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Branch Office Setup in Dubai

A branch is not a subsidiary. It is your existing company operating here under its own name, which is exactly what some businesses want and precisely the wrong answer for others.

100% Owned By the parent company

Service Agent Arranged No stake, no control

Deira Office Talk to a person, not a portal

Can a foreign company open a branch in Dubai?

Yes, and it owns that branch outright. A Dubai mainland branch must appoint a Local Service Agent who is a UAE national or a UAE-owned company, but the agent holds no ownership, no management role and no part in operations; the arrangement is a notarised agency agreement covering administrative liaison. The branch is not a separate legal entity, so the parent company carries its liabilities, and its activities must match the parent's.

Branch Office Setup in Dubai at a glance
Ownership	100% by the foreign parent
Local Service Agent	Required; UAE national or UAE-owned company
Agent's role	Administrative liaison only
Formalised by	A notarised agency agreement
Legal status	Not a separate entity; parent carries liability
Activities	Must match the parent company's

Last updated 8 September 2026 · Reviewed by Mohammed Shareef A, Senior PRO Consultant, Dubai government liaison. Fees and timelines are set by the issuing authority and change without notice — confirm current figures before you budget.

What a service agent actually is

It is not a partner and it is not a shareholder. The Local Service Agent is a UAE national or UAE-owned company appointed to liaise with government offices on administrative matters: licences, permits, visas. They take no share of profits, no role in management and no part in operations.

Foreign directors hear "local agent" and picture the old sponsorship arrangements. This is not that, and the notarised agreement is where the boundary is written down.

No ownership stake in the branch
No management or operational role
Administrative liaison with authorities
The relationship is set out in a notarised agreement

Business documents and paperwork on a dark desk under warm low light

The liability point people miss

A branch is not a separate legal person. It is your existing company, present in Dubai. That means obligations incurred here reach the parent directly, with none of the ring-fencing a subsidiary would give you.

For a professional services firm that is often fine. For anything with real contractual exposure it is a decision to take with your lawyer, not your company formation agent.

No separate legal personality
Parent company carries branch liabilities
No ring-fencing between the two
A subsidiary is the alternative where that matters

Business licence paperwork and a notebook on a clean office desk

Your activities have to match the parent

A branch may only do what its parent does. You cannot use it to enter a new line of business that the parent company is not already engaged in, and the licensed activities here are approved against the parent's documents.

Companies planning to do something different in the region need a different structure, and it is better to find that out before the board resolution is drafted.

Branch activities mirror the parent's
No new lines of business through a branch
Activities approved against the parent's documents
A subsidiary or new company suits diversification

The paperwork comes from head office

The parent company's licence, memorandum and articles, a notarised board resolution approving the branch, and a power of attorney for whoever will manage it here. All of it attested for UAE use, which means a legalisation chain in the parent's home country.

That chain is the long pole. Start it before anyone books flights for an opening.

Parent trade licence and constitutional documents
Notarised board resolution approving the branch
Power of attorney for the branch manager
All attested for UAE use, which takes weeks

How we register a branch

Confirm a branch is rightAgainst liability and planned activities.
List the parent documentsAnd start the attestation chain immediately.
Appoint the service agentNotarised agency agreement drawn up.
Initial approvalActivities approved against the parent.
Premises and licenceTenancy, Ejari, then the licence issued.
Immigration fileEstablishment card and visas for staff.

Branch or subsidiary?

Structure and consequence
	Branch	Subsidiary
Legal personality	None; part of the parent	Separate company
Liability	Reaches the parent	Ring-fenced
Activities	Must match the parent	Can differ
Ownership	100% parent	Can take partners
Local service agent	Required on the mainland	Not in the same way
Best for	Extending an existing business	New or riskier ventures

The mistake we see most: Choosing a branch because someone said it avoids needing a local partner, without noticing that it also removes the liability separation a subsidiary would have given. The ownership question gets all the attention and the liability question gets none.

MSM tip: Get the parent company's board resolution and articles into the attestation chain the week the decision is made, before the Dubai end is even scoped. Those documents come from another country on another timetable, and they are what people are waiting on three months later.

What documents do you need?

What we need

Parent company trade licence or certificate of incorporation

Memorandum and articles of association

Board resolution approving the branch, notarised

Power of attorney for the branch manager

The country each document was issued in

The activities the branch will carry out

Tell us where the parent is incorporated in the first message. That country sets the attestation chain, and the chain sets the timeline for everything else.

Mainland Company Formation

The parent service.

LLC Company Formation

The subsidiary alternative.

New Establishment Card

Opening the immigration file after licensing.

Sources

Business and entrepreneurshipThe UAE Government Portal
Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port SecurityUAE Government
Dubai Land DepartmentGovernment of Dubai
Jobs and employmentThe UAE Government Portal

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a foreign company own 100% of a Dubai branch?

Yes. The parent owns the branch outright. A Local Service Agent is still required on the mainland, but holds no ownership or control.

What does the local service agent actually do?

Administrative liaison with government offices on licences, permits and visas. No profit share, no management role, no involvement in operations, all set out in a notarised agreement.

Is a branch a separate company?

No, and this is the point people miss. It has no separate legal personality, so liabilities incurred here reach the parent directly.

Can the branch do something the parent does not?

No. Branch activities must mirror the parent's and are approved against its documents. Diversification needs a different structure.

What is the slowest part of setting one up?

Attesting the parent company documents in its home country. Start that the week the decision is taken.

Should I set up a branch or a subsidiary?

A branch suits extending an existing business; a subsidiary suits anything where you want liability ring-fenced or plan different activities. It is worth a conversation with your lawyer, not just a formation agent.

Start Today

Register a Branch Office

Where the parent is incorporated sets the attestation chain and the timeline.

Hotline: +971 52 933 0454

Email: info@msmdoc.com

Office: Deira, Dubai — serving all seven emirates.