DIY Abu Dhabi Mainland LLC: 6 Weeks, AED 13k budget

Hello, fellow UAE founders,

In this post I’ll share our experience of establishing an operational company (OpCo) in Abu Dhabi Mainland to show that it’s a relatively quick and easy process that you can definitely handle yourself! 

What you’ll get from it

Disclaimers

1. EID Required! The process on TAMM is fully online, but you’ll need a UAE EID to login via UAE pass and sign as Authorized Signatory. So if you don’t have one, you’ll have to partner with the professional incorporation service provider like Shaun to execute the process
2. This guide shares our personal experience and is provided for informational purposes; this isn’t formal legal advice.

Our prerequisites

Objectives

Form an LLC-SPC (Sole Proprietorship Company) for our OpCo, wholly owned by our ADGM-based HoldCo

Reasons to choose Abu Dhabi Mainland

1. Over FZ: For nationwide UAE operations without setting up branches, which would require separate licenses.
2.  Over Dubai Mainland: license cost and office space half the price of Dubai Mainland.

What did we prioritize?

1. Minimize costs without substantial delays.
2. Learning the ropes ourselves – a valuable side-benefit.

Our actual results

Time

6 weeks total, including ~1 week delay with MoA preparation because of our ADGM HoldCo. The timeline indicated in the incorporators’ proposals was similar, 30 -35 working days

All-in cost

AED 12,850 total: Office – 6.3k AED p.a., License – 5.2k AED p.a., Translation – 430 AED, Notarization – 920 AED one-off (incl. Notary Pack issuance)

Step-by-step guide

1. Gather the following documents first, to prevent delays.

• OpCo’s notarized MoA (English & Arabic). I recommend starting immediately, because drafting, translation, and notarization take time
• Passport, Visa, EID of the OpCo Manager
• HoldCo’s Trade License & Certificate of Incorporation
• Notarized Board Resolution (in English/Arabic) or PoA from HoldCo, authorizing setup of the subsidiary OpCo

2. Start your application on the TAMM portal.

It’s reliable and standard industry practice – incorporators use it themselves. My experience was mostly positive, apart from the in-app customer support, which didn’t really help when I encountered the RB registration bug. They repeatedly created email tickets and later provided nonsensical replies. If you’re stuck, either try calling the number we provided or visit one of the TAMM offices in person; skip in-app support. 

I also tried using a Basher platform, which claims you can set up the company in 15 minutes, which sounded quite promising. I quickly got stuck on a second screen with an error message saying we need local UAE partners, which is no longer required. I believe, along with the incorporators, that Basher hasn’t been maintained for some time.

1. Select the Start a Business route. Once selected, TAMM will automatically guide you till Step 6 (Establishment Card provided)

2. Reserve Economic Name (1-2 days). Choose the name, license activities, enter owner and manager details

3. Prepare and upload MOA (5-10 days). We got stuck here because the notarization rabbit hole proved to be quite deep. Read below if you have a similar ownership structure to ours: HoldCo in FZ and OpCo in the Mainland.

• First, I had to find a proper OpCo MoA template, since AI-generated ones were not accepted by the ADJD notary. I obtained one from Hanan, a translation partner, who I found to be one of the most professional translators in the UAE
• Then I had to translate the OpCo MoA into Arabic and notarize the English/Arabic version via ADJD’s online public notary. Notarization costs only 50 AED and takes two working days. Private notaries are faster but pricier at 1.3k AED for same-day service. Translation costs 300 AED.
• But to notarize the OpCo MoA, I had to issue the notarized English/Arabic BoD resolution by the HoldCo. Notarization is handled via ADGM online public notary. It costs 500 AED and takes 2-5 days. We never managed to have all of the required docs perfect on the first application attempt, and then there’s a mandatory Webex call with a notary. Translation costs 130 AED.
• And to notarize the HoldCo BoD resolution, I had to issue the Notary Pack in ADGM, which also takes a couple of days and costs AED 370.

4. Register Beneficiary (3-5 days).

• In principle, it’s a simple process where you trace ownership of the company to ultimate beneficiary owners with >25% shareholding.
• But there was a bug that kept us stuck for a couple of days, until Shaun explained that it’s a common bug and we should proceed regardless.
• The bug was that our shareholding structure was inverted, with the parent company appearing beneath the subsidiary company (and UBOs under the parent company), and there was no way to change it

5. Receive Economic License approval (3-5 days).

• Wait for the approval of Economic License and then pay 5.2k AED fees. Actively call TAMM every few days to ensure timely approval.
• Documents (commercial license, certificate of incorporation, and entity requirements) will be emailed upon approval.

6. Obtain the Establishment Card approval (3-5 days concurrent with Step 7).

• Automatic approval alongside license.
• You will receive an email from the ISP (in Arabic) with download link.
• TAMM-guided route ends here!

7. Register the office lease contract and link it to the license

• Open DMT SmartHub account (1 day)

• Add Company Authorized Signatory (<1 day)

• Register a New Lease Contract (1-2 days). A minimal-cost space is sufficient (Shaun helped us—up to 5 visas are possible).

• Link License to Tenancy Contract (1 day).

• Now you’re eligible for MOHRE (Tasheel) labor file opening to sponsor employee visas.

What’s next?

Future guides coming soon:

Download the Model Articles of Association templates here: natural person owner and corporate entity owner

Or want professional help with the set up?

Drop us your details — we’ll connect you with trusted professionals or help ourselves if it’s an accounting-related service.