How Russian Citizens Can Start a Free Zone Business in Dubai

One Response

1. Hello,

   I would like to establish a UAE Free Zone company for my software and online education business. Before proceeding, I need a complete written assessment and fully itemised quotation.

   ## My situation

   * I am a Russian citizen with a valid Russian passport.
   * I currently live in Russia and am a Russian tax resident.
   * I am not sanctioned and will provide all required source-of-funds and compliance documentation.
   * I will be the sole shareholder, ultimate beneficial owner and manager of the company.
   * I want a separate limited-liability legal entity, such as an FZ-LLC, FZE or equivalent.
   * I do not want a freelance permit, sole-practitioner permit or offshore company.
   * I may initially operate without UAE residence, but I would also like pricing for a package that includes one investor or partner residence visa and Emirates ID.

   ## Business activities

   My main product is GymBook.ai, a fitness software platform that will generate revenue from:

   * Paid iOS subscriptions through Apple App Store In-App Purchases
   * Paid Android subscriptions through Google Play Billing
   * Possible web subscriptions and direct online payments
   * Online courses, recorded training products and educational content
   * Possible software consulting or development services in the future

   The company will own and commercialise the GymBook.ai source code, intellectual property, domain, brand, mobile applications, backend systems and related assets.

   Please confirm the exact licence activities and activity codes required to legally:

   1. Develop software and mobile applications
   2. Publish and monetise my own software products
   3. Receive recurring subscription revenue from Apple and Google
   4. Sell software subscriptions through a website
   5. Sell prerecorded online courses internationally
   6. Provide online education or training
   7. Provide software-development or technology-consulting services
   8. Conduct e-commerce where required

   Please distinguish between activities that are mandatory and those that are optional.

   ## Legal structure

   Please confirm:

   1. The exact legal form you recommend
   2. Whether the company will be a separate limited-liability legal entity
   3. Whether I can own 100% of it
   4. Whether the company can obtain a D-U-N-S number
   5. Whether it should qualify for Apple and Google organization developer accounts
   6. Whether the company name can appear as the App Store and Google Play seller
   7. Whether the company can own and license intellectual property
   8. Whether I can add shareholders, investors, employees or contractors later
   9. Whether the company can be sold or transferred in the future

   ## Russian citizenship and residence

   Please assess my application based on my real circumstances:

   * Russian citizen
   * Resident and tax resident in Russia
   * Sole beneficial owner
   * Software, mobile-app and online-course business
   * International customers and platform payouts
   * No sanctioned business activities

   Please confirm whether my citizenship or Russian residence creates any restrictions relating to:

   * Company formation
   * Residence visa approval
   * Emirates ID
   * Corporate banking
   * Apple or Google payouts
   * Payment gateways
   * International transfers
   * Specific business activities

   Please do not provide a general answer. I need confirmation based on a Russian citizen who continues to reside in Russia.

   ## Corporate banking

   I require a UAE corporate bank account that can receive international payouts and transfers in currencies such as USD, EUR, GBP and AED.

   Please confirm:

   1. Which banks or regulated financial institutions you currently work with
   2. Which banks accept Russian citizens who reside in Russia
   3. Whether UAE residence and Emirates ID are mandatory for those banks
   4. Whether preliminary bank compliance screening can be completed before I pay for the company
   5. Whether a physical visit is required
   6. Whether the bank account can receive Apple App Store and Google Play payouts
   7. Whether it can receive course-platform and payment-gateway payouts
   8. Required minimum balance
   9. Monthly fees
   10. Incoming and outgoing transfer fees
   11. Expected account restrictions
   12. Whether multi-currency accounts are available
   13. Whether debit cards and online banking are included
   14. Whether your banking service is only an introduction or includes full application assistance
   15. Whether any banking fees are refundable if the account is rejected

   Please be clear that I understand no company can guarantee bank approval. I want a realistic assessment of my eligibility before incorporation.

   ## Payment gateways and online-course payments

   Please confirm which payment processors or gateways may accept this structure:

   * UAE Free Zone company
   * UAE corporate bank account
   * Russian beneficial owner
   * Beneficial owner residing in Russia

   Please specifically address, where applicable:

   * Stripe UAE
   * Amazon Payment Services
   * Telr
   * Tap Payments
   * PayTabs
   * Network International
   * Checkout.com
   * Other suitable UAE processors
   * Course platforms or merchant-of-record providers

   For each recommended provider, please state:

   1. Whether UAE residence is required
   2. Whether Emirates ID is required
   3. Whether a Russian-resident beneficial owner is accepted
   4. Whether recurring subscription payments are supported
   5. Whether international course sales are supported
   6. Whether preliminary approval can be requested before incorporation

   ## Residence visa option

   Please provide separate quotations for:

   ### Option A — No UAE residence visa

   * Company licence
   * Registered address or workspace
   * Establishment or immigration file, if required
   * All mandatory government and administrative costs

   ### Option B — One investor or partner residence visa

   Please include:

   * Visa allocation
   * Establishment or immigration card
   * Entry permit
   * Status change, if applicable
   * Medical examination
   * Emirates ID application
   * Biometrics
   * Residence processing
   * Health insurance requirements
   * UAE Pass or related setup support
   * All mandatory government charges
   * Renewal costs

   Please confirm:

   1. How many UAE visits are required
   2. How long I should expect to remain in the UAE
   3. Which steps require my physical presence
   4. The visa validity period
   5. How often I must enter the UAE to keep the residence valid
   6. Whether cancellation charges apply
   7. Whether visa approval is refundable if rejected

   ## Full pricing request

   Please provide an itemised quotation separating:

   ### Company-formation costs

   * Free Zone authority fees
   * Trade licence
   * Registration and incorporation
   * Name reservation
   * Articles or memorandum
   * Share certificate
   * Registered address
   * Shared desk or workspace
   * Establishment card
   * Immigration file
   * Initial approvals
   * Your professional or service fee
   * Any referral or agent fee
   * Courier or document-handling fees
   * VAT on your services

   ### Visa costs

   * Visa allocation
   * Entry permit
   * Status change
   * Medical examination
   * Emirates ID
   * Biometrics
   * Health insurance
   * Visa stamping or electronic residence processing
   * Your visa-processing fee

   ### Compliance costs

   * Corporate-tax registration
   * VAT registration, if later required
   * Ultimate beneficial-owner registration
   * Economic-substance or other filings, if applicable
   * Bookkeeping
   * Annual accounts
   * Audit, if required
   * Corporate-tax return preparation
   * VAT return preparation
   * Company-secretarial services
   * Licence amendments
   * Compliance or AML review charges

   ### Banking costs

   * Bank introduction
   * Bank application assistance
   * Compliance-preparation assistance
   * Business-plan preparation
   * Account-opening fees
   * Minimum-balance requirements
   * Monthly bank charges

   ### Optional costs

   Please clearly identify anything optional, including:

   * Premium support
   * Mail handling
   * Physical office
   * Additional activities
   * Additional shareholders
   * Additional visas
   * Trademark registration
   * Legal documents
   * IP-assignment documents
   * Accounting packages

   ## Total costs

   Please provide the following totals:

   1. Total amount required to start the application
   2. Total amount required before the company licence is issued
   3. Total first-year cost without a visa
   4. Total first-year cost with one investor or partner visa
   5. Expected second-year renewal cost without a visa
   6. Expected second-year renewal cost with one visa
   7. Expected third-year cost
   8. Any fees that increase after the promotional first year
   9. Any refundable deposits
   10. Any fees paid directly to the Free Zone
   11. Any fees paid directly to your company
   12. Any fees paid to third parties
   13. Any mandatory costs not included in the advertised package

   Please do not provide only a headline promotional price. I need the full expected cost structure so I can budget for the next three years.

   ## Tax and accounting

   I am prepared to pay all applicable UAE taxes and maintain proper accounting records.

   Please confirm:

   1. Corporate-tax registration deadline
   2. Expected corporate-tax treatment of software, mobile-app subscriptions and online-course income
   3. Whether audited financial statements are mandatory
   4. Whether annual financial statements are mandatory
   5. Whether bookkeeping is mandatory from the first transaction
   6. Whether your package includes corporate-tax registration
   7. Whether your package includes annual tax returns
   8. Annual accounting and tax-compliance costs
   9. VAT-registration rules for Apple, Google, web and course revenue
   10. Whether Apple and Google are treated as customers, agents or marketplaces for UAE tax purposes
   11. Whether I need a UAE tax adviser before starting operations

   I understand that Russian CFC and foreign-company reporting must be handled separately with a Russian tax adviser.

   ## Apple and Google readiness

   Please confirm whether the proposed structure will provide the documents required for:

   ### Apple

   * Apple Developer Program organization enrollment
   * D-U-N-S verification
   * App Store Connect banking
   * Paid Applications Agreement
   * Tax-form submission
   * App Store payouts to the UAE company

   ### Google

   * Google Play organization developer account
   * Organization verification
   * UAE merchant payments profile
   * Google Play subscription monetisation
   * Google payouts to the UAE company

   Please list every company document I should expect to receive for these registrations.

   ## Ownership of GymBook.ai

   Please confirm whether the company can receive ownership of my existing GymBook.ai assets through an intellectual-property assignment agreement, including:

   * Source code
   * Mobile applications
   * Backend systems
   * Website
   * Domain
   * Brand
   * Designs
   * Documentation
   * Customer contracts
   * Future subscription revenue

   Please state whether you can provide or arrange the required IP-assignment documentation and the cost.

   ## Refund and cancellation terms

   Please provide your written refund policy and explain:

   1. What happens if the Free Zone rejects the application
   2. What happens if immigration rejects the visa
   3. What happens if banks reject the corporate-account applications
   4. What happens if the required business activities are unavailable
   5. Which fees are non-refundable
   6. Which government fees are refundable
   7. Which professional fees are refundable
   8. Whether I can cancel before licence issuance
   9. Whether automatic renewal applies
   10. Company-closure and licence-cancellation costs

   ## Documents and timeline

   Please provide:

   1. Complete list of required documents
   2. Whether documents must be notarised, apostilled or translated into Arabic
   3. Expected formation timeline
   4. Expected visa timeline
   5. Expected Emirates ID timeline
   6. Expected banking timeline
   7. Whether the entire company-formation process can begin remotely
   8. Which stages require travel to the UAE

   Please send the response and quotation in writing. I would prefer an itemised PDF or spreadsheet rather than only a phone or WhatsApp explanation.

   I will compare several Free Zones and service providers based on:

   * Suitability for my business
   * Banking feasibility
   * Platform and payment compatibility
   * Transparency of fees
   * First-year cost
   * Long-term renewal cost
   * Quality of compliance support

   Thank you.

   Kind regards,

   James
   Founder, GymBook.ai