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Company services in Dubai are the typing center and PRO work a business needs to stay legal: the trade licence, the GDRFA establishment card, the MOHRE labour file, staff visas, attestation, VAT and customs. Each sits with a different authority. Typing centers handle one transaction at a time, and PRO firms charge about AED 1,000 to AED 3,000 a month to manage the lot for a small company.
Which authority handles what
| Task | Authority | Where it is done |
|---|---|---|
| Trade licence, amendments, cancellation (mainland) | DET | DET online services or service centers |
| Establishment card, staff and owner visas | GDRFA | GDRFA app, Amer centers |
| Labour file, work permits, contracts | MOHRE | MOHRE app, Tasheel centers |
| Commercial tenancy (Ejari) | Dubai Land Department | Dubai REST, trustee centers |
| Salaries through WPS | MOHRE, through approved banks and exchange houses | Your bank or WPS agent |
| VAT registration | FTA | EmaraTax online |
| Importer and exporter code | Dubai Customs | Dubai Trade online |
| Certificate of origin | Dubai Chamber | Dubai Chambers app and online |
| Attestation of MOA, POA, company certificates | MOFA | MOFA channels |
Free zone companies run their licence and staff visas through the free zone authority instead of DET, GDRFA counters and MOHRE. The rest of the table still applies to them.
The order a new mainland company usually follows
- Trade licence from DET. If you are still at that stage, see business setup in Dubai.
- Office tenancy registered in Ejari in the company's name. MOHRE asks for an approved rental contract for the labour file, except for instant licences.
- GDRFA establishment card: AED 200 plus 5% VAT and small extras, 48 hours.
- MOHRE labour file: AED 406 Ta'qeem fee, 2 working days.
- Corporate bank account, then WPS registration before the first payroll.
- First staff: work permit, then the visa. Budget with the employee visa cost page.
- VAT registration once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000 over 12 months, or are expected to within the next 30 days. FTA charges nothing to register.
Getting step 2 or 3 wrong delays every step after it.
The yearly calendar
Once the company is running, the dates matter more than the filings:
- Each year: the trade licence, then the establishment card, which market sources say runs one year. The commercial Ejari follows the lease, usually renewed with it.
- Every two years, per person: the MOHRE work permit, the GDRFA residence and the Emirates ID.
- When staff leave: the work permit is cancelled with MOHRE, then the residence with GDRFA.
- When partners or managers change: the licence is amended, then the GDRFA card and MOHRE file are updated to match.
- When you start importing: the Dubai Customs code, issued in 1 working day.
Work permits can be renewed up to 60 days before expiry, so the 60-day mark is a good trigger for every staff renewal. See work permit renewal.
Typing center, PRO firm or yourself
| Route | Good for | Cost beyond government fees |
|---|---|---|
| Yourself, online | One or two staff, an owner with UAE Pass and time | None |
| Typing center, Amer or Tasheel | Single transactions where you want the papers checked at the counter | Typing about AED 40 to 200 per form; Tasheel commission capped at AED 72 |
| PRO firm, per task | A few transactions a year | About AED 150 to AED 500 per simple task |
| PRO firm, monthly retainer | Several staff with dates spread across the year | About AED 1,000 to AED 3,000 a month for a small company |
Sources: MOHRE service pages for the commission cap; published price lists of Dubai typing centers and PRO firms for the rest, checked .
Whichever route you take, ask for quotes that separate government fees from service fees, and ask for the government receipts. For what a PRO actually does day to day, see PRO services in Dubai.
Where official sources disagree
Two points we flag on the pages below:
- Establishment card fee. GDRFA's own page lists AED 200 plus VAT and, a few lines down, AED 100 per year. Check the payment screen.
- Work permit renewal fee. MOHRE's live renewal page lists the line without an amount. The classification announcement gives the category fees. Confirm in your MOHRE account.
DET fees for licence amendments and cancellations are not quoted here as official, because DET says its fees vary by service; the amendment and cancellation pages give market ranges instead.
One team for the company's year of paperwork
Tell us what is coming up: a new establishment card, first hires, renewals, a partner change, an MOA to attest or a VAT registration. Send the licence, the MOA and the signatories' IDs once, and the partner team reuses them across GDRFA, MOHRE, DET, MOFA and the FTA. Company files mostly go wrong at the joins, such as a DET partner change never carried to the establishment card. The team types and submits each file, books staff medicals and Emirates ID biometrics and keeps the expiry calendar, so nobody in your office queues at Amer or Tasheel. Each job is one total, government fees and the service charge listed apart.
