Requirement matrix

What United Arab Emirates requires

Every row states who owns the requirement, whether it is mandatory or conditional, and what evidence normally satisfies it. Requirements are grouped by the area they belong to, not by page.

Requirement rows: 8 across all structures
Conditional rows: 2
Filing authority: Free-zone licensing authority of the chosen zone

Free Zone CompanyThe only structure published for United Arab Emirates.

Identity

Identity requirements for Free Zone Company in United Arab Emirates
Requirement	Owned by	Necessity	Evidence expected
Certified identity and address evidence for each individual who owns or controls the company, plus corporate documents where a shareholder is itself an entity.	You	Mandatory	Passport or national identity document Proof of residential address

Identity evidence for every beneficial owner and director
Mandatory
Owned by
You
Evidence
Passport or national identity document, Proof of residential address

Structure

Structure requirements for Free Zone Company in United Arab Emirates
Requirement	Owned by	Necessity	Evidence expected
Shareholders and holdings, manager or director appointments, and the ultimate beneficial owners the zone records.	You	Mandatory	Confirmed during intake
Naming rules are set per zone and some terms require additional approval.	Appointed provider	Mandatory	Confirmed during intake

Confirmed ownership and control structure
Mandatory
Owned by
You
Name reservation with the zone authority
Mandatory
Owned by
Appointed provider

Address and presence

Address and presence requirements for Free Zone Company in United Arab Emirates
Requirement	Owned by	Necessity	Evidence expected
Zones require a registered premises option. The option chosen can affect visa allocation.	You	Mandatory	Confirmed during intake

Premises arrangement inside the zone
Mandatory
Owned by
You

Compliance

Compliance requirements for Free Zone Company in United Arab Emirates
Requirement	Owned by	Necessity	Evidence expected
Corporate shareholder documents and some personal documents may require notarisation, legalisation or attested translation.	Appointed provider	Conditional Applies where a corporate shareholder or non-Gulf document is used	Confirmed during intake
UAE entities may be in scope for economic substance notification and must maintain beneficial ownership records with the licensing authority.	You	Conditional Scope depends on the licensed activity	Confirmed during intake

Document attestation and translation where required
Conditional
Owned by
Appointed provider
Applies when
Applies where a corporate shareholder or non-Gulf document is used
Economic substance and beneficial ownership filings
Conditional
Owned by
You
Applies when
Scope depends on the licensed activity

Operational

Operational requirements for Free Zone Company in United Arab Emirates
Requirement	Owned by	Necessity	Evidence expected
Each zone publishes an activity list. The selected activities determine the licence category and can restrict where the company may contract.	You	Mandatory	Confirmed during intake
A specific description of what the company will do, in which markets, and with which counterparties. Regulated or restricted activities change both the filing path and the licensing path.	You	Mandatory	Confirmed during intake

Activity selection and licence type
Mandatory
Owned by
You
Description of intended business activity
Mandatory
Owned by
You

Where this comes from

How the matrix is maintained

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Starting formation opens a resumable intake built from this matrix. You supply what only you can supply; the rest is handled by the appointed provider.

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The intake is built from this matrix and can be resumed.

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