UAE company setup from India
Founders from India often use a UAE company to sell IT, professional and trading services into the Gulf from a regional base, while planning around India's overseas-investment and remittance rules.
Setup planning
- Invoicing Gulf and international clients for IT, software and consultancy work from a UAE entity
- Trading Indian foodstuff, spices, jewellery and general goods into GCC and re-export markets
- A UAE residence visa for the founder or a manager who runs the regional business on the ground
- A holding or operating company for an existing Indian business expanding into the Middle East
Documents to prepare
Confirm the checklist for your authority, legal form and document origin. These preparation notes are not a universal filing checklist.
- Indian passport with at least six months' validity (also a condition of the visa routes listed by GDRFA)
- India-issued documents (degrees, marriage certificate, powers of attorney) attested by the Ministry of External Affairs, then by the UAE Embassy in New Delhi; its digital attestation covers both the embassy and UAE MOFA in one application
- For an Indian company as shareholder: certificate of incorporation, board resolution, and memorandum and articles of association, each attested separately through the same MEA and UAE Embassy route
- Bank paperwork for the outward remittance (LRS or overseas-investment route, as your Authorised Dealer bank applies it), which UAE banks may also ask to see for source-of-funds checks
Travel and sequencing
Most Indian ordinary-passport holders need a visa before travel. GDRFA Dubai lists a pre-approved 14-day visa (extendable once) or a 60-day visa for Indian nationals holding a residence permit from the US, UK, an EU state, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand or Canada, or a valid US visa, valid for at least six months; apply via smart.gdrfad.gov.ae. Otherwise arrange a visit visa or the zone's investor entry permit before flying. A good-conduct certificate requirement for Indian nationals from 16 June 2026 is reported but not published by ICP; confirm with the zone.
Check the required appointments and entry or status-change route before booking travel.
Where to start
Explore a Dubai free-zone licence; activity eligibility and the residence sequence need confirmation.
From AED 12,900, no visa
Explore an Ajman licence with activity, premises and renewal costs checked for your business.
From AED 5,555, no visa
Explore the mainland activity, legal form and approvals for your intended operations.
Licence estimate AED 14,000, licence only
Related activities
Information Technology Consultants
IFZA (Dubai) · Ajman Free Zone · Dubai mainland (DET)
Computer Systems & Communication Equipment Software Design
IFZA (Dubai) · Ajman Free Zone · Dubai mainland (DET)
General Trading
IFZA (Dubai) · Ajman Free Zone · Dubai mainland (DET)
Foodstuff Trading Import & Export
Ajman Free Zone
Spices Trading
IFZA (Dubai) · Dubai mainland (DET)
Jewellery Trading
IFZA (Dubai) · Ajman Free Zone · Dubai mainland (DET)
What this page does not cover
- Whether you stop being tax resident in India. That depends on your own circumstances and the rules there, and it needs an adviser in that country, not a UAE directory.
- How a UAE company is treated by your home tax authority, including reporting obligations that may continue after you move.
- Immigration eligibility. We describe the residency steps that follow a licence, not who qualifies for one.
Country-specific checks
If you are resident in India under the applicable foreign-exchange rules, review funding before remitting capital overseas. RBI's Liberalised Remittance Scheme permits resident individuals to remit up to USD 250,000 per Indian financial year for permitted transactions. It does not apply to companies, partnership firms, HUFs or trusts; a proposed investment must satisfy the applicable overseas-investment rules. Indian nationality alone does not establish that the resident-individual rules apply.
Sources
FAQ
How do I fund a UAE company from India?
If you are resident in India for foreign-exchange purposes, the remittance and the shareholding both fall under RBI rules: the Liberalised Remittance Scheme sets a USD 250,000 per financial year limit for resident individuals, and an equity stake in a foreign company is governed by the overseas investment (ODI) framework. Your Authorised Dealer bank decides which route and reporting apply. This page is not tax or foreign-exchange advice.
Do my Indian documents need an apostille for the UAE?
No. MEA issues apostilles only for countries that are members of the Apostille Convention, and the UAE is not listed. Indian documents go through MEA attestation, then the UAE Embassy in New Delhi, whose digital attestation also covers UAE MOFA. Check the visa section of How it works for the reported good-conduct certificate rule before applying for a residence visa.
Setting up from India?
Compare the published setup routes and check which documents apply to your case.