UAE offshore company: RAK ICC or JAFZA, costs and uses

The price always has two lines: the registry’s government fees plus the mandatory corporate service provider (CSP), which runs around AED 12,000 per year. All-in from our own practice: RAK ICC about USD 3,500 (≈ AED 12,850) per year; JAFZA Offshore about USD 6,000 (≈ AED 22,000) in year 1 (its ~AED 10,000 government incorporation plus CSP), then about USD 3,950 (≈ AED 14,500) per year. Always confirmed per structure, always itemised.

Holding: shares in other companies, real estate, portfolios, IP and international invoicing without UAE operations. It cannot trade inside the UAE, cannot rent an office and cannot sponsor residence visas; if you need any of those, you need an operating company instead.

RAK ICC is the default for holding shares and international assets: around USD 3,500 per year all-in with the CSP. JAFZA Offshore costs more at the start (~AED 10,000 government incorporation, ≈ USD 6,000 all-in in year 1) and can own freehold property in Dubai; after that it costs about USD 3,950 per year. We recommend one or the other depending on how you will use it.

Offshore companies are commonly used to hold Dubai freehold property in designated areas, and JAFZA Offshore is the usual choice for this. Acceptance requirements are set by the Dubai Land Department and depend on the registry and the case, so we confirm the current requirements for your structure before you commit.

No. Offshore entities have no immigration file, no establishment card and no visa quota. Founders who need UAE residence pair the offshore holding with an operating free zone company, which carries the visas and the daily banking.

It is the hardest structure to open an account for in the UAE, because it has no premises, visas or activity in the country. Accounts are opened when the structure is well documented: identified assets, declared UBOs and a justified source of funds. No provider can guarantee an offshore account.

UAE offshore entities sit within the federal corporate tax framework, and registration obligations depend on the structure and its income. We review the corporate tax position when setting up the company.

No. Ultimate Beneficial Owners are declared to the registry through the registered agent, and any bank will require full UBO disclosure. What the structure offers is legitimate separation of assets and confidentiality from the general public, not from regulators or banks.

Incorporation typically takes days once the agent KYC file is complete (passports, proof of address, references and the source-of-funds note). Asset transfers follow at their own pace, and the bank account, if needed, takes the longest.

The offshore entity holds the shares; an operating free zone company underneath runs the business, carries the visas and does the daily banking. Assets stay separated from operating risk, and each layer does the one job it is good at. We design the pair as one structure with one quote.

Two lines each year: the registry renewal and the mandatory corporate service provider, at around AED 12,000 per year and usually more than half of the cost. All-in, budget about USD 3,500 (≈ AED 12,850) per year for RAK ICC and about USD 3,950 (≈ AED 14,500) for JAFZA Offshore. No lease, no visas, no immigration file.

Fully legal in the UAE and formed under registry regulations; recognition abroad depends on each country’s rules on foreign entities, and disclosure obligations in your tax residence always apply. We only set up declared, compliant structures.