Dubai: Looking to establish a business in the UAE? The country offers a favourable business environment with incentives for investment, skilled talent, and political stability.
The country has made it even easier for investors to start a business in the UAE mainland. With the launch of – Basher, an integrated eService, – investors can set up their business in the UAE within 15 minutes through a unified online platform.
Basher provides a unified online platform facilitating secure business setup and trade license acquisition without requiring physical document submissions or visits to government offices. It’s a blockchain-integrated platform offering high flexibility, capable of integrating with advanced technologies and connecting various government digital portals.
This platform links with federal and local government entities that handle commercial license services, ensuring a seamless process for investors.
To acquire a business license through Basher, standard fees set by relevant Departments of Economic Development (DED) and other entities apply.
The platform offers bundled services, including a Business Setup Navigator tool to estimate setup costs, understand the process, and calculate license issuance expenses.
Here’s a step-by-step guide:
- Access the Basher portal using your UAE Pass.
- On the dashboard, select ‘Start your Business – New Application.’
- Agree and proceed to ‘Apply Trade License.’
- Fill in details like ‘Primary Business Activity’ and ‘Additional Business Activity,’ then click ‘Proceed.’ (Please note: The portal will redirect you to the ‘Invest in Dubai’ portal for Dubai.)
- Provide ‘Company and Partner Information,’ including document requirements based on your business’s legal type, and reserve a trade name. (Please note: The service fee differs depending on the sector/business activity you choose)
Complete the application, pay the fee, and obtain:
- Trade license
- Chamber of Commerce membership number
- Establishment card number from the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security
- Membership number from Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation
- Work permit quota for three individuals
- Renewal of commercial license for over 1200 commercial activities.
The system generates bundle documents, and electronic copies of the Trade license and Memorandum of Association (MoA) are sent to your email.
Once completed, you can use the Basher application to:
- Open a corporate bank account without document submission or bank visits.
- Initiate telecom connectivity (with up to 20% discount).
- Connect with incubators, accelerators, and finance providers.
- Access Noon services for logistical support.
After issuance of the commercial licence and other documents, the investor will have a grace period of:
- One year to submit a tenancy contract to the Department of Economic Development in the respective emirate of the established business
- Sixty days for non-UAE nationals to:
- Change their visa status to an investor’s visa.
- Submit a valid no-objection certificate to the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security if a government entity employs them or if the woman is a homemaker.
If you have any queries or assistance, you can fill out the contact form (https://basher.gov.ae/invest/#/contactus/contactform) or call the Ministry of Economy on 8001222.
This process expedites business setup in the UAE, leveraging an integrated online platform for swift and convenient operations.
