Management Consultancy Activity UAE 2026: Scope & Setup Fees

Define the advice you will deliver

Management consultancy can describe business advice, but an everyday label is not a substitute for the authority's permitted activity scope. Prepare examples of the work you intend to sell: strategy workshops, operating-process reviews, organisational planning or business-performance analysis. The imported directory code 7020003 is a useful reference for the listed Management Consultancies activity. It has not been certified here as a universal approved code in all four emirates. Ask the chosen authority to confirm the exact activity wording and whether the proposed services require an additional permission.

Separate general business advice from specialist regulated work. Calling a service consultancy does not remove restrictions that might apply to investment advice, legal representation, tax-agent services or other professional functions. If you plan to deliver one of those services, describe it openly rather than trying to place it under a cheaper general activity. Your client contract, website and invoice descriptions should reflect the approved scope. Request written clarification where a provider's explanation is broad or ambiguous.

Choose a structure that fits your clients

Decide whether you need an individual permit route or a company structure with shareholders, staff and its own contracts. Different routes may have different eligibility and operating conditions. A solo consultant serving remote clients and a team working regularly at local customer premises can have different practical requirements. The UAE government business-setup guidance and local economic authorities are the starting points for confirming legal form and licensing. A free-zone professional package is a potential alternative, not proof that every consultancy engagement is permitted under it.

Workspace and visas should follow the operating plan. Ask whether the package includes a desk, what that address permits and whether visa allocation is distinct from paid visa processing. If you expect to hire consultants, check capacity and the cost of additional workspace or visas. Banking is a separate decision: be ready to explain your services, client geography, contracts and source of funds. A business licence by itself does not guarantee a bank account or a particular account balance requirement.

Compare consultancy costs without misleading minima

Request a like-for-like quote from shortlisted mainland and free-zone options using the same activity description, ownership structure, visa count and workspace requirement. Confirm the licence, company documents, trade name, establishment arrangements where relevant, workspace and professional approvals as separate cost components. The native four-emirate table gives you the authorities and questions, while current payable fees remain quote-required until confirmed. Imported activity amounts are not independently verified official totals and are not used to declare the cheapest consultancy jurisdiction.

Ask for renewal pricing independently of the initial offer and distinguish optional business services from mandatory formation items. Website creation, bookkeeping, insurance and banking assistance may be sold separately. Before requesting quotes, write a short service description with sample deliverables, expected clients, hiring plans and the number of visas needed. Providers can then confirm activity fit instead of returning a generic professional licence price. Compare written exclusions and approval responsibilities, and do not pay for a package until the scope question is resolved.

A practical advisory-business comparison

For a solo operations consultant, prepare a one-page sample statement of work and show it to each shortlisted provider. Include whether workshops take place online or at client offices and whether you will subcontract specialist work. Ask the provider to confirm the proposed activity against that document rather than merely quoting a professional licence. If you later add regulated advice, staff or a training business, review scope and operating conditions before advertising the new service. Keep the approved description, written scope answer and client-contract template together. This creates a clearer record for future provider, bank or procurement enquiries. A useful comparison balances permitted services, workspace flexibility, recurring costs and contractual support instead of assuming the cheapest desk package is equally suitable for every kind of consultant.

Management Consultancies: four-emirate fee breakdown

Current activity-specific fees have not been independently verified. Request an official estimate; no imported amount is presented as a confirmed government fee or full setup cost.

Compare licence and registration charges, premises, external approvals, establishment arrangements, visa processing and renewal separately. Not applicable and not confirmed are different from included or free.

Free-zone alternatives: confirm activity coverage

These are licence-family candidates, not verified exact-activity matches. Confirm the activity, operating location, approvals and full inclusions with the provider before paying.

Questions before you apply

Official references and verification limits

Use these official portals to confirm requirements for your proposed operation. Linking to an authority does not mean it has approved this guide, verified the imported code or supplied the fees. Current payable figures remain awaiting an activity-specific official quote.

• Abu Dhabi DED — licensing requirements