Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) | Mashreq

Open a Corporate or Business Bank Account in Dubai, UAE: Mainland Enterprise or Free Zone Company


We specialize in corporate and business bank account opening in Dubai and United Arab Emirates

Corporate Banking in the UAE


Last update: 1 January 2025


As a banking jurisdiction, the United Arab Emirates differ in many regards from their European counterparts, but most importantly in the way documentary evidence is collected to open a corporate bank account for a start-up company in the UAE.


In a nutshell, the account-opening process in the United Arab Emirates is very document intensive. To open a company or business account in a bank in the UAE, entrepreneurs and startupers must visit Dubai and provide (i) corporate bank statements or, in case of a startup company (ii) personal bank statements for themselves, in addition to (iii) invoices for at least 3 incoming and 3 outgoing payments.


And this is just the beginning... A complete list of all documents required to open a company account in Dubai is provided below.


Timeline for Opening a Business Account in Dubai


Account opening in Dubai takes approximately 4 weeks starting from the moment the bank identifies the signatory and all supporting KYC and due diligence documents are collected, translated, duly certified and submitted.


Physical Presence in Dubai


Only the company signatory must visit the UAE, provide proof of entry stamp, and sign the corporate account opening documents in person. This is a legal requirement - no exceptions. On the other hand, the shareholder - if different from the signatory - does not need to be identified by the bank in person. The shareholder can stay at home.


Economic Substance Requirements in the UAE (Lease Agreement, Emirates ID)


In light of the ever growing economic substance requirements worldwide, banks in the UAE are required to document the UAE company's link to the United Arab Emirates. Thus, local companies operating a physical office must provide proof of a lease agreement in order to open a business bank account in Dubai. On the other hand, companies with flexidesks (that is, the use of a variety of communally shared workspaces between a group of subscribers) must document that either the director or shareholder is a resident of the UAE by providing proof of their Emirates ID. Typically, UAE flexidesk companies are allowed to open a corporate bank account in the Emirates if the controlling person's UAE resident permit is provided withing 90 days of account opening. In absence of such proof, the company account will be blocked.


Banking Fees in the UAE


In essence, banking fees for corporate accounts in Dubai largely depend on (i) the average monthly account balance (e.g. above $100,000) and (ii) whether certain limits were exceeded (e.g. over 10 payments were executed per month) or certain deadlines were not observed (e.g. a new valid trade license was not provided after 60 days, or there were no transactions on a current account during 12 months, etc.).


There is no yearly account keeping fee in Dubai strictly speaking, but an account management fee of approximately $1,000 per year de facto applies (typically due to an annual surcharge for free-zone / offshore companies and the automatic account-statement and annual on-line banking token charge). In addition, there are various special-situation fees, all of which, however, are always within reasonable limits.


Financial institutions in the United Arab Emirates generate revenue mainly through foreign exchange transactions on which UAE banks charge between 1% and 1.5%. A detailed schedule of fees and yearly business account keeping costs for a typical bank in Dubai can be found below.


Digital Business Account Opening in the UAE


Banks in Dubai are working hard to digitalize corporate account opening by collecting critical KYC and due diligence information online. Thus, with Mashreq NEOBiz it is in principal possible to "complete an application in 20 minutes".


However, online and digital business bank account opening in Dubai is only easy in plain-vanilla cases involving:


  • a UAE trade license
  • a UAE resident signatory
  • no corporate shareholders
  • not more than $8m in yearly turnover


More complex account openings in Dubai featuring foreign signatories or holding companies - or simply more than one individual shareholder - undergo enhanced due diligence (EDD) including double legalization which often fails because of naked exhaustion...


We specialize in corporate and business bank account opening in Dubai and have the expertise and local network to deliver, run, and document company accounts across the UAE.


Which Documents are Required to Open a Company Account in the UAE?


Legal Entity


In scan form (translated into Arabic or English):


  • UAE Trade licence (or jurisdictional equivalent)
  • Memorandum of Association (or jurisdictional equivalent)
  • Shareholder certificate
  • Lease agreement (if the company is operating from a physical office) | Emirates ID and personal address proof in the UAE of the shareholder/signatory (if the company is operating from a flexidesk)
  • Company bank statements for the last 3-6 months (if existing company)
  • Passport and UAE entry stamp of all directors and signatories
  • At least 3 invoices of each customer and each supplier (featuring their registered address, website address, and line of business)
  • Business plan


Shareholder | Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO)


In scan form (translated into Arabic or English):


  • Documentation of the entire holding structure up to the UBO(s) including documents on each intermediate company and the latter's share of participation in the respective daughter company. The paperwork for foreign holding companies must be MOFA attested (here) involving two attestations, from the home jurisdiction and from the UAE, and include (i) the foundation documents (registry excerpt and articles of association) (ii) bank statements for the last 6 months, in addition to (iii) a written confirmation by a chartered accountant on the foreign company's current shareholder structure and active status.
  • Passport copies of all shareholders (signed by the signatory)
  • Address proof not older than 3 months of all shareholders (utility bill, permanent resident card, etc.)
  • CV of the UBO (in free form) featuring e-mail and mobile telephone number
  • Personal bank statements for the last 3-6 months of the UBO (if new company)


Costs for Corporate Bank Account Opening in Dubai


Please note that these are success fees payable only upon successful issuance of IBANs for the corporate bank account in Dubai. If no IBAN is issued, we won't charge anything:


Low degree of complexity: €6,000


  • Account opening involving only one direct beneficial owner


Medium degree of complexity: €8,000


  • Account opening involving more than one BO and/or intermediate holding structures


High degree of complexity: 12,000


  • Account opening involving multiple BOs and multiple layers of corporate ownership


Very high degree of complexity: €15,000


  • Account opening for private equity funds and other pooled investment vehicles



Banking Fees in the UAE

Fee Item Account value = $100,000
Fall-below fee (that is, the account is below $100,000) $180 per month
Free-zone / offshore account management fee $70 per month
Monthly account statement $7 per month
Online banking setup charge $200 once
Online banking annual charge $30 per year
Forex commission (conversions below $270,000) 1%
Forex commission (conversions above $270,000) 1.5%
Account dormancy fee (there is no transaction on a current account during 12 months) $7 per month
Up to 10 payments in AED per month free
10-20 payments in AED per month $5 per payment
Above 20 payments in AED per month $10 per payment
Payment in foreign currency $10 per payment
Trade license not provided after 2 months of expiry $70 per month
Reference letter $20
Direct debit request $50
Debit card free
ATM cash withdrawal at own bank and internationally free
ATM cash withdrawal (other UAE bank) $0.5
Forex commission on debit card 2%

Transaction Monitoring in the UAE


Since 2018, payments to the United Arab Emirates are subject to special regulatory requirements in order to facilitate the UAE's balance of payments record (BOP). To this effect, information on the transactions of all types of inward and outward flows of funds between UAE residents and non-residents routed through UAE banks must be reported. This includes stating the reason for a payment, which must be identified by a three-letter PoP code in every payment.


A payment lacking a valid purpose of payment PoP code may lead to rejection. Similarly, if an incorrect code is selected (not corresponding to the actual economic reason behind the payment) this may also lead to delays or rejection. In all cases, additional costs may be incurred.


Purpose of Payment or PoP Codes are mandatory for the following transactions in Dubai (UAE):


  • All transactions between residents and non-residents
  • All cross-border transactions
  • All domestic transactions between residents and non-residents


Exempted from the obligation to indicate a Purpose of Payment or PoP code in Dubai (UAE) are the following transactions:


  • Transactions between residents
  • Transactions between non-residents
  • Transactions in the Vostro/Loro accounts of financial institution (UAE bank is AED correspondent for overseas bank)


______________________

References


HSBC Middle East (2018) Explanatory Notes on Purpose of Payments Codes (here)


Purpose of Payment (PoP) Codes in the UAE

PoP Code Purpose of payment PoP Code Purpose of payment PoP Code Purpose of payment PoP Code Purpose of payment
ACM Agency commissions FDL Financial derivatives in the UAE LEA Leasing abroad REA Reverse equity share abroad
AES Advance payment against EOS (end of service/support) FIA Investment fund shares foreign LEL Leasing in the UAE REL Reverse equity share in the UAE
AFA Receipts or payments from personal residents bank account or deposits abroad FIL Investment fund shares in the UAE LIP Loan interest payments RFS Repos on foreign securities
AFL Receipts or payments from personal non-resident bank account in the UAE FIS Financial services LLA Drawings of, or repayments on, loans extended to nonresidents - with a maturity of over 1 year RLS Repos on securities issued by residents
ALW Allowance FSA Equity other than investment fund shares in not related companies abroad LLL Drawings of, or repayments on, foreign loans extended to residents - with a maturity of over 1 year RNT Rent payments
ATS Air transport FSL Equity other than investment fund shares in not related companies in the UAE LNC Loan charges SAA Salary advance
BON Bonus GDE Goods sold (exports in FOB value = ex-factory price + other transport costs) LND Loan disbursements from FI (= financial institution) SAL Salary (compensation of employees)
CCP Corporate card payments GDI Goods bought (imports in CIF value = cost of the goods + insurance and freight) MCR Monetary claim reimbursements SCO Construction
CEA Outbound: Equity and investment fund shares for establishing new company by residents abroad, equity of M&A of companies abroad by residents and participation in capital increase of related companies abroad GMS Processing repair and maintenance services on goods owned by others MWI Mobile wallet card cash-in SLA Loans - drawings or repayments on loans extended to nonresidents - short-term
CEL Inbound: Equity and investment fund shares for establishing new company in the UAE by non-residents, equity of M&A of companies in the UAE by non-residents and participation in capital increase of related companies by non-residents in the UAE GOS Transactions in government goods and services (embassies, consulates, military bases, IOs, etc.) MWO Mobile wallet card cash-out SLL Loans - drawings or repayments on foreign loans extended to residents - short-term
CHC Charitable contributions (charity and aid) GRI Government related income taxes, tariffs, capital transfers, etc. MWP Mobile wallet card payments STR Travel (goods for own use and services acquired during visits in another economy)
CIN Commercial investments IFS Information services OAT Own account transfer STS Sea transport
EMI Commission IGD Dividends intragroup OTS Other modes of transport (including post, courier, pipelines, electricity) SVI Stored value card cash-in
COP Compensation IGT Inter-group transfer OVT Overtime SVO Stored value card cash-out
CRP Credit card payment IID Interest on debt intragroup PEN Pension SVP Stored value card payments
DCP Debit card payments INS Insurance services PIN Personal investments TCP Trade credits and advances payable
DIV Dividend payouts from FI (= financial institution) IOD Income on deposits PIP Profits on islamic products TCR Trade credits and advances receivable
DLA Purchases and sales of foreign debt securities in unrelated companies - with maturities of over 1 year (e.g. foreign bonds) IOL Income on loans PMS Professional and management consulting services TCS Telecommunication services
DLF Debt instruments intragroup loans, deposits foreign (above 10% share) IPC Charges for the use of intellectual property royalties POR Refunds / reversals on IPO subscriptions TKT Tickets
DLL Purchases and sales of securities issued by residents in unrelated companies - with maturities of over 1 year IPO IPO subscriptions POS POS merchant settlement TOF Transfer of funds between persons normal and juridical
DOE Dividends on equity not intragroup IRP Interest rate swap payments PPA Purchase of real estate abroad from residents TTS Technical, trade-related and other business services not included elsewhere (architecture, cleaning, security, translation, agriculture, mining, etc.)
DSA Purchases and sales of foreign debt securities in unrelated companies - with maturities of less than 1 year IRW Interest rate unwind payments PPL Purchase of real estate in the UAE from non-residents UFP Unclaimed funds placement
DSF Debt instruments intragroup foreign securities ISH Income on investment funds shares PRP Profit rate swap payments UTL Utility bill payments
DSL Purchases and sales of securities issued by residents in unrelated companies - with maturities of less than 1 year ISL Interest on securities more than a year PRR Profits or rents on real estate TAX Tax payment
EDU Educational support ISS Interest on securities less than a year PRS Personal, cultural, audiovisual and recreational services XAT Tax refund
EMI Equated monthly instalments (monthly payments of interest and pricipal) ITS Computer services of all types (apart from IP and licencing rights) PRW Profit rate unwind payments
EOS End of service / final settlement LAS Leave salary RDA Reverse debt instruments abroad
FAM Family support (workers' remittances) LDL Debt instruments intragroup loans, deposits in the UAE (above 10% share) RDL Reverse debt instruments in the UAE
FDA Financial derivatives foreign LDS Debt instruments intragroup securities in the UAE RDS Research and development services

Open corporate bank account in Dubai