Regional hub
Dubai
Framed here as a regional hub for Middle East, Africa and South Asia operations. The key early decision is free zone vs mainland.
Free zone vs mainland
Two main routes. A mainland company is licensed by Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism and can trade across the UAE; most activities now allow 100% foreign ownership. A free-zone company (e.g. DMCC, DIFC, Dubai Internet City) is 100% foreign-owned under the free-zone authority, but trading directly with the mainland generally needs a distributor or an extra permit.
- Free zones
- Mainland foreign ownership (Dubai Executive Council Resolution 11/2025 allows certain free-zone firms to operate on the mainland with a permit).
No general minimum wage
No general private-sector minimum wage (Emiratis: AED 6,000/month)
The AED 6,000 Emirati floor (from 1 Jan 2026) is an Emiratisation rule: https://www.mohre.gov.ae/en/media-center/news/31/12/2025/mohre-raises-minimum-wage-for-emiratis-in-the-private-sector-to-aed-6000-per-month-effective-1
Employer contributions
GPSSA pension (UAE nationals only)
Private-sector employer 12.5% of contribution salary for Emirati employees (15% where the insured joined under the new law with contribution salary of AED 20,000+)
Not payable for expatriates. GCC nationals follow their home scheme.
Source: GPSSA – Distribution of contributionsLast checked Oct 2026End-of-service gratuity accrual (expatriates)
Expatriates earn 21 days' basic wage per year of service for years 1–5, then 30 days per year, with total gratuity capped at 2 years' wages
Calculator assumption: monthly accrual = basic × 21 ÷ 365 (daily wage = annual basic ÷ 365), first 5 years. Gratuity is calculated on basic salary, not total package.
Source: Federal Decree-Law 33/2021, Art. 51 (UAE Legislation)Last checked Oct 2026
Labour-law notes
No general minimum wage for the private sector (Federal Decree-Law 33/2021)
Source: u.ae – Payment of wagesLast checked Oct 2026Emiratisation: minimum AED 6,000/month for Emirati private-sector employees from 1 Jan 2026
Source: MOHRE news, 31 Dec 2025Last checked Oct 2026
13th-month pay
No statutory 13th-month requirement identified; pending confirmation.
Internet
Ookla Speedtest Global Index
Country median (Aug 2026): fixed 382.40 Mbps down / 190.82 up; mobile 675.51 Mbps down / 39.23 up
Country-level median, not city-specific.
Public holidays 2026
UAE Cabinet holiday calendar for 2026 applies to the public and private sectors. Islamic dates depend on moon sighting.
MOHRE announces each private-sector holiday: https://www.mohre.gov.ae/en/media-center/news/23/2/2026/eid-al-fitr-holiday-announced-for-private-sector
Regular holidays
- 1 Jan – New Year's Day
- Eid Al Fitr* (≈19–21 Mar 2026)
- Arafah Day* (≈26 May 2026)
- Eid Al Adha* (≈27–29 May 2026)
- Islamic New Year* (≈16 Jun 2026)
- Prophet's Birthday* (≈25 Aug 2026)
- 2–3 Dec – National Day
Power
Awaiting firsthand field notes.
Entity setup basics
Two main routes. A mainland company is licensed by Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism and can trade across the UAE; most activities now allow 100% foreign ownership. A free-zone company (e.g. DMCC, DIFC, Dubai Internet City) is 100% foreign-owned under the free-zone authority, but trading directly with the mainland generally needs a distributor or an extra permit.
Free zones: https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/business/Doing-business/doing-business-in-free-zones/running-a-business-in-a-free-zone- · Mainland foreign ownership: https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/business/Doing-business/doing-business-on-the-mainland/full-foreign-ownership-of-commercial-companies (Dubai Executive Council Resolution 11/2025 allows certain free-zone firms to operate on the mainland with a permit).
Typical steps
- Choose mainland vs free zone and licence activity
- Trade name and initial approval
- Office lease / flexi-desk (Ejari for mainland)
- Licence issuance
- Establishment card, visas and Emirates IDs for staff
- WPS payroll registration (mainland via MOHRE)
Timeline and cost
Realistic timelines and free-zone package costs to come from field notes.
EOR / payroll coverage
| Provider | EOR status | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Deel | Listed | Provider page |
| Remote | Listed | Provider page |
| Multiplier | Listed | Provider page |
Based on each provider's public country page. Confirm coverage, pricing and entity model directly before signing. No affiliate links.
Last checked Oct 2026Pay by role
Pay-by-role data will come from Gregory Dunham's field notes. Until then, enter your own salary in the calculator.
Field notes from Gregory Dunham – coming soon
Firsthand operator observations, kept separate from official data.
Coming soon — firsthand notes from Gregory Dunham on:
- Typical monthly pay by role
- Real-world power reliability and backup needs
- Real-world internet: providers, redundancy, outages
- Entity setup pitfalls and realistic timelines