Companies in the United Arab Emirates can be divided into the following categories:

• Local companies that are allowed to operate in the UAE.
• Companies located in free economic zones that are allowed to conduct activities in the territory of this zone.
  
• Offshore, which banned the entrepreneurial activity of both the Emirates and the territory of these zones.
  

The most popular legal forms are the following:

• Limited Liability Company (LLC) - registered in partnership with a UAE citizen in the emirate, where a UAE citizen owns 51% of the company’s shares.
• Free Zone Company - is 100% foreign owned.
• Sole Proprietorship - the company is registered in the territory of the emirate, but a foreign person may own 100% of the capital. In this case, the liability is unlimited..
• Freelancer License - permits are issued by a number of free economic zones.

The following license types are available in the UAE: 

• General Trading License (general trade license), which allows trading with a wide range of goods.
• Trading License (trade license), which allows trade in goods that are listed in the license.
• Industrial License (industrial license), which implies the production of certain works.
• ServiceLicense (license to provide services), which implies the provision of services from the office of your chosen zone.

This is a document granting the right to a foreign citizen to live, study, conduct business in the UAE legally. There are several types of visas in the UAE:

• Work visa (issued for a period of 2 years).
• Visa of a qualified specialist for scientists, doctors, engineers (issued for a period of 10 years).
• Real estate investor visa (issued for a period of 5 years).
• Visa of the owner of the company (issued for a period of 3 years).

A visa is required when registering a company in a free economic zone. A visa is not required for an offshore company, but opening an account with UAE banks without a visa is practically impossible.

A visa may also be issued to family members.

The UAE is attractive primarily because there are no taxes on most activities in this country. You need to pay annual license fees, as well as invoice VAT (5%) if your goods enter the territory of the emirates or services are manufactured in the territory of the emirates.

The legal address of the company is an important condition for obtaining a license in the UAE. There are several options for meeting this requirement.:

• Rent an office (required if you plan to obtain resident visas).
• Conclude a lease agreement for a room in a business center.
• To rent a workplace near the free economic zone - a workplace in the business center of the free economic zone, which is allocated for use for a certain number of hours per month (flexible desk).

Different emirates have different requirements in the maintenance and audit of financial statements. For example, Dubai's free economic zones require audit reporting, but most other emirates do not.

The United Arab Emirates is not a party to the Hague Convention repealing the requirement to legalize foreign official documents of October 5, 1961. Consequently, official documents certified by the apostille do not have legal force in the UAE and cannot be exempted from the legalization procedure.

Consular legalization is a rather long and costly procedure in comparison with apostilling. It includes a document ID at the authorized bodies of the Ministry of Justice, a unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and then at the consulate of the country of destination. It is important to note that the document will have legal force in the territory of only that country, the consulate mark which is on it.

Consular legalization can be done in relation to the following types of documents:

• Extracts from civil registration authorities (birth, death, marriage, divorce) certificates.
• Notarial acts.
• Diplomas, certificates, certificates of education.
• Copies of constituent documents of legal entities.
• Original documents issued by a notary public.
• Power of Attorney.
• Consent for the child to travel abroad, etc.
• Extracts from the register of legal entities or company registers.
  

In order to legalize a document issued by authorized bodies of the UAE, or executed in the UAE by a notary for the purpose of use in the Russian Federation, it is necessary:

• Make a check for the presence of state documents on the document. body and signature of an authorized official.
• Witness the document in the corresponding department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the UAE (you can submit documents directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or through legalization centers on the basis of the Chambers of Commerce and other authorized structures).
• Legalize the document at the consulate of the UAE of the country for which legalization is being done.
• Translate the document into the appropriate language (must be certified at the consulate).

Only after passing through these procedures the legalization of the document will be completed, and this document can be applied in the territory of another state.

Requirements for authorized capital in the UAE vary from emirate to emirate. The standard size of the authorized capital is 50,000 dirhams, but may be higher and lower. In a number of zones there is a formal requirement for capital formation, but there is no requirement for actual payment.

Documents vary depending on the emirate and zone, but in general the following documents can be distinguished:

• Certificate of Registration.
• License.
• Memorandum and Articles of Association.
• Share certificate.

After obtaining a license, persons authorized in the company must apply for an immigration card, the so-called "Establishment Card". This application is executed through the administration of the free economic zone and sent to the immigration service of the relevant emirate. The immigration service prepares a dossier for the company and issues a card. Without this card, the company does not have the right to hire personnel and obtain resident visas for personnel. Establishment Card requires an annual renewal. The cost of obtaining and renewing a card is approximately 460 dirhams.