A mainland licence lets your company trade anywhere in the UAE, and it is the only licence that allows you to sell directly into the local market, open a shopfront, or bid for government work. Since the 2021 ownership reforms, foreign investors can hold 100% of most commercial and industrial mainland companies without a local partner.
It is not the cheapest route and not the fastest. A mainland company needs a registered office address, Ejari registration, approved business activities and, for some activities, external approvals before the licence is issued.
StepWise manages the process end to end: activity selection, initial approval, legal drafting, office and Ejari, and final licence issuance — with the costs set out in writing before we begin.
The mainland is where a business grows into the local economy. A mainland licence removes the geographic limits of a free zone: you can trade with UAE consumers and companies directly, supply government and semi-government projects, and open premises in any commercial area of Dubai or Abu Dhabi.
Two things drive the decision. The first is activity. Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism licenses well over two thousand approved activities, and your licence must list the ones you actually carry out. Getting this right at the start avoids amendment fees later. The second is office space, because your visa quota is calculated from the size of your premises. An office that is too small caps how many people you can sponsor, and this surprises more clients than anything else in the process.
We map your activity, recommend a premises size that supports the team you plan to build, and handle the approvals. Where an activity needs sign-off from another authority — health, education, transport or food safety — we manage that stage as well.
Timelines vary with the activity and the approvals involved. A straightforward commercial licence with a ready office can move quickly; anything needing external approval or a physical inspection takes longer, and we will give you a realistic estimate rather than an optimistic one.
Tell us what the business will actually do and where you expect to be trading in two years. We will come back with the jurisdiction, the licence type, the realistic cost and the timeline — in writing, before you commit to anything.
