A group needed to distinguish regional coordination, management functions and subsidiary ownership before choosing its head-office activity.
Comparison activities, not a confirmed selection. Passive shareholding, group management and representation are different functions.
Activity 7010009 · Dubai mainland · DET reference
Includes offices founded by businessmen to care for and reserve their interests in the establishments they own and the companies where they hold shares, such firms are not allowed to practice the activity no. 7499-20 Facilities Management Services.
Find this activity in the directoryActivity 7010005 · Dubai mainland · DET reference
This is an office established in Dubai by any foreign company or enterprise to facilitate the contacts and follow-up of the company's activities and affairs, and to promote the company services. Such an office may not carry out the company's activities nor make any trading activity inside the UAE.
Find this activity in the directoryActivity 7010003 · Dubai mainland · DET reference
This is an office established in Dubai by any international company or enterprise to represent it in the UAE in order to promote its products and services, boost business, or facilitate commercial agreements between the principal the customers, such office is not allowed to carry out any trading activity nor enter into commercial transactions and deals by itself.
Find this activity in the directoryRead 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.
Four phases, 9 checkpoints. See the route at a glance, then open a checkpoint for the work, owner and timing. Daily updates continue during active work.
Confirm the route and open your file.
Activity, legal form and mainland or free zone
Owner / You and VantablackNamed team, checklist and your project timeline
Owner / VantablackDocuments and activity checks.
Passports, KYC and anything the activity needs
Owner / You, checked by VantablackSubmitted to the authority for your chosen route
Owner / Vantablack, then the authorityPremises and the licence decision.
Premises that fit the activity
Owner / You and VantablackYour company exists; documents in your workspace
Owner / The authorityFollow-on work in your agreed scope.
Immigration file for you and your team
Owner / Vantablack PRO teamBank application, VAT and Corporate Tax registration
Owner / Vantablack and the bankList your services on the Ecosystem and receive requests
Owner / You, on VantablackTime 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.
Select a point to read the reasoning.
01 Business objective Create the correct corporate head-office structure for a group that needs centralized management, regional coordination or subsidiary oversight.
The group needed a structure for central management, regional coordination or subsidiary oversight. Similar activity labels did not establish the same permitted scope. The key questions were whether the entity would manage staff, charge for services, represent an overseas parent or only own shares.
Map each function, identify who pays the company and distinguish active management from passive ownership. Compare the exact licensed activities against that operating model before selecting a structure. The account records the reasoning; it does not establish a selected activity code or completed incorporation.
Use four questions: Will the company own shares only? Coordinate group operations? Invoice group companies for services? Represent an overseas parent? These are a comparison checklist, not confirmation that one licence permits all four.
Ministerial Decision 138/2024 covers foreign-company branches and offices, including representative, regional liaison and management offices. Ministry approval, local licensing and registration must be assessed where that regime applies. A head-office label alone does not settle the legal route.
MoET: Ministerial Decision 138/2024, articles 2 and 3 - checked 20 October 2026. Read the official publication.
Match the registered role to the actual work before signing contracts or hiring a team. A passive ownership vehicle should not be assumed to cover paid management services.
Check beneficial-owner records and filing duties under the applicable registry. Cabinet Decision 109/2023 covers mainland and non-financial free-zone entities, subject to exemptions; DIFC and ADGM have their own regimes.
MoET: beneficial-ownership guidance - checked 20 October 2026. Read the official publication.
UAE holding companies fall within the corporate-tax framework. Exemptions for qualifying income depend on conditions; ask a tax adviser to assess them. No tax rate or saving is assumed here.
FTA: holding-company corporate tax FAQ - checked 20 October 2026. Read the official publication.
ESR notifications and reports were cancelled for financial years ending after 31 December 2022. Earlier obligations remain.
Ministry of Finance: economic-substance reporting amendment - checked 20 October 2026. Read the official publication.
This page records investigation and decision reasoning. It does not report a verified completed incorporation, approval, transfer, visa, bank account, actual cost or completion time.
First check the exact activity, licensing route, operating model and authority conditions. Virtual-office eligibility must be confirmed for your setup; it is not established by this case study. 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.
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 pricingOwnership, manager authority and the purpose of the entity must fit the activity. A branch, operating company and passive vehicle solve different problems.
A corporate shareholder, parent-company branch or different asset objective changes the documents and structural questions.
