Obtaining a residence visa and tax residency in the UAE via the registration a company

Those who are engaged in international business often face an important question about how to obtain a tax residency in the country, which provides advantageous conditions regarding taxation of physical persons – its residents. From this point of view, the UAE is one best possible options among the other jurisdictions. All the UAE residents are fully exempted from all kinds of income taxes; the UAE residence visa gives its holders almost the same rights and possibilities as the citizens of this country.

The UAE government offers foreigners who want to live in this country three ways of obtaining Residency in UAE:

• UAE residence visa for buying real estate (its price should be at least 1 million dirhams);
• Tax residency UAE through opening an onshore (in one of the free zones) or a local (a local partner should have at least 51% of shares) company;
• Residence visa by getting a legal job.

In this article, we consider why it is beneficial for foreign investors to get a UAE residency through company formation.

The company registration in the UAE and obtaining the residence visa for a business owner and all members of his/her family is the most reliable and proven way of obtaining a residence permit in the UAE and, accordingly, the possibility of obtaining a tax residency in the UAE.

The attractiveness of the United Arab Emirates for business is the fact that no one disputes today. No taxes, excellent infrastructure, convenient international transportation, a high standard of living and lots of potential opportunities to build a profitable business, this is not a complete list of the advantages of this country for business. If you decided to move your business to the UAE and to move to this country for permanent residence with your family, you have two possible ways of UAE residency via company registration. You can register an onshore company in one of the free zones (the offshore company does not give you the right to get a resident visa since it is considered to be foreign), or find a local partner and open a local company. Both types of companies will allow you to apply for a resident visa not only for you but also for your family members (a wife/husband and children under the age of 21). In addition, you will be able to create new jobs; you can hire any staff and issue resident visas for them.

Obtaining and renewing investor visa in Dubai.

After receiving a UAE residence visa (and Tax residency of the UAE), you can also apply for UAE visas for dependent individuals. The visa of dependent persons can be issued for the closest relatives, and in order to receive it, you have to provide a certain set of documents. The UAE resident visa for a spouse, child, parents or other related persons requires the provision of documents confirming the relationship. It will also require certificates of the availability of the necessary funds for the maintenance of relatives in the UAE and documents confirming the availability of housing (this could be a lease or a certificate of ownership). All these documents must be legalized.

The only requirement for maintaining the validity of an investor visa in the UAE after opening a company and issuing a visa is to visit the UAE every 180 days and pay annual fees for the renewal of the established company. It is worth noting that the absence/presence of active business activity does not affect the extension of the visa.

Resident visas in the UAE can be renewed an unlimited number of times if you live according to the laws of this country and continue to own your real estate, business or have legal work. In addition to standard documents for the extension of a visa, residents who rent a house are required to submit a rental agreement.

Although UAE citizenship is almost impossible to obtain, foreigners may well live in the Emirates for several decades, having a UAE residence visa.