Business setup consultants in Dubai prepare and file your licence application with the Department of Economy and Tourism for a mainland company, or with a free zone authority such as IFZA, Meydan or DMCC. They do not issue the licence. Compare firms on the total published price, its basis, the visa quota and what is excluded — not the headline figure.
Business Setup AE is an independent comparison marketplace, not a consultancy. Every package below is recorded from the provider's own published source and carries the date it was last checked.
Compare 41 verified Dubai providers
105 Dubai packages on file. Prices are shown exactly as published, with the basis stated, because a starting-from figure and a fixed package price are not comparable.
Verified Dubai business setup providers, packages, published prices, visa allocation and verification date
Business setup prices, government fees, visa costs, office requirements and eligibility may change. Package information is based on publicly available provider information and should be confirmed with the provider before payment.
How to choose a business setup consultant in Dubai
Step 1
Check the firm holds a valid UAE licence for advisory work
A business setup firm is itself a licensed company. Ask for its trade licence number and confirm the activity covers corporate services or management consultancy. Business Setup AE records a published provider source for every package listed here, but does not independently verify each firm's trade licence, so ask for the licence number and confirm it with the issuing authority yourself.
Step 2
Ask which authority actually issues your licence
The consultant does not issue anything. Dubai mainland licences come from the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET); free zone licences come from the free zone authority itself (IFZA, Meydan, DMCC, DAFZA and others). A firm that cannot name the issuing authority for your activity is guessing.
Step 3
Get the price basis in writing, not just the number
A published figure can be a fixed package price, a starting-from price, a government fee only, or a promotion. Those are not interchangeable. Every price on this page shows the basis exactly as the provider published it.
Step 4
Ask for the year-two renewal figure before you pay year one
Renewal is a separate invoice and is often the larger long-term cost. Where a provider publishes it we record it; where they do not, we show 'Not stated by provider' rather than estimating.
Step 5
Confirm what is excluded
Establishment card, immigration (e-channel) file, medical examination, Emirates ID, visa stamping and PRO fees are inside some packages and billed on top of others. Compare the exclusions column, not the headline.
Step 6
Ask who handles the bank introduction, and with which banks
Account opening is decided by the bank's own compliance process, not by the consultant or the licensing authority. A credible firm will say which banks it actually onboards with and will not promise approval.
Questions to ask before you pay
→Which authority will issue my licence, and which activity codes will be on it?
→Is this price fixed, starting from, or a government fee only?
→What exactly is included, and what will I be invoiced for separately?
→What is the year-two renewal cost for this same package?
→How many residence visas does this facility allow, and what does each visa cost in full?
→Who is the licence holder and signatory — me, or a nominee arrangement?
→What happens to my fee if the activity is rejected or an approval is refused?
→Which bank introductions do you make, and what is your success record with my activity?
Costs that are often billed on top
!Establishment card and immigration (e-channel) file, often quoted separately from the licence
!Medical examination, Emirates ID and visa stamping, charged per person
!Name reservation, initial approval, notarisation, attestation and legal translation
!Ejari-registered premises and rent for mainland licences
!Regulator approvals for activities such as media, education, health and tourism
!PRO and courier charges applied per government transaction
!Corporate tax registration, VAT registration, bookkeeping and audit where required
What a good package includes
✓Names the issuing authority and the exact activity list
✓States the price basis, not just a number
✓Publishes the visa quota attached to the facility offered
✓Lists inclusions and exclusions line by line
✓Publishes the year-two renewal price
✓Puts the total first-year cost in writing before payment
Business setup consultants in Dubai — common questions
What does a business setup consultant in Dubai actually do?
A consultant prepares and files your application with the licensing authority: activity selection, trade name reservation, initial approval, document preparation and attestation, facility or Ejari arrangement, establishment card and immigration file, and residence visa processing. The licence itself is issued by the Department of Economy and Tourism for mainland companies, or by the relevant free zone authority.
How much do business setup consultants in Dubai charge?
Most publish a package price that bundles their professional fee with the authority's fees rather than a separate consultancy fee. Because the bundles differ, compare the total published price and its basis together with the inclusions, exclusions and renewal figure. Every package on this page links back to the provider's own published source.
Do I need a consultant to set up a company in Dubai?
No. You can apply directly to the Department of Economy and Tourism or to a free zone authority yourself. Most founders use a firm for the document, attestation and immigration steps, and for the visa process, which involves several separate government stages.
Is Business Setup AE a business setup consultancy?
No. Business Setup AE is an independent comparison marketplace. It does not issue UAE licences, does not form companies and takes no commission on provider pricing. Enquiries are passed to the provider you choose.
How do you decide which consultants appear here?
A provider appears when we have recorded at least one package from its own published source and that record is currently verified. Providers do not pay to be listed. Featured and Sponsored placements exist, are always labelled, and never change comparison results, filters, sorting or scoring.
How current are these prices?
Each package carries the date we last checked it against the provider's published source; the dataset was last re-verified on 2026-09-13. Packages are flagged for re-checking after 30 days and marked as requiring re-verification after 60 days. Confirm the current fee in writing with the provider before you pay.
