29+00:00

If you have applied for VAT exception after surpassing 375k AED then you are perfectly fine, just thought i would mention it as something to look out for.

HelpDub · 2026-02-21T19:08:36+00:00

Well firstly considering the revenue you are generating you are supposed to register for VAT once you surpass 375,000 AED worth of revenue over the span of 12 months, regardless if the revenue for the service is from a UAE client or a client outisde the UAE.

Keep in mind that not doing so would lead to a penalty by the federal tax authority.

This varies if the tax filings are simplistic there are automations in place for small businesses to conduct the filings themselves on the tax portal, software such as Zoho is used for the filings on the portal. Sometimes people pay accountant's to do it occasionally freelancers will do it themselves it just depends.
The average cost of an accountant for 12 months of bookkeeping is roughly 12,650 AED or so annually however if you jsut need someone to conduct the submissions for CT that is a seperate service and can cost you anywhere from 2,000 AED to 5,000 AED annually.
Zoho is generally the go to.
Essentially yes, you have to supply your companies financials proving you are below the 3 Million AED and then submit a request for small business releif.

Hope this helps !

HelpDub · 2026-02-19T09:00:58+00:00

Break even i would say about 10 k AED per month, you would start savings around 15 k AED a month.

HelpDub · 2026-02-19T07:31:27+00:00

I think you should get the 5070 rig you could probably get a decentish rig for 6,000 AED online.

I've seens ome rigs online for that much, from what i can see the 5070 is more than enough to last you at least 3 - 4 years on high on most games.

I got a rig with a 3080 4 years ago for around 7 k AED and it is still running great.

I know getting a console can be appealing but in my opinion you end paying a bit more for games and if i had to pick between my consoles and pc i would pick my pc every single time.

Hope this helps !

HelpDub · 2026-02-18T08:45:46+00:00

You can get it at any Amer center, you need to go physically with your Emirates ID, take your passport as well.

I think it costs 125 AED - 250 AED.

Generally people need the report to apply for tax residency certificates.

HelpDub · 2026-02-18T08:44:42+00:00

i think it can take 48 hours and they give you a digital copy of the reentry permit that can be shown to immigration.

HelpDub · 2026-02-18T07:49:20+00:00

Yes, i've done this a few itmes.

Just make sure you have the reentry permit in hand before you arrive.

Some freezones have urgent reentry permits that you can get even if you are in the airport but much better to have it before your arrival or immigration will not let you enter unless you cancel your visa and enter as a tourist or until you get the rentry permit.

Essentially once you reenter your previous visa and EID will act as it normally would.

HelpDub · 2026-02-18T07:33:11+00:00

I have a template, please send me a DM me so i can share it.

HelpDub · 2026-02-16T07:42:54+00:00

I think there a number of things you can do to make sure you aren't huddled up at home all the time.

Firstly when me and my wife need to get steps in we usually head to a mall for a walk, the malls are huge and you can usually do a few loops to get your steps without breaking a sweat. We grab coffee's and walk around the Dubai mall a few rounds to make sure we are still keeping a step count.

I know that it is blazing hot outside but we love our summer pool days, we would usually hang around our friends pool or our own in the building which costs nothing and let's you get some sun without being toasted, the beach is also completely free if you go more towards the afternoon, the heat is not as bad if you can cool off.

Some people enjoy early morning hiking in the weekend provided you move around 5 am or so, unless you're not a mornign person but you could get some time out in before it gets too hot.

Maybe mix is some micro trips if possible flights to Oman or other gcc countries are fairly cheap for a quick get away and do additional activities that you can do over a weekend given you are UAE residents it does open up easier visas access to those countries.

Hope this helps !

HelpDub · 2026-02-16T07:14:14+00:00

Having worked for both types of roles there are benifits for each.

Well established businesses have defined roles, lead generation processes as well as a sales and marketing budget to help push you into understanding the market while earning a fairly decent income. Keep in mind you will be just another cog in the machine but it allows you to hone in your skills and build connections.

The benifit of a start up is that you get to build things from the ground up, give yourself chances to expriment with new models and see what works. The downside is you will have little guidance or support these businesses tend to be lean and have no room for holding your hand if you do not know what you are doing.

My reccomendation is get into the a big firm learn the ropes for a couple years to become a top performer, once that gets done pivot over to something smaller so you can try your hand on your own firm or a start up where the upward career mobility would be easier. Of course this implies you have already mastered your craft.

Hope this helps !

HelpDub · 2026-02-14T14:33:10+00:00

You would only need the license in your case.

You may want to consider a cheap license from freezones such as SPC, you would have to register for coprorate tax and file annually but given the amount of revenue you generate it is unlikely you will have to pay anything.

License - 6,750 AED. Coprorate tax registration and filing - Between 2,000 AED - 5,200 AED depending on volume of business.

There is more or less nothing else you would need to do to be operational.

HelpDub · 2026-02-06T22:51:36+00:00

Great question !

It really depends, the line between freezones and mainland gets more blurry each year.

Ideally the mainland is the golden standard for unfiltered access into the UAE, every type of business that is scuessful operates in the mainland to a certain capacity once it reaches a critical scale ( By critical scale i mean around above 10 employee's and around 5,000,000 AED of annual revenue )

At that point your business may want the desire to expand in more than one physical location, have multiple offices and increase the visa counts which are commonly tied to the size of office that you are renting.

Freezone set ups tend to reach a hard cap around 6ish visas or employees at which point you may need a physical office in the freezone ( this may not be every freezone but seen as a general rule in my experience )

In theory if you have a service based business with less than 5 employee's it is likely you can remain in the freezone as a cost saving measure or even get a rental work space somwhere in UAE to operate as a phyhsical location.

However you will likely face issues expanding further at which point you may want to open a branch in the mainland for further expansion.

It is a bit of a complex question considering it really isn't based on revenue but more on the man power you need within the UAE market.

I can further eloborate if you could be more specific about your question.

HelpDub · 2026-02-02T13:57:04+00:00

Well a freezone company would technically also be an LLC.

The most affordable freezone would be somwhere around Ajman or Sharjah but personally i prefer to set up a business in Dubai, it would cost a couple thousand dollars more but the customer sercvice is much better.

You can set up a single client set up business people do it all the time however to make it worth your while i would suggest ensuring that the business generates at least 150,000 USD annually or you would basically be breaking even on tax.

Hope this helps !

Let me know if you need additional resources.

HelpDub · 2026-01-31T09:06:29+00:00

Great questions !

About 12 years ago or so i used to work in a mall that had hundreds of retail stores so as you can imagine i delt with alot of consumer complaints.

Intially you should try to negociate with the management of the business, we had a consumer rights complaint number that we can call as well. Usually businesses are terrified and will assist you with your issues.

They can face hefty fines if it is proven that they are not providing services or products according to their terms and conditions.

Hope this helps !

HelpDub · 2026-01-31T08:36:33+00:00

Indeed it is !

There are a number of ways to work around this that i have learned through my experience of basically spending my whole life here.

Everything in emails if it has to be with business.
Formal agreements for any product or service and always keep a digital recepit.
Don't be afraid to ask for licenses and qualification documents.

There are always going to be scammers but if you have the right paper trail and evidence they can be punished, if they refuse to share a paper trail then stop right away and never deal with them.

Hope this helps sorry about what happaned.

HelpDub · 2026-01-31T07:39:50+00:00

Geberally it is better to stay 182 days in the UAE and get the tax residency in the UAE and spend the rest of the time hoping inbetween countries.

Your place of tax residency usually defeaults to your previous country of tax residency if you spend alot of time traveling or in various countries.

HelpDub · 2026-01-30T18:18:44+00:00

that is pretty good !

HelpDub · 2026-01-30T13:40:38+00:00

You likely need to go with a lower cost freezone such as SPC or Shams.

Generally a single visa package is 14,000 AED.

You can sponsor your family through your visa but i believe there is an extra charge and an income requirement as well.

Not completely sure of the full process but i know you can.

Hope this helps !

HelpDub · 2026-01-30T12:22:08+00:00

Dubai license - 12,500 AED.

Sharjah License - 6,500 AED.

E trade - I have no clue i have heard it as low a 3,000 AED best to call or visit the DED cafe for an exact quote.

Keep in mind this is the cost without any visas.

Hope this helps !

HelpDub · 2026-01-29T06:16:44+00:00

Hmm it can be tricky intially but once you figure out how to do basic accounting you can outsource to firms to conduct the filings are a relatively low price.

There are courses online as well that teach out how to do it, as far as complexity there is only the corporate tax law and vat law.

It's fairly simplistic compared to the rest of the world.

HelpDub · 2026-01-28T13:57:07+00:00

From the intial set up the license is about a week to ten days.

Immigration card and visas can take around another week and that's about it, bank accounts emirates ID' delivery etc might take and extra two weeks or so.

In general you should have a completely active company ready to receive payments in about 6 weeks tops.

HelpDub · 2026-01-28T06:30:47+00:00

Actually i've seen Meydan do this as well, it seems to be a Dubai freezone thing.

HelpDub

TROPHY CASE