Dubai Mainland

Trade Freely Across All of UAE

A DET mainland license gives you unrestricted access to every UAE customer — consumers, businesses, and government contracts. No distributor. No intermediary. Just your business, operating anywhere.

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What is Mainland

Licensed by Dubai DET — no market restrictions

A mainland company is licensed by Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) — the authority that replaced the old DED in 2021. A DET license gives you the right to trade anywhere in the UAE without restriction: any customer, any location, across all seven emirates.

Since the 2021 amendments to the Commercial Companies Law, most commercial and industrial activities allow 100% foreign ownership — the old 51% local sponsor rule is effectively gone for the vast majority of business types. Only specific strategic sectors still require a UAE national partner or Local Service Agent.

Licensing authorityDubai DET (Department of Economy and Tourism)
Market accessUnrestricted — any UAE customer, any location, government contracts
Ownership100% foreign ownership for most activities (since 2021)
Office requirementPhysical office with registered Ejari is mandatory
Minimum space200 sq ft for most professional and commercial licenses
Visa quota~1 visa per 80 sq ft — scalable with office size, no hard cap
Setup timeTypically 10–15 working days
Key Benefits

Why Founders Choose Mainland

Unrestricted UAE market accessSell directly to any UAE customer — consumers, businesses, and government entities — with no distributor or intermediary in between.
Government tenders & contractsOnly mainland-licensed companies can bid directly for UAE federal and emirate government contracts across construction, IT, consulting, healthcare and more.
No limits on hiring or locationSet up an office anywhere in Dubai (subject to zoning). Visa quotas scale with office size — there is no fixed upper limit. As you grow, you hire.
Simpler bankingA DET license, Ejari and MOA form a clean, familiar package that UAE banks understand well — typically the smoothest account-opening experience.
Broader activity scopeDET allows a wide spectrum of commercial, professional and industrial activities. A General Trading license covers import, export, wholesale and retail.
Dual presence without complexityIf you already run a freezone company but need UAE mainland reach, starting mainland avoids the cost and complexity of adding a branch later.
Is it right for you?

Who Should — and Shouldn't — Go Mainland

Choose Mainland if you are…
  • ✓Restaurants, cafes, retail shops and customer-facing businesses
  • ✓Service businesses whose clients are primarily UAE-based
  • ✓Companies wanting to bid for government contracts
  • ✓Construction and contracting companies
  • ✓Real estate brokerages (with RERA approval)
  • ✓Healthcare providers (with DHA approval) and education (KHDA)
  • ✓Any company expecting most revenue from UAE-based clients
  • ✓Businesses building a large local team needing many visas
Look elsewhere if you are…
  • ✗Companies primarily serving international clients
  • ✗Online or digital businesses with no physical UAE customers
  • ✗Budget-sensitive founders (a mandatory office adds real cost)
  • ✗Companies wanting to minimise corporate tax via the QFZP route
  • ✗Solo founders testing the market (a freezone package is leaner)
Setup Process

What We Handle, Step by Step

1Trade name reservation with DET
2Activity selection (commercial, professional or industrial license)
3Initial approval from DET
4Office lease and Ejari registration
5MOA / LSA documentation (if applicable)
6External approvals where required (DHA, RERA, KHDA, etc.)
7License issuance
8Establishment card
9Investor and employee visa processing
10Bank account assistance

Ready to Go Mainland?

Tell us your business — we'll map the fastest route to a DET license and unrestricted UAE access.

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Mon–Fri 8AM–8PM · Sat–Sun 9AM–8PM · Dubai, UAE