DAY 0Decide the routeOne conversationFree zone, mainland, or a free zone license plus a mainland operating permit. Your activity, your visa count and who you invoice decide it, not which jurisdiction is advertising hardest this month.
DAY 0Send the documents10 minutes, however you preferA passport copy and three trade name options. Three, because the first is often taken or falls foul of the naming rules. WhatsApp, email, a call, whatever suits you. You do not need to visit an office to start.
DAY 1–3Initial approval and license issuedWe handle itInitial approval confirms the authority is happy with the activity and the shareholders. The license follows: trade license, registration documents, Memorandum of Association (MOA) and share certificates. This is the document people mean when they say “company,” and it is the guaranteed stage: five working days or AED 1,000 credited. Most files close in three.
DAY 4–7Establishment card and immigration fileWe handle itOpens your company file with immigration. Without it you cannot sponsor a single visa, including your own, which is why a zero visa headline price is only half a company. For Sharjah free zones, e-channel registration runs alongside this and needs a UID number for every shareholder.
DAY 8–11Entry permitWe handle itThe e-visa comes through in two working days once the file is open, four at the outside.
DAY 12Status changeWe handle itIf you are already in the UAE, this happens without you leaving the country.
DAY 13–14Medical testOne short visitApplication and certificate. We tell you exactly what to bring. Health insurance is mandatory before the visa is approved, and we arrange it in the background.
DAY 15–17Emirates ID and biometricsOne short visitYour second and last appointment, usually the same week as the medical.
DAY 18Visa approvedWe handle itYou are free to leave and re-enter the country from this point.
DAY 19–25Emirates ID card releasedWe courier itSeven working days for the physical card. We send it to you wherever you are, including outside the country.
WEEK 3–8Bank account and getting paidOne meetingStarts as soon as the license and establishment card are issued, so it overlaps your visa rather than waiting on it. Introduction, KYC meeting, then the bank’s own compliance review, which is the one stage nobody can put a date on. Payment links follow if you sell online.
Need it faster than five days?
Ask about priority processing — we will tell you honestly whether it will help your case.