United Arab Emirates
RAK ICC UAE Offshore
A holding and asset company registered in the UAE but operating outside it. No office, no visas, low cost.
At a glance
Scope of activity
Outside the UAE only
Ownership
100% foreign, no minimum capital
Office and visas
Not required, not issued
Typical use
Holding, IP, real estate, international trade
RAK International Corporate Centre is one of the UAE's two offshore registries. A company formed here cannot trade inside the UAE, keeps no office and issues no visas; in return it is a fast, inexpensive vehicle for holding, intellectual property ownership, real estate structures and international trade.
One warning: a UAE offshore company is not a Caribbean offshore company. Economic substance rules, beneficial ownership filings and strict KYC at UAE banks apply. Controlled foreign company rules on the Turkish side must be assessed alongside.
Why here
When this jurisdiction is the right choice.
- Low setup and annual cost, fast registry.
- Shareholder and director details are not public.
- Access to the UAE treaty network under defined conditions.
- Ability to hold designated real estate in Dubai and RAK.
Entity types
Which structure, for whom.
IBC
International Business Company; the standard offshore form.
Holding
An IBC formed to hold shares in other companies.
Process
Formation step by step.
- 01Registered agent appointment (mandatory)
- 02Name approval and activity description
- 03Passport, proof of address, bank reference
- 04Memorandum and registry application
- 05Certificate of incorporation, usually 2 to 5 days
- 06Bank account: in the UAE or abroad
After formation
What has to happen every year.
- Annual registry and agent fee
- Economic substance notification (for relevant activities)
- Beneficial ownership register
- Accounting records kept; not public but producible on request
Same country
Other options.
Mainland UAE Company
Unrestricted activity across the UAE and abroad. The structure for a business with local customers.
Open pageRAKEZ UAE Freezone
Ras Al Khaimah's cost-efficient zone for manufacturing, logistics and services. Forty-five minutes from Dubai.
Open pageDMCC Dubai Freezone
The hub for commodities trade, and for crypto companies. Dubai's most prestigious free zone.
Open pageIFZA Dubai Freezone
Dubai's most flexible and cost-efficient setup. No physical office requirement, several activities under one licence.
Open pageMeydan Dubai Freezone
Close to central Dubai, fully digital setup. Fast and economical for ventures and service companies.
Open pageFrequently asked
The in-country registry, licence and agent steps of the formation file run through our licensed formation partners in the relevant jurisdiction. Structure design, contracts, the bank file and the tax and notification effect on the Turkish side are managed by Defensible. Rates and thresholds summarise the headline rules at the time of writing; we check the current text together on your own file.
Will a UAE bank open an account for an offshore company?
It is getting harder. Banks want evidence of real activity, source of funds and ownership. For holding structures, pairing with a mainland or free zone company often works better.
Let's work out which structure fits you in 15 minutes.
Tell us where you sell, who you are and what you are aiming at; we will say in the call which jurisdiction and entity type make sense. Formation itself is a separate engagement, scoped and priced there.
Book a 15-minute call