UAE Company Formation

Licensing takes two to ten working days in most free zones once the documents are in. The Indian side — LRS or ODI reporting — runs in parallel and is where most delays sit.

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Each shareholder, director and manager (individuals)

• Passport with at least six months' validity — colour scan of the photo page
• Passport-size photograph on a white background
• Proof of residential address — utility bill or bank statement not older than three months
• Existing UAE visa or entry stamp, and Emirates ID if any
• CV or professional profile (asked for by DIFC, ADGM and some free zones for regulated or professional activities)
• Signed KYC and ultimate beneficial owner (UBO) declaration

Corporate shareholder (an Indian company or LLP)

• Certificate of incorporation, MOA and AOA / LLP agreement, notarised, apostilled and attested by the UAE embassy in India and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Board resolution approving the UAE subsidiary, its capital, and appointing the authorised signatory and managers — attested the same way
• Certificate of incumbency or a register of directors and shareholders
• Audited financial statements for the last year (some free zones and all banks)

About the business

• Three trade-name options (no religious, political or well-known brand words; a name matching the Indian company is usually accepted)
• Business activities from the free zone's list — the activity decides the licence type and the visa quota
• Short business plan: what is sold, to whom, expected turnover and headcount (required for DMCC, DIFC, ADGM and banks)
• Office choice — flexi-desk, serviced office or physical unit; the number of visas depends on it
• Share capital (free zones typically AED 10,000–50,000; some need it paid into a UAE account within a set period)

Indian compliance (before money leaves India)

• Individual shareholder: remittance under LRS within USD 250,000 a year, with Form A2 and the bank's ODI reporting (Form FC) for a controlling stake
• Company shareholder: board resolution, Form FC through the AD bank, valuation certificate where required, and the Unique Identification Number before the first remittance
• After setup: share certificate to the AD bank within six months, annual performance report by 31 December, and Schedule FA in the Indian return

Bank account opening

• All of the above plus: proof of business — Indian company's bank statements, contracts or invoices with existing customers, website
• Source of funds explanation and the shareholder's personal bank statements for six months
• Expected transaction profile — countries, currencies, monthly volumes