Open a UAE Branch
Your existing company, legally trading in the UAE
We advise on branch versus subsidiary, draft the parent company documents, handle attestation and register the branch with your authority.
Advice on branch versus subsidiary, with the liability and tax consequences of each, filed within 7 working days of documents, for a fixed AED 4,450.
Government and authority fees are separate, quoted in writing before anything is filed and passed to you at cost with the receipt. We never add a margin to an official fee.
COUNSEL AVAILABLE NOW
A vetted senior branch and representative office counsel from the Dubai Legal Office panel
Matched to your parent jurisdiction and Ministry of Economy approval path.
THE DUBAI LEGAL OFFICE STANDARD
- 8+ years of UAE branch registration experience
- 60+ branch registrations completed
- Ministry of Economy branch approvals and attestation chains
- Identity, practising status and disciplinary record verified by Index Law
You'll receive the assigned counsel's credentials and written scope before work begins.
Assigned within 10 minutes, delivered to standard, or 100% refunded — timing, quality and outcome.
Invoicing UAE clients without local registration risks the contract, the payment and a penalty.
Our panel includes counsel who have advised UAE groups including Danube and Union Co-op.
- Vetted UAE-licensed legal professionals
- Fixed fee published before you pay
- Secure card payment, processed by Stripe
- Full refund if we cannot help
Why this costs less than a firm
- A fixed fee, never billable hours
- You buy a defined output at a price agreed before we start. Nobody is running a clock against your file.
- The same work, run on tested UAE playbooks
- Standard UAE matters repeat. Our counsel run them on drafting standards refined across hundreds of files, so the same quality takes a fraction of the hours a firm bills.
- No retainers, no partner overhead
- There is no DIFC tower, no billing department and no minimum engagement to fund. You are not paying for a cost base you never see.
- Protected by the refund promise
- Full refund if a UAE-licensed lawyer has not started within 10 minutes in staffed hours, and a full refund if we sold you the wrong service.
Where this applies
Dubai mainland (DED), DIFC and ADGM, and the free zones including DMCC, IFZA, JAFZA, RAKEZ, Meydan and SHAMS. Ministry of Economy branch registration and MOFA attestation.
Buy this if: Your company already exists abroad and now has to trade here legally.
In Dubai, specifically
- Mainland, free zone or DIFC
- Mainland (DED) gives you the widest UAE market access and government contracting; DIFC and ADGM give you English common law and their own courts; the free zones such as IFZA, DMCC, Meydan and SHAMS are cheaper and faster but restrict onshore trading without a local distributor or branch. If you picked the wrong one, we say so before drafting and move you to the right service at no extra fee.
- The clock that is already running
- From licence issue you generally have a limited window to activate the establishment card and file for investor and staff visas, and a bank will not open the account until the licence, Ejari or flexi-desk and the shareholder file are consistent. Corporate tax registration is due within the deadline set on incorporation. Starting a week earlier usually saves a month.
- Language
- Your counsel works in English and Arabic. Arabic is the language of the UAE courts and most government filings, so anything needing legal translation, notarisation or MOFA attestation is identified and priced before work starts — never sprung on you later.
- You do not need to be in Dubai
- Handled entirely remotely. No office visit, no residency and no physical presence in the UAE required. Where UAE law allows it, signing and notarisation are completed remotely through the Dubai Courts notary. We work across time zones and outside 9 to 5, including Fridays and the shorter Ramadan working day.
- What this costs elsewhere in Dubai
- The Dubai norm is an hourly rate of AED 1,200 to AED 3,500, a retainer up front, and a consultation fee before anyone has read your document. Here the fee is fixed in advance, quoted in full, and covers the deliverable named on this page. There is no billable clock running against you.
- Paying from anywhere
- Priced and charged in AED. International Visa, Mastercard and Amex accepted, along with Apple Pay and Google Pay. No UAE bank account, no IBAN transfer and no cash office visit required.
What lands in your inbox
- Branch licence and establishment card
- Parent resolutions and manager appointment
- Attested and translated corporate documents
- First-year compliance calendar
Sample deliverable
A redacted page from a real matter. No email required.
Four guarantees
Full refund, including for quality
If we start late, deliver late, or the work is not up to the standard published on this page, the full professional fee is refunded. You do not argue for it.
Counsel Standard or refund
Counsel meeting every published standard is assigned within 10 minutes of payment, or you are refunded in full.
Right-Service
If the service you selected is unsuitable or unnecessary, we tell you before starting and refund or transfer the payment to the correct service.
No-Wasted-Fee
The fee for an initial review is credited in full toward the related negotiation, drafting, dispute, diligence or transaction instruction.
If this is you
- Your company already exists abroad and the UAE work has started arriving.
- Clients or authorities are asking for a UAE-registered entity before they pay you.
- You do not want a second company, you want the same company here.
The cost of waiting
Invoicing UAE clients without a local registration risks the contract, the payment and a penalty for unlicensed activity.
You will receive
- Advice on branch versus subsidiary, with the liability and tax consequences of each
- Parent company resolutions and branch manager appointment drafted
- Attestation and legal translation of the corporate documents coordinated
- Ministry of Economy or free zone branch registration managed
- Licence issuance and establishment card
- Compliance calendar for the branch's first year
Who handles this
A commercial contracts lawyer from our panel. It includes counsel who have advised national UAE retail and trading groups, among them Union Co-op, on supply, services and distribution agreements.
- UAE-licensed, practising in Dubai
- Onshore, DIFC and free zone contracts
- Drafting and negotiation, both languages
The first ten minutes
Minute 0
Payment confirmed and your matter is opened with a reference number.
Minute 2
Your file is matched against counsel who meet the published standard for this product.
Minute 10
A UAE-licensed lawyer contacts you on WhatsApp or by phone, or the fee is refunded.
From there
Work starts against the published deadline, and you are told the name of the lawyer on it.
Included in the fee
- The work described above, in full
- A UAE-licensed lawyer assigned to your file
- One round of questions after delivery
- Delivery by the published deadline
Not included
- Government, court or registration fees, quoted before they are incurred
- Certified translation, if a body requires it
- Work beyond this product, which is quoted at a fixed fee first
Government and authority fees are separate, quoted in writing before anything is filed and passed to you at cost with the receipt. We never add a margin to an official fee.
Before you pay
- Who does the work
- UAE-licensed lawyers and law firms, verified by us for licence, identity and disciplinary record before they take a matter.
- Confidentiality
- Your documents are held privately, shared only with the assigned lawyer, and covered by professional privilege.
- Payments
- Taken through Stripe. We never see or store your card details, and every fee is shown before you pay.
- If it goes wrong
- Miss the deadline, the counsel standard or the fit of the product, and the professional fee is refunded under the published guarantees.
This work costs 0.45% of what is at stake.
What you are getting
| Branch versus subsidiary advice | AED 6,000 |
| Corporate document drafting | AED 5,000 |
| Attestation coordination | AED 3,500 |
| Registration management | AED 5,500 |
| Total value | AED 20,000 |
| Your fixed fee today | AED 4,450 |
Traditional firm
- 1Enquiry
- 2Callback
- 3Scoping meeting
- 4Quote
- 5Engagement letter
Dubai Legal Office
- Choose the outcome
- See the fee
- See the counsel standard
- Upload
- Work starts
Compared with a traditional firm
| Dubai Legal Office | Traditional firm | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | AED 4,450 fixed | AED 18,000 – AED 40,000 |
| Time to start | 10 minutes from payment | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Scope | Written on this page | Agreed after a meeting |
| Surprise fees | None | Billed by the hour |
The Index Guarantee
A UAE legal professional will contact you within 10 minutes of payment. If no one contacts you within 10 minutes, your Index service fee is refunded in full. If we review your request and determine that we cannot provide the service you purchased, your Index service fee is also refunded in full.
Frequently bought with
Check a Contract Before Signing
Upload the contract and a UAE-licensed lawyer gives you a written answer the same working day: the financial, legal and commercial risks, and exactly what to change before you sign.
AED 950Check your website terms and privacy policy
Send us your live URL and we check the terms, privacy policy and refund wording against UAE consumer protection and data protection law.
AED 550Check an influencer or promotion campaign
Before the campaign goes out, we check the creative, the claims and the agreement against UAE advertising, influencer licensing and consumer protection rules.
AED 350Before you buy
- Is a branch better than a new company?
- Sometimes. We tell you which is better for your liability and tax position before we file anything.
- My documents are in another language.
- We handle legal translation and attestation as part of the file.
- How long does attestation take?
- It depends on your home country. We tell you the realistic window on day one, in writing.
- What if the parent company changes its mind?
- Full refund before drafting starts, no questions asked.
- Is the price really fixed?
- Yes. The fee you see is the fee you pay for the scope written on this page. If your matter turns out to need something outside that scope, we tell you the price before any further work starts.
- Who actually handles my matter?
- A vetted, UAE-licensed legal professional experienced in this exact type of matter. You are given their name, not a ticket number.
- What if I picked the wrong service?
- We move you to the right one. If it costs less, the difference is refunded. If it costs more, you decide before anything is charged.
- What if nobody contacts me in 10 minutes?
- Your service fee is refunded. The clock starts the moment your payment is confirmed and it is recorded against your reference number.
The Dubai Legal Office Promise
Buy with complete confidence.
Every fixed-fee matter is backed by our service promise.
10-Minute Response Guarantee
After you complete your purchase, a member of our legal team will personally contact you within 10 minutes during business hours. If we don't, we'll refund your purchase in full.
Fixed Fee Guarantee
The price shown is the price you pay for the agreed scope. No hourly billing. No surprise invoices.
Wrong Service? We'll Fix It.
If you've purchased the wrong service, we'll transfer your payment to the correct one before work begins.
Transparent from the Start.
If your matter requires a different scope, we'll explain everything before any additional work begins.
Handled by a vetted UAE lawyer
Every legal professional on our panel is licensed to practise in the UAE, checked for standing and matched to the type of matter before any work starts.
How we can promise a flat rate
This service has a defined scope, so we know the work it takes. You pay one published fee for that scope. If the matter turns out to be larger, we tell you before anything else is done, and nothing is charged without your written approval.
How we can promise the turnaround
A duty lawyer is on rotation during working hours and paid matters are routed the moment payment clears, which is how we hold the 10-minute contact window and the delivery time shown above.
Your information stays confidential
Details and documents you share are treated as confidential, used only for your matter and stored on encrypted infrastructure. Card details are handled by Stripe and never touch our systems.
Dubai Legal Office is operated by Index and works with licensed UAE legal professionals. Court, government and third-party fees are quoted separately and never charged without your approval.
Clear from the beginning.
One fixed service fee
Know what you are paying before the work begins.
Vetted UAE legal professionals
Advice and documents are reviewed or delivered by licensed UAE legal professionals we have vetted, not by an open marketplace of freelancers.
Contact within 10 minutes
Pay securely and hear from the team immediately.
Full refund if we cannot help
If the purchased service is unsuitable, your Index service fee is returned.
The Index Guarantee
A UAE legal professional will contact you within 10 minutes of payment. If no one contacts you within 10 minutes, your Index service fee is refunded in full. If we review your request and determine that we cannot provide the service you purchased, your Index service fee is also refunded in full.
Government, court, notary, registration, translation, courier and other third-party fees are not included unless expressly stated. No third-party fee will be incurred without your approval.
Frequently asked questions
- What happens after I pay?
- A UAE legal professional will contact you by WhatsApp or phone within 10 minutes. They will confirm the request, collect anything else required and begin the service.
- What happens if Index cannot handle my request?
- Your Index service fee will be refunded in full.
- Are government fees included?
- No, unless the service expressly says they are included. Government, court, notary, licence, registration, translation and other third-party fees are shown separately before they are incurred.
- Is the work reviewed by a lawyer?
- Where the service involves UAE legal advice or legal drafting, it is reviewed or delivered by an appropriately qualified UAE legal professional.
- How are your lawyers vetted?
- We work with a small panel rather than an open marketplace. Each professional is licensed to practise in the UAE, checked for good standing, and only given matters in the areas they practise in day to day.
- How can the fee be fixed?
- Each service has a defined scope, so the work is predictable and priced once. If your matter turns out to need more than the published scope, we tell you first and nothing further is charged without your written approval.
- Can I speak to someone before paying?
- Yes. Book One Hour With a Dubai Lawyer for AED 750, credited in full against any service you instruct within 30 days.
- How quickly will I receive the work?
- The delivery time is shown on every service. Many reviews and documents are delivered within 24 hours.
- Can I request changes?
- Each service states whether a revision or follow-up question is included.
Your existing company, legally trading in the UAE
AED 4,450 starting fee, fixed before we begin · Filed within 7 working days of documents
Open my branchStart in 10 minutes, done right, or 100% back
AED 4,450fixed
Filed within 7 working days of documents · or refunded