Ae Company Formation logo

Ae Company Formation

Organization
openaccountants
ae-company-formation

Source-cited draft: company formation & entity choice for United Arab Emirates (tax year 2025) — rates, thresholds and rules with primary-source citations. Unverified; pending local-accountant review.

Overview

Publisheropenaccountants
Repositoryopenaccountants
Skill nameae-company-formation
Stars
464
Forks
65
Bundled files
Instructions only
LicenseAGPL-3.0
Links
  • Markdown instructions

    A SKILL.md file the model loads on demand, so it only costs tokens when a request actually matches.

  • Works with any LLM

    AI skills are plain Markdown, not provider-specific code, so this works with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model.

  • Self-contained

    Everything the model needs lives in the instructions — no extra files to sync.

  • Open source

    Published by openaccountants on GitHub. Read the source before you install it.

Installation

Install the Ae Company Formation AI skill in TypingMind to use it with any LLM, or drop it into another agent that reads SKILL.md.

1

Install in TypingMind

TypingMind installs a skill straight from its GitHub folder — it reads SKILL.md, bundles the resource files, and stores the result locally.

  1. Open the app and go to Plugins → Skills.
  2. Choose "Install from GitHub".
  3. Paste the skill folder URL below and confirm.
    https://github.com/openaccountants/openaccountants/tree/main/agent-skills/ae-company-formation
  4. Enable the skill in any chat where you want it available.
Plugins → Skills → Add skill → From GitHub URL, then paste the folder URL and press Continue.
2

Install in another agent

Any agent that reads the Agent Skills format can use this skill — copy the folder into that agent's skills directory.

Claude Code — .claude/skills
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/openaccountants/openaccountants.git /tmp/openaccountants
mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/openaccountants/agent-skills/ae-company-formation .claude/skills/ae-company-formation
Restart Claude Code after copying so it picks up the new skill.

Use it in TypingMind

Enable Ae Company Formation in any TypingMind chat and the model takes it from there. Its name and description sit in the system prompt, and the moment a request matches, the model loads the full instructions itself — you never invoke it by hand, and it costs no tokens until it is actually used.

The model loads Ae Company Formation on its own as soon as a request matches it.

Works with any AI model

AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so Ae Company Formation is not tied to the model it was written for. Install it once in TypingMind and use it with GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama, or a local model you run yourself — all on your own API keys.

  • Loaded only when it is needed

    The system prompt carries just the name and description. The instructions are fetched on the first matching request, so an idle skill costs nothing.

  • Switch models mid-chat

    Because the skill is instructions rather than code, changing model does not break it — the next model reads the same SKILL.md.

Skill instructions

This is the SKILL.md content the model loads. Read it before installing — a skill is instructions your model will follow.

UAE company formation: what to set up for tax, and in what order (2026)

Scope and who this is for (Corporate Tax Law, consolidated; FTA Decision No. 3 of 2024)

This skill is the entry point for someone setting up a business in the United Arab Emirates who wants to know what the choice of vehicle means for tax, and which tax registrations to make, by when. It covers tax periods and registrations in 2026, with a short section on returns being filed now for 2025.

It covers:

  • the tax difference between a mainland company, a free zone company, a branch and a sole establishment (natural person);
  • Corporate Tax registration and the Tax Registration Number (TRN), including the deadline for a new company;
  • the Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP) regime at the point of set-up: what a free zone company must have in place to get 0% on Qualifying Income;
  • Small Business Relief at the point of set-up, and why a QFZP cannot use it;
  • the VAT registration thresholds and Designated Zones;
  • audited financial statements, record keeping and the first tax period;
  • Economic Substance Regulations (ESR), which no longer require reports for financial years ending after 31 December 2022, and Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO) filings.

It does not cover licensing. The trade licence, legal form, share capital, office lease, visas and fees are set by the Emirate's economic department or the free zone authority, not by the Federal Tax Authority (FTA). Each of those points is marked check below and carries no figure: confirm them with the licensing authority before advising.

Once the company exists, use the companion skills for the detail:

  • ae-corporate-tax: rates, deductions, losses, transfer pricing, QFZP income tests, returns and penalties.
  • uae-vat and ae-vat-return: VAT rules, invoicing, e-invoicing and the VAT201 return.
  • ae-payroll-social: employing staff, end-of-service gratuity and GCC nationals' pensions.
  • ae-income-tax: individuals (there is no personal income tax on wages).

Ask the client first

  • What will the business actually do, and for whom? List the activities and the customers: UAE mainland businesses, free zone businesses, consumers (natural persons), or customers abroad. This drives the free zone decision more than anything else.
  • Who will own it? A UAE or foreign individual, a UAE company, or a foreign company. Is the owner part of a multinational group, and does the group's consolidated revenue reach EUR 750 million? That brings the domestic minimum top-up tax into view.
  • Where will it be managed and controlled from? A foreign company whose board or senior managers run it from the UAE can be UAE resident for Corporate Tax even without a UAE licence.
  • Company or sole establishment? Will the business be a juridical person (a company) or will the individual trade in their own name?
  • Mainland or free zone, and which free zone? If free zone, is the plan to sell mainly to other free zone companies or to carry on a Qualifying Activity, or to sell into the mainland and to consumers? Is the zone also a Designated Zone for VAT (check the Cabinet list with the FTA)?
  • Substance plan. Where will the staff, premises, assets and decision-making sit? Will any core work be outsourced, and to whom?
  • Expected revenue for the first 12 months and the first financial year, and the expected taxable supplies and taxable expenses for VAT.
  • Financial year end the company intends to adopt.
  • Dates: the date of incorporation or licence issue, and the date the first taxable supply is expected.
  • Existing registrations: does the owner or group already hold a UAE TRN for VAT or Corporate Tax?

The method, step by step

  1. Choose the vehicle with tax in mind (the table in "Mainland or free zone" below). A company, whether mainland or free zone, is a Resident Person for Corporate Tax from incorporation. A natural person trading in their own name is taxable only once business turnover exceeds AED 1,000,000 in a calendar year (Cabinet Decision No. 49 of 2023).
  2. Get the licence and incorporate with the Emirate authority or free zone authority. Check the legal form, capital, lease and fees with that authority; this skill gives no figures for them.
  3. Fix the financial year. For Corporate Tax the financial year is the Gregorian calendar year, or the 12-month period for which the company prepares financial statements (Corporate Tax Law, Article 57). A change needs an FTA application (Article 58). How long a first period may run is set by FTA practice: check on EmaraTax before choosing a long or short first year.
  4. Register for Corporate Tax on EmaraTax within 3 months of incorporation, and obtain a Corporate Tax TRN. This applies to every UAE company incorporated on or after 1 March 2024, including a free zone company and a company that expects to claim Small Business Relief (FTA Decision No. 3 of 2024, Article 3).
  5. Test VAT registration from day one, month by month: mandatory when taxable supplies in the previous 12 months exceeded AED 375,000, or are expected to exceed it in the next 30 days; voluntary when supplies or taxable expenses exceeded AED 187,500 (VAT Executive Regulation, Articles 7 and 8). VAT registration is a separate application; it does not register the company for Corporate Tax, and the reverse is also true.
  6. For a free zone company, build the QFZP file before the first period starts: substance in the free zone, a record of which income will be Qualifying Income, transfer pricing documentation, and an auditor (Corporate Tax Law, Article 18; Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025).
  7. For a small mainland company, diarise the Small Business Relief election. It is made in the return for each period, is not automatic, and is not available to a QFZP or to a member of a multinational group (Ministerial Decision No. 73 of 2023, Article 3).
  8. Set up the books so that standalone financial statements can be prepared under the accounting standards accepted in the UAE, and keep records for 7 years after the end of each tax period (Corporate Tax Law, Articles 20 and 56).
  9. Deal with UBO and other licensing-side filings with the licensing authority (check; outside this skill). ESR notifications and reports are no longer required for financial years ending after 31 December 2022 (Ministry of Finance announcement).
  10. Keep the tax record current. A registrant quotes its TRN in all dealings with the FTA and others, and tells the FTA of any change to its registered details within 20 Business Days (Tax Procedures Law, Article 6).
  11. Diarise the first returns: Corporate Tax return and payment 9 months after the end of the first tax period; VAT returns for the tax periods the FTA assigns.

Figures for 2026, with their years

Corporate Tax (Corporate Tax Law, Article 3; Cabinet Decision No. 116 of 2022; Cabinet Decision No. 49 of 2023)

ItemFigureApplies to
Rate on taxable income up to the band0%Tax periods in 2025 and 2026, per Taxable Person, not per licence
BandAED 375,000Same
Rate above the band9%Same
QFZP rate on Qualifying Income0%QFZP meeting all conditions for the whole period
QFZP rate on other taxable income9%From the first dirham; the AED 375,000 band does not apply to it
Natural person's business turnover testExceeds AED 1,000,000 in a Gregorian calendar year2024 onwards
Domestic minimum top-up taxEffective rate of 15%Constituent entities of multinational groups with consolidated revenue of EUR 750 million or more; fiscal years from 1 January 2025 (Cabinet Decision No. 142 of 2024)

Small Business Relief (Ministerial Decision No. 73 of 2023; Ministerial Decision No. 131 of 2026)

ItemRule
Revenue thresholdAED 3,000,000 for the period and every earlier period (does not exceed)
Periods coveredPeriods starting on or after 1 June 2023 and ending on or before 31 December 2029 (extended from 31 December 2026 by Ministerial Decision No. 131 of 2026, issued 29 July 2026)
Who cannot use itA QFZP; a constituent company of a multinational group (consolidated revenue of at least AED 3.15 billion)
HowRegister, then elect in each period's return
Effect on lossesLosses of an elected period cannot be carried forward

VAT registration (VAT Law, Articles 13 and 17; VAT Executive Regulation, Articles 7 and 8)

ItemFigure or rule
Standard rate5%
Mandatory Registration ThresholdAED 375,000 of supplies counted under VAT Law Article 19 that exceeded it in the previous 12 months, or are expected to in the next 30 days
Application deadlineWithin 30 days of becoming required to register
If the person does not applyThe FTA registers it from the date it first became liable, and imposes penalties
Voluntary Registration ThresholdAED 187,500 of supplies or taxable expenses
Non-resident with no place of residence in the UAE or another implementing stateRegisters when it makes supplies on which no one else must account for the VAT; no threshold

The VAT threshold and the Corporate Tax band are both AED 375,000, but they measure different things: the VAT test counts turnover of taxable supplies; the Corporate Tax band is a slice of taxable profit. Do not confuse them.

Registration and other deadlines for a new company in 2026 (FTA Decision No. 3 of 2024; Corporate Tax Law, Articles 53 and 56; Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025)

Person or eventDeadline or rule
UAE company incorporated on or after 1 March 2024, including a free zone companyCorporate Tax registration within 3 months from incorporation, establishment or recognition
Foreign company effectively managed and controlled in the UAE3 months from the end of its financial year
Non-resident with a permanent establishment in the UAE (from 1 March 2024)6 months from the date the permanent establishment exists
Non-resident with a nexus in the UAE (from 1 March 2024)3 months from the date of the nexus
Resident individual whose business turnover exceeds AED 1,000,000 in a calendar year31 March of the following year
Non-resident individual over the turnover threshold3 months from meeting the requirements
Corporate Tax return and payment9 months from the end of the tax period
Audited financial statementsRevenue exceeding AED 50,000,000 in the period (not a Tax Group), and every QFZP; periods starting on or after 1 January 2025
Record keeping7 years after the end of the tax period
Tell the FTA of a change to registered details20 Business Days from the event

Mainland or free zone: what changes for tax (Corporate Tax Law, Articles 11, 18 and 19; FTA Free Zone Persons bulletin)

The licensing differences (ownership rules, where the company may trade, office requirements, visas and costs) are check items for the licensing authority. For tax the differences are narrower than most set-up material suggests:

VehicleCorporate Tax positionRegistrationMain tax point at set-up
Mainland company (for example an LLC)Resident Person; 0% up to AED 375,000, 9% aboveWithin 3 months of incorporationSmall Business Relief may be available if revenue stays at or below AED 3,000,000
Free zone company (FZ-LLC, FZE, FZCO or similar; check the forms with the zone)Resident Person and a Free Zone Person; 0% on Qualifying Income only if a QFZP; otherwise the same as mainlandWithin 3 months of incorporation, even if it expects 0%Build substance, income tracking, transfer pricing file and audit from the start
Branch of a foreign companyThe foreign company is a Non-Resident Person with a permanent establishment, taxed on the branch's profits6 months from when the permanent establishment existsA branch registered in a free zone is a Free Zone Person
Branch of a UAE companySame Taxable Person as the head office (one registration, one return)Covered by the head office's registrationThe FTA bulletin says a UAE company with a branch registered in a free zone will be a Free Zone Person, with the UAE company's own presence treated as a domestic permanent establishment; income of a domestic permanent establishment is taxed at 9% even for a QFZP. Refer
Sole establishment or civil (professional) licence held by an individualNot a juridical person; the individual is taxable only if business turnover exceeds AED 1,000,000 in a calendar year31 March of the following yearWages, personal investment income and unlicensed real estate investment income never count
Unincorporated partnershipTransparent: each partner is taxed on its share, unless the FTA approves an application to treat the partnership as taxableEach partner that is a Taxable Person registersRefer; see Corporate Tax Law, Article 16

Choosing a free zone does not by itself give 0%. The 0% rate applies only to Qualifying Income of a Free Zone Person that meets every condition in Article 18, all the time, for the whole tax period.

What a free zone company must have in place to be a QFZP (Corporate Tax Law, Articles 18 and 19; Cabinet Decision No. 100 of 2023; Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025)

A Free Zone Person is a juridical person incorporated, established or otherwise registered in a free zone, including a branch of a non-resident registered there. An individual cannot be a Free Zone Person. It is a QFZP only while it meets all of these:

  1. Adequate substance in the State: its core income-generating activities are carried on in a free zone, with adequate assets, qualified full-time employees and operating expenditure. Plan the lease, staff and decision-making before trading starts.
  2. Qualifying Income: income from other Free Zone Persons (except Excluded Activities), income from Qualifying Activities with anyone, and qualifying intellectual property income. Transactions with natural persons are an Excluded Activity for most businesses. The full lists are in ae-corporate-tax.
  3. No election to be taxed at the standard rates. A QFZP may elect into the standard rates from the start of the period in which it elects, or the next period (Article 19).
  4. Arm's length pricing and transfer pricing documentation (Articles 34 and 55).
  5. Audited financial statements for every period (Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025).
  6. De minimis test: non-qualifying revenue does not exceed 5% of total revenue or AED 5,000,000, whichever is lower (Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025, Article 3).

Consequence of failing: a QFZP that fails any condition at any time in a period ceases to be a QFZP from the beginning of that period and for the subsequent 4 tax periods (Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025). In those periods it is taxed at the standard rates. Whether Small Business Relief can then be claimed is not addressed in the sources used here: refer. Treat a planned free zone structure that sells mainly to UAE consumers or mainland customers as a 9% business from the start.

A QFZP that distributes goods in or from a Designated Zone also needs an agreed-upon procedures report from its auditor, for periods starting on or after 1 January 2026 (FTA Decision No. 6 of 2026).

Free zones and VAT (VAT Law, Article 50; VAT Executive Regulation, Article 51)

  • A free zone company is inside the UAE for VAT. It registers on the same thresholds as a mainland company.
  • A Designated Zone that meets the conditions in the Executive Regulation is treated as outside the State, but only for certain supplies of goods. Services supplied in a Designated Zone are taxed as normal. Not every free zone is a Designated Zone: check the current Cabinet list with the FTA.
  • A person established or registered in a Designated Zone is treated as resident in the UAE for VAT.
  • Detail, including goods movements, is in uae-vat.

Economic Substance and UBO (Ministry of Finance announcement on Cabinet Decision No. 98 of 2024)

  • Economic Substance Regulations (ESR): the Ministry of Finance announced the cancellation of economic substance reporting requirements "for financial years ending after 31 December 2022", following Cabinet Decision No. 98 of 2024. A company formed now therefore has no ESR notification or report to file. ESR filings for financial years ending on or before 31 December 2022 (and any penalties for them) are a legacy matter: refer.
  • Substance still matters for tax. For a free zone company, adequate substance is a QFZP condition (above), and a foreign company run from the UAE can become UAE resident through effective management and control.
  • UBO (Ultimate Beneficial Owner) register: UBO filings are made with the licensing authority, not the FTA, under rules this skill's official sources do not cover. Mark as check: confirm the form, timing and update rules with the Emirate or free zone registrar.
  • Anti-money-laundering registration for regulated professions and dealers is also outside this skill (check with the relevant supervisor).

Boundaries and exceptions (FTA Decision No. 3 of 2024; Cabinet Decision No. 49 of 2023; VAT Executive Regulation, Article 7)

SituationAnswerWhy
New free zone company expects all its income to be Qualifying IncomeMust still register for Corporate Tax within 3 months and file returnsEvery UAE company, including a Free Zone Person, is a Resident Person and a Taxable Person
New mainland company expects revenue well under AED 3,000,000Must still register within 3 months; Small Business Relief is claimed by election in each returnThe relief is an election, not an exemption from registration
Individual freelancer with a licence, business turnover of exactly AED 1,000,000 in 2026Not subject to Corporate Tax for 2026; no registrationThe test is turnover that exceeds AED 1,000,000
Individual's business turnover passes AED 1,000,000 in 2026Taxable Person for 2026; register by 31 March 2027FTA Decision No. 3 of 2024, Article 5
Taxable supplies of exactly AED 375,000 in the last 12 monthsNot required to register for VATMandatory only when supplies exceeded the threshold
Start-up with no sales yet but taxable expenses over AED 187,500May register for VAT voluntarilyExpenses count for voluntary registration only
Company registered for VAT alreadyStill has to register separately for Corporate TaxSeparate registrations under separate laws
Owner holds two licences or runs several businesses through one companyOne Taxable Person, one AED 375,000 bandThe band applies per Taxable Person
Foreign company with a UAE branch in a free zoneThe branch is a Free Zone Person; the foreign parent is treated as having a foreign permanent establishmentFTA Free Zone Persons bulletin
Free zone company fails the de minimis test in its second yearStandard rates from the start of that year and the next 4 yearsMinisterial Decision No. 229 of 2025
Licence renewal, capital, lease, visa or fee questionsCheck with the licensing authorityOutside the FTA's rules and this skill

Worked cases (FTA Decision No. 3 of 2024; Cabinet Decision No. 116 of 2022; Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025)

  1. Free zone consultancy that is not a QFZP.

    • Facts: a free zone company is incorporated on 15 February 2026 with a 31 December year end. It gives management consulting to mainland companies and to individuals. Revenue for 2026 is AED 3,400,000, all from those customers; taxable income is AED 900,000.
    • Registration: Corporate Tax registration is due within 3 months of incorporation, by 15 May 2026.
    • QFZP test: consulting is not a Qualifying Activity, and the customers are not Free Zone Persons, so all revenue is non-qualifying. That is far above 5% of revenue, so the de minimis test fails and the company is not a QFZP for 2026 (or the next 4 periods).
    • Tax: standard rates: (900,000 − 375,000) × 9% = AED 47,250. Small Business Relief is not available because revenue exceeds AED 3,000,000.
    • VAT: its supplies passed AED 375,000 early in 2026, so it had to apply for VAT registration within 30 days of becoming required to register.
    • Lesson: for a business selling services to the mainland and to consumers, the free zone gives no Corporate Tax advantage; choose on licensing grounds (check).
  2. Small mainland company using Small Business Relief.

    • Facts: a mainland company is incorporated on 10 March 2026, with its first tax period ending 31 December 2026. Revenue for the period is AED 900,000. It is not part of a multinational group.
    • Registration: by 10 June 2026 (3 months from incorporation).
    • Relief: revenue does not exceed AED 3,000,000 and the period ends before 31 December 2029, so it may elect Small Business Relief in its 2026 return, due with any payment by 30 September 2027. If it elects, it is treated as having no taxable income, and any loss of the period cannot be carried forward.
    • VAT: its supplies exceed AED 375,000 within its first 12 months, so it must apply for VAT registration within 30 days of becoming required to register. Registration for Corporate Tax does not cover this.
  3. Late Corporate Tax registration, penalty waived.

    • Facts: a company incorporated on 10 February 2026, with a 31 December year end, had to register by 10 May 2026. It registered in August 2026.
    • Penalty: the late registration penalty is AED 10,000 (Cabinet Decision No. 75 of 2023).
    • Waiver: if it files its first return (period ending 31 December 2026) within 7 months of the period end, by 31 July 2027, instead of 9 months, the FTA waives the penalty or refunds it if paid (CTP006). Any tax is still due by 30 September 2027.
  4. Individual with a sole establishment licence.

    • Facts: a resident designer trades under a sole establishment licence. Business turnover is AED 1,400,000 in 2026.
    • Corporate Tax: turnover exceeds AED 1,000,000 in the calendar year, so she is a Taxable Person for 2026 and registers by 31 March 2027. Her return for 2026 is due by 30 September 2027. She may elect Small Business Relief, because revenue is not above AED 3,000,000.
    • VAT: separately, her taxable supplies exceeded AED 375,000 during 2026, so VAT registration was due within 30 days of that point, long before the Corporate Tax deadline.
    • Had turnover been AED 750,000: no Corporate Tax and no Corporate Tax registration for 2026; VAT registration would still be required because the supplies exceed AED 375,000.
  5. Foreign company opening a UAE branch.

    • Facts: a foreign company opens a branch in the UAE, which becomes a permanent establishment on 1 May 2026.
    • Registration: within 6 months from the date the permanent establishment exists, by 1 November 2026. The foreign company is a Non-Resident Person taxed on the profits attributable to the branch.
    • If the branch is registered in a free zone: the branch is a Free Zone Person and may be a QFZP only if it meets every condition, including audited statements and substance.
    • If the parent is in a group with consolidated revenue of EUR 750 million or more: the domestic minimum top-up tax may apply: refer.

When to refuse or refer

  • QFZP planning where activities, customers, substance or outsourcing are unclear, or the de minimis test will be close. Never tell a client a free zone company "pays 0%" without evidence of every condition. Refer to an FTA-registered tax agent (Corporate Tax Law, Article 18).
  • Multinational groups with consolidated revenue of EUR 750 million or more (top-up tax registration and returns), and any group seeking a Tax Group or qualifying group relief (Cabinet Decision No. 142 of 2024).
  • Foreign companies that may be effectively managed and controlled from the UAE, or that may have a permanent establishment or nexus here without meaning to.
  • Unincorporated partnerships, trusts and foundations, and applications to be treated as a taxable partnership (Article 16).
  • Branches of UAE companies in free zones, and mixed mainland and free zone operations.
  • Restructurings: transferring an existing business into a new company, business restructuring relief, or moving from sole establishment to company.
  • Legacy ESR filings or penalties for financial years ending on or before 31 December 2022.
  • Licensing, capital, UBO, visa, labour and AML questions: outside this skill; send the client to the licensing authority or the relevant regulator.
  • Excise tax (tobacco, energy and sweetened drinks and similar goods): outside this skill.
  • Refuse to recommend a structure that splits one business across several licences or entities to multiply the AED 375,000 band or stay under the Small Business Relief threshold. The FTA can treat artificial separation as an avoidance arrangement (Cabinet Decision No. 116 of 2022; Ministerial Decision No. 73 of 2023).

Filing and payment

First filings after formation (Corporate Tax Law, Articles 51, 53 and 56; Tax Procedures Law, Article 6)

  • Corporate Tax registration on EmaraTax gives the company a TRN. The FTA can also register a person on its own initiative, effective from the date the person became a Taxable Person (Article 51(3)).
  • VAT registration is a separate EmaraTax application with its own TRN and effective date; the VAT return periods are those the FTA assigns (see ae-vat-return).
  • Corporate Tax return and payment are due 9 months after the end of each tax period:
First tax period endsReturn and payment due
31 March 202631 December 2026
30 June 202631 March 2027
30 September 202630 June 2027
31 December 202630 September 2027
  • Audited financial statements for a QFZP (every period) and for any company with revenue exceeding AED 50,000,000.
  • Changes: tell the FTA within 20 Business Days of any event that changes the information on the tax record (for example a new licence activity, address, owner or manager).
  • Closing down: a company that ceases business applies to deregister within the FTA's timeline, and cannot be deregistered until all returns (including for the period to cessation), tax and penalties are settled (Article 52).
  • E-invoicing: the UAE e-invoicing system is being phased in by revenue band; see uae-vat for the dates that apply to a new company.

Returns being filed now: periods ending in 2025 (Corporate Tax Law, Article 53)

A company formed in 2025 files its first return 9 months after its first period end. A company with a first period ending 31 December 2025 files and pays by 30 September 2026. The same rates, the AED 375,000 band and the Small Business Relief threshold applied to 2025 periods.

Penalties most often met at formation (Cabinet Decision No. 75 of 2023 and amendments; VAT penalties, Cabinet Decision No. 40 of 2017 as amended)

ViolationPenalty
Late Corporate Tax registrationAED 10,000; waived or refunded if the first return is filed within 7 months of the end of the first tax period (first period only)
Late VAT registration applicationAED 10,000
Late Corporate Tax returnAED 500 for each month or part month in the first 12 months, then AED 1,000
Failure to keep Corporate Tax recordsAED 10,000, or AED 20,000 for a repeat within 24 months
Late Corporate Tax deregistration applicationAED 1,000 a month, up to AED 10,000
Failure to update the Corporate Tax recordAED 1,000, or AED 5,000 for a repeat within 24 months

The full penalty tables are in ae-corporate-tax and uae-vat.

Completion checklist (FTA Decision No. 3 of 2024; Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025; VAT Executive Regulation)

  • Activities, customers and owners recorded; multinational group status and revenue checked.
  • Vehicle chosen with the tax consequences in the "Mainland or free zone" table explained to the client.
  • Licensing, capital, lease, UBO and fees marked check and sent to the licensing authority; no figures given for them.
  • Financial year end agreed; first tax period and its return date diarised.
  • Corporate Tax registration made within 3 months of incorporation (or the deadline that fits the person), TRN recorded.
  • VAT tested monthly against AED 375,000 (mandatory, more-than) and AED 187,500 (voluntary); application within 30 days if required.
  • Free zone company: substance, Qualifying Income tracking, de minimis test, transfer pricing file and auditor in place before trading.
  • Mainland small company: Small Business Relief conditions noted and election diarised for each return.
  • Books set up for standalone financial statements; 7-year record retention; audit required if revenue exceeds AED 50,000,000 or QFZP.
  • ESR confirmed as not required for years ending after 31 December 2022.
  • Change-of-details duty (20 Business Days) explained.
  • Referred items (QFZP edge cases, groups, restructurings, partnerships) handed on.

Talk to a verified accountant

This guide is maintained by the OpenAccountants network — accountants who put their name behind the tax answers AI gives people. The live, always-current version (and the professional behind it) is at openaccountants.com.

General reference only. This document does not constitute tax, legal, or financial advice. Verify figures against the cited primary sources or with a licensed professional before relying on them.

Today's figures and who stands behind this skill

This file is an AI skill (tax rules your AI follows) from OpenAccountants, copied on 2026-10-16. Rates, thresholds and deadlines change. For the current version of this skill, its official sources and the named accountant (if any) who stands behind it, call get_skill with slug ae-company-formation on the OpenAccountants connector (https://www.openaccountants.com/connect), or read https://www.openaccountants.com/skills/ae-company-formation. If neither is available, confirm every figure against the official source pages cited above before relying on it.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Ae Company Formation AI skill do?

Source-cited draft: company formation & entity choice for United Arab Emirates (tax year 2025) — rates, thresholds and rules with primary-source citations. Unverified; pending local-accountant review.

Why use Ae Company Formation on TypingMind?

Because you install it once and use it with any model. Ae Company Formation is plain Markdown rather than provider-specific code, so the same skill runs on GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model — and you can switch model mid-chat without it breaking. TypingMind runs on your own API keys, so you pay providers directly instead of a per-seat subscription, and your skills and chats stay in your own storage.

How do I install Ae Company Formation in TypingMind?

Open Plugins → Skills → Install from GitHub in TypingMind and paste https://github.com/openaccountants/openaccountants/tree/main/agent-skills/ae-company-formation. TypingMind reads its SKILL.md and installs it as a skill you can enable per chat.

Which AI models can use Ae Company Formation?

Any model you connect in TypingMind. AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and local models can all load this skill when a request matches it.

How many AI models can I use with Ae Company Formation?

As many as you like. As long as a model supports skills, you can use Ae Company Formation with it — GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama and more — all on TypingMind with your own API keys.

Is the Ae Company Formation AI skill free?

Yes. It is published on GitHub by openaccountants under the AGPL-3.0 license. You only pay your own AI provider for the tokens you use.

What are AI skills?

An AI skill is a reusable instruction bundle that teaches an AI model how to do one specific task. It follows the open Agent Skills format: a SKILL.md file with a name and description, plus any scripts, templates or reference files the model may need. The model reads the instructions only when your request matches the skill, so an installed skill costs nothing until it is used.

How are AI skills different from plugins or MCP servers?

A plugin or MCP server gives a model new tools to call — code that runs somewhere and returns a result. An AI skill gives the model knowledge and process instead: how to approach a task, which steps to follow, what good output looks like. Skills are plain Markdown, so they need no server, no API key and no runtime, and they work with any model.

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