From France to the UAE
Your base in the Gulf starts in Dubai.
For French investors and companies, the UAE is the natural gateway to the Gulf and a global hub between Europe, Asia and Africa. Dubai offers business-friendly rules, world-class connections and more than twenty free zones built for international firms. IBC helps you choose the right structure, invest with confidence and meet the people who make it happen.
Discuss your set-upWhy Dubai
A hub built for international business
Strategic location
A few hours' flight from the Gulf, India, Africa and Europe, with one of the world's busiest international airports.
Business-friendly framework
Full foreign ownership in free zones and for most mainland activities, no personal income tax, and free repatriation of capital and profits.
Stable and connected
A predictable regulatory environment, modern infrastructure, and a business community drawn from every major market.
A gateway to the GCC
A Dubai presence opens conversations across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the wider region.
Choosing a structure
Free zone or mainland?
The first decision is where to register. Each route has clear strengths, and the right answer depends on who your customers are and how you plan to trade.
Option 1
Free zone company
100% foreign ownership.
Customs advantages for goods held and traded within the zone.
0% corporate tax possible on qualifying income for qualifying free zone companies.
Zones built around sectors: DMCC for trade and commodities, DIFC for financial services, Dubai Silicon Oasis for technology, JAFZA for logistics.
Best for international trade, services and regional headquarters. Selling directly into the UAE market usually needs a local distributor or an extra licence.
Option 2
Mainland company
Trade directly anywhere in the UAE, including with government entities.
100% foreign ownership for most commercial and industrial activities.
Standard UAE corporate tax of 9% on profits above AED 375,000.
No restriction on office location within the emirate.
Best for companies serving UAE customers directly, retail, and on-site services.
Rules, costs and eligibility change. Every recommendation is checked with our licensed partners against current regulations before you commit.
How IBC helps
From first conversation to trading licence
01
Understand your plan
We start with your business: what you sell, who you sell to, and why the Gulf.
02
Choose the structure
Free zone or mainland, which zone, which licence activity, and what each means for visas, tax and banking.
03
Set up with trusted partners
Company formation, licensing and accounting handled by specialist firms we work with every day.
04
Open the right doors
Introductions to clients, distributors, investors and the business community, so the company has work from day one.
Our Dubai partners
The specialists we work with
IBC does not issue licences or handle property transactions itself. We work with established Dubai firms that do, and we stay involved to make sure the process serves your plan.
Company formation
e.zones
Free zone and mainland company set-up, licensing and the administrative steps that follow.
Company set-up & accounting
Account.Ability
Company formation support, bookkeeping and ongoing compliance once the business is trading.
Real estate
Alsafa Manzil (Serenity Homes)
Residential and commercial property transactions in Dubai, for investors and for executives relocating to the UAE.
Thinking about Dubai?
Tell us what you are planning. We will tell you honestly whether Dubai is the right move, and how to make it work.
Start a conversation