CASE 01 · SETUP INVESTIGATION

Architectural Design Consultancy — Classification Before Incorporation

A professional engineering setup where the licence alone was not enough: the client first needed to understand the technical classification, qualified-engineer requirements and Dubai Municipality approval path.

Architecture & Construction

Activities & licensing scope

Activity reference from the supplied Dubai mainland register. Confirm current scope and conditions before applying.

Activity 7110202 · Dubai mainland · DET reference

Architectural Design Consultancy

Activity description

Includes firms engaged in providing consultancies and services related to architectural engineering, including preparing preliminary and final engineering and technical studies for construction projects as well as interior design and landscaping, the minimal qualifications required is bachelor degree in architectural engineering, along with three years hands-on experience.

Find this activity in the directory

The decision in one sentence

Project scale determines the engineering category; the category determines the team the company must support.

Read the requirement, the constraint and the proposed route together. The value of this case is the reasoning behind the setup, rather than an activity name in isolation.

YOUR SETUP ROADMAP / DUBAI MAINLAND

A clear route.
From first call to first sale.

Four phases, 10 checkpoints. See the route at a glance, then open a checkpoint for the work, owner and timing. Daily updates continue during active work.

ROUTE OVERVIEW

01
Plan
Confirm the route and open your file.
1. CHECKPOINT 01Choose the routeDay 1
  Activity, legal form and Dubai mainland
  Owner / You and Vantablack
2. CHECKPOINT 02Your file opensWithin 1 working day of payment
  Named team, checklist and your project timeline
  Owner / Vantablack
02
Prepare
Documents and activity checks.
1. CHECKPOINT 03Documents and checksBefore submission
  Passports, KYC and anything the activity needs
  Owner / You, checked by Vantablack
2. CHECKPOINT 04Name and initial approvalWithin 2 working days of complete documents
  Submitted to the Department of Economy and Tourism
  Owner / Vantablack, then the authority
3. CHECKPOINT 05Activity approval: Dubai MunicipalityAuthority time
  Required before you can operate this activity
  Owner / Dubai Municipality
03
Launch
Premises and the licence decision.
1. CHECKPOINT 06PremisesBefore the licence
  Lease and Ejari for the dedicated premises
  Owner / You and Vantablack
2. CHECKPOINT 07Licence issuedThe authority sets the date
  Your company exists; documents in your workspace
  Owner / The authority
04
Operate
Follow-on work in your agreed scope.
1. CHECKPOINT 08Establishment card, visas, Emirates IDAfter the licence
  Immigration file for you and your team
  Owner / Vantablack PRO team
2. CHECKPOINT 09Bank account and taxAfter the licence
  Bank application, VAT and Corporate Tax registration
  Owner / Vantablack and the bank
3. CHECKPOINT 10Start sellingFrom the first week after the licence
  List your services on the Ecosystem and receive requests
  Owner / You, on Vantablack

Time markers are our service standards; authority steps follow the authority’s own timeline, and approvals are the authority’s decision. Your accepted quote confirms which post-licence services are included. Sales depend on licensing, approvals and demand.

THE STRUCTURE BEHIND THE SOLUTION

Follow the connected route.

Select a point to read the reasoning.

CLIENT MODEL

architectural consultancy

What the client needed

The client wanted to establish an architectural design consultancy in Dubai and needed to know what would be required to actually practise the engineering activity after the economic licence was issued.

What made the decision difficult

Architectural design consultancy is regulated beyond normal company formation. The source investigation identified Dubai Municipality Building Department approval and qualification requirements linked to the intended technical level, including architecture credentials and experience thresholds.

How we approached the decision

We treated the setup as a technical-feasibility exercise first. We mapped the proposed activity against the Municipality classification framework, identified the qualified-engineer profile required for the intended scope, and separated the economic-licence steps from the professional-practice approval.

Why this route mattered

The value was knowing before incorporation whether the business could satisfy the technical requirements needed to operate — not simply whether DET could issue a licence.

INDICATIVE SETUP COSTS

Your setup breakdown

Priced items subtotalAED 23,200

Dubai mainland · dedicated-premises example

Trade name and initial approvalAED 1,200 approx.

Licence planning allowanceAED 12,000 approx.

Vantablack service feeAED 10,000

Excludes market fees (5% of annual lease value). Other unpriced costs are confirmed in your quotation.

Advanced Setup · One year of support

Included services & scope

Included in the service fee

External-approval preparation, submission coordination and follow-up within the agreed scope. Company-formation coordination, a dedicated Account Manager and PRO, bank-account setup assistance, Corporate Tax registration and eligible virtual-office sourcing. Delivery follows your accepted quotation.

Authority charges

Quoted separately at actual cost. Licence, visa and applicable approval charges are itemised before you commit.

Premises and providers

Rent, office-provider charges, deposits, fit-out and other third-party services are separate where required.

Price basis

Founder-provided Dubai mainland planning allowances: approximately AED 1,200 initial application and AED 12,000 licence. Provider fees, market fees and approvals are separate where shown. Virtual-office eligibility must be confirmed; required operating premises cannot be replaced by a virtual address.

Scope of this breakdown

The company-formation scope described in this case, confirmed in your written quotation.

Indicative planning breakdown, not a historical client invoice. The subtotal excludes items awaiting quotation. Approval decisions remain with the relevant authority.

Your full cost is itemised in the written quotation.

Request an itemised quote View package inclusions

Premises & indicative budget

Virtual office: only if eligible

This activity involves professional, regulated or physical operations: assess the operating premises and any inspection or technical conditions first. A virtual address does not replace a required operating site. For an eligible Dubai mainland setup, our indicative planning example is AED 1,200 for trade-name reservation and initial approval, AED 3,500 for a virtual-office provider, and AED 12,000 for the licence: approximately AED 16,700 before Vantablack service fees. These are Vantablack planning estimates dated 20 October 2026, not official tariffs or costs recorded for this case. Provider tax, visas, immigration and labour files, external approvals and other scope-specific costs are separate where applicable.

Dedicated office, shop or warehouse

Where dedicated premises are required, replace the virtual-office allowance with the actual office, shop, warehouse or other suitable lease cost. Our planning allowance for the licence is AED 12,000 plus a market fee estimated at 5% of the annual lease value, subject to the authority assessment; the initial application allowance remains AED 1,200. Fit-out, deposits, inspections and activity-specific approvals may add costs. Your written quotation and actual authority voucher determine the payable amounts.

Planning guidance for a new enquiry, not a statement of this client’s costs or completed approvals. Basic and Advanced Setup include virtual-office sourcing and coordination where eligible; office-provider charges are separate.

Compare premises options and request current pricing

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Apply this to your business

Can the business deliver the intended project scale?

Why this matters

Activity wording, engineering classification, professional authority and technical capacity must describe the same work. The intended project pipeline controls the feasibility questions.

What could change the answer?

A broader project, direct engineering responsibility or different contracting category can change staffing, approvals and operating capacity.

Check these details first

Design, advice, installation or contracting scope
Project scale and required classification
Qualified manager and technical team
Signing authority and any project-specific permissions

Choose your next step

Understand the decision ↗Understand what to check before choosing a setup option.See the reasoning in a case ↗See how the business needs and limits shaped the advice.Check relevant activities ↗Read the activity description. A listing does not mean your business is approved.Plan my business setup ↗Answer questions about your own business to prepare for a consultation.