The real work begins when setup ends.

The file does not close when the license certificate reaches your hands. From that date onward, a set of annually recurring obligations begins: corporate tax registration, the tax return, maintenance of accounting records, license renewal, visa renewal, and VAT once the threshold is crossed. Most of these items are small on their own. The real problem is that missing one locks the others. An unrenewed lease agreement halts the license, an expired license halts visa procedures, and a canceled visa halts the bank account.

MEY INVESTMENT's role after formation is not a reminder service. A compliance calendar is built for your company, it is planned in advance which document will be requested from whom and on what date, the file is prepared together with licensed accountants and auditors, and applications and renewals on official portals are tracked. The technical opinion is given by the licensed professional. Coordination, file integrity, and timing sit on our side.

After formation, three separate calendars in fact run at the same time: compliance obligations on the UAE side, filing and notification obligations on the Türkiye side, and the exit process that will come into play at the end of the structure. Structures built without seeing all three together meet a surprise at the end of the first year. The purpose of this page is to remove that surprise from the outset. The regulatory information on this page was compiled as of its preparation date; UAE and Türkiye legislation changes frequently, and current confirmation is obtained for each file.

The table below sets out the recurring obligations of a typical free zone company. Deadlines vary according to license type, free zone, your financial year-end, and your records with the Federal Tax Authority (FTA). The table is a calendar skeleton; the dates specific to your company are derived separately from your incorporation documents and confirmed. The amounts and periods in the table are indicative and are updated as legislation changes.

In practice, the three most frequently missed items are these: the corporate tax return, which must be filed even where there is no activity; the lease and office documents tied to license renewal; and cards such as the establishment card, which are easy to overlook but which lock visa procedures. None of these is complex. All of them are a matter of timing, and all of them can be managed with a calendar set up in advance.

Keeping accounting records in good order is the unseen backbone of this calendar. The tax return, the audit report, bank compliance reviews, and, where needed, liquidation all draw on the same records. Trying to assemble records at year-end raises both cost and error risk. A ledger that moves at a monthly rhythm is a single day's work at year-end. Missing records are not only a penalty risk; they are also a direct cause of blockage on the banking and audit side.

In the UAE, corporate tax is in force for financial years beginning on or after 1 June 2023. The rate is 9% on taxable profit above AED 375,000 and 0% on the portion up to that amount. This is a low-rate but genuine tax regime; it is not an absence of taxation. There is no income tax in the UAE levied on salaries and similar personal income; however, if a natural person's UAE business turnover exceeds AED 1 million in a calendar year, it falls within the scope of corporate tax. Getting this distinction right is decisive both for expectations and for planning.

For free zone companies the critical nuance is this: the 0% bracket of AED 375,000 DOES NOT APPLY to a company holding Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP) status. A QFZP's qualifying income is taxed at 0%, while its non-qualifying income is taxed at 9% from the first dirham. In addition, a QFZP cannot benefit from Small Business Relief. In other words, QFZP is not always and automatically advantageous; the composition of income has to be examined.

QFZP status is not a badge earned once and then forgotten. Conditions such as adequate economic substance, the scope of qualifying activities, not exceeding the de minimis limits on non-qualifying income, transfer pricing documentation, and audited financial statements must be maintained every year. If the status is lost, the effect may not be limited to that year alone. For this reason, in companies aiming to remain QFZP, the annual review is carried out before the books are closed.

For some companies the right answer is not to insist on QFZP, but to remain in the standard regime and benefit from the AED 375,000 bracket. Which one is appropriate depends on your client profile, on whether income arises from inside or outside the free zone, and on your cost structure. This assessment is made together with the technical opinion of a licensed professional; we place the options and their consequences side by side for you. Because corporate tax legislation and authority guidance are updated frequently, this section is compared against the current text in every file.

MEY INVESTMENT carries out process coordination. The technical opinion is given by the professional who is authorized and licensed in that field. This is not a formality; it is the foundation of the working model. Technical tax opinions are produced by licensed tax specialists and authorized professionals, legal documents by authorized attorneys, and the audit report by an audit firm recognized by the relevant free zone. We bring these names together not for ourselves, but for your file.

This separation is also mandatory under Türkiye's legislation. In tax filing and certification work, Law No. 3568 (3568 sayılı Kanun) grants a monopoly to certified public accountants (SMMM) and sworn-in certified public accountants (YMM); in legal opinions and representation, article 35 of the Attorneyship Law No. 1136 (1136 sayılı Avukatlık Kanunu) grants a monopoly to attorneys. Investment advisory, in turn, is subject to authorization from the Capital Markets Board (SPK) under the Capital Markets Law No. 6362 (6362 sayılı Sermaye Piyasası Kanunu). Accordingly, no personalized tax, legal, or portfolio advice is given on this page or in our meetings. What is provided is that the process is run in the correct order and in full.

In practice this looks as follows: you explain matters to a single point of contact, we take the question to the right specialist, we translate the technical opinion received into actionable steps, and we collect the documents and follow up the applications. The specialist's opinion belongs to you in writing. In this way the chain of responsibility is clear, and your file is well supported if there is a review later. The general explanations on this page are not a substitute for the written technical opinion to be obtained.

Setting up a company in Dubai does not automatically end your obligations in Türkiye. If you continue to have full tax liability in Türkiye, your worldwide income is subject to declaration in Türkiye. Under articles 3 and 4 of the Income Tax Law (Gelir Vergisi Kanunu), persons domiciled in Türkiye and persons residing continuously in Türkiye for more than six months in a calendar year have full tax liability. This determination is the first question that shapes how the rest of the structure is built.

Three Türkiye-side headings are put on the table from the very start when building the structure: the capital export notification, the CFC (Controlled Foreign Company) assessment, and place of effective management risk. All three are difficult to correct afterward but easy to manage at the outset. The table below is the skeleton of this calendar; periods and authorities are updated as legislation changes. The final assessment is made together with a licensed professional according to your personal circumstances.

Every structure closes one day. Some because they have reached their objective, some because the business model has changed, and some because a decision has been made to return to Türkiye. Closure is as procedural as formation, and less forgiving than formation. A half-completed liquidation comes back months later as a penalty notice and a blocked visa application. This is why we discuss the exit scenario at the formation stage.

The strictest item in a liquidation is time, not cost. The newspaper notice to creditors and the objection period cannot be shortened. Visa cancellations, closure letters from authorities, and closure of the bank account proceed in sequence; you cannot skip one and move to the next. A realistic indicative total duration is 2 to 6 months, varying according to the state of the file and the zone. Visa cancellations for shareholders and employees who are abroad may extend this period.

On the cost side it is possible to give an indicative range. The typical closure cost of a small free zone company, including third-party items, is in the band of approximately AED 5,000 to AED 15,000 (approximately USD 1,350 to USD 4,100). This band covers the liquidator's report, the notice fee, zone cancellation charges, and visa cancellation fees. Unpaid license penalties, accumulated rent debts, tax penalties, and any audit delays are NOT INCLUDED in this band. Every figure is indicative; the exact amount is derived by obtaining confirmation from the zone and the file.

When the decision to return is taken there are two separate tasks: closing the structure properly on the UAE side, and establishing tax liability correctly on the Türkiye side. Both are run on the same calendar. Giving up the residence visa before the company is liquidated, or trying to close the bank account before the visa is canceled, are classic sequencing mistakes that block the process. The correct order is: first the filings and closure documents, then the visa cancellations, and the bank last.

On the tax residency side, the transition year requires particular attention. Presence in Türkiye exceeding six months in a calendar year may give rise to full tax liability for that year. On the UAE side, residency is measured by the 183-day or conditional 90-day tests in Cabinet Decision No. 85/2022; the existence of a residence visa alone is not sufficient. If exit from UAE residency and entry into Türkiye fall one after the other within the same year, the question of which income is declared in which country and in which period is structured separately. This structuring is far easier to manage if it is done before the return date is chosen.

Continuing the company instead of closing it is also an option; however, for a shareholder settling in Türkiye, the place of effective management test in article 3 of the Corporate Tax Law (Kurumlar Vergisi Kanunu) and the CFC conditions in article 7 of the same law are reassessed. Beginning to manage a company that remains in Dubai from Türkiye may result in the entire company being treated as having full tax liability in Türkiye. Whatever the decision, these two articles must be put on the table before the return.

Where there is no will for assets located in the UAE, succession may by default be assessed under the local personal status regime, and Sharia principles apply in respect of Muslims. For non-Muslim foreign nationals, the legislation provides routes such as the civil personal status framework introduced by Decree-Law No. 41/2022 and the ability to request the application of the law of one's own country; however, for such a request to operate smoothly, a document drawn up in advance and in due form is required. In practice the most common solution is a will registered through the DIFC Wills Service. A similar registration facility also exists on the Abu Dhabi side.

Where there is no will, the practical outcome is this: bank accounts may be frozen, the transfer of company shares may become subject to court proceedings, and the transfer of real estate may be drawn out. This is not a tax matter but an access matter. It may take months for heirs to reach the assets. A will drawn up through DIFC Wills can be structured to cover headings such as real estate, company shares, bank accounts, and guardianship of minor children separately.

The Türkiye side is assessed separately. An heir who is resident in Türkiye may also be subject to a filing obligation under the Inheritance and Transfer Tax (Veraset ve İntikal Vergisi) in respect of assets held abroad. In other words, drawing up a will in the UAE does not remove the filing obligation in Türkiye. Both sides must be planned together. In this area the documents are drawn up by an authorized attorney; MEY handles referral to the right specialist, document collection, and process coordination.

Estate planning is cheapest when it is considered while the corporate structure is being built. In whose name the shares will be held, whether real estate will be held by a natural person or a company, and the authorizations on the bank account all directly affect both Golden Visa eligibility and succession. For example, for a Golden Visa through real estate, the title deed and DLD-approved valuation document for the property of at least AED 2 million in value must be in the name of a natural person; holding the property through a company closes off this route. Approval nonetheless remains at the discretion of the competent authority.

Post-formation support works on a file-by-file basis. Instead of a fixed package, your company's actual workload is measured: the monthly number of transactions, whether there is VAT registration, the number of employees and visas, the QFZP objective, and the audit requirement. These five variables determine the entire cost. The fee is shared in writing and item by item before work begins; what is included and what is excluded is also set out in writing.

The indicative ranges for third-party items are as follows. An independent audit report is in the band of approximately AED 4,000 to AED 12,000 (approximately USD 1,100 to USD 3,300) and varies with transaction volume. The license renewal fee generally runs close to the first-year license fee. In visa renewals, the medical screening, Emirates ID, and stamping items accrue separately. All figures are indicative and do not constitute a binding offer; zone and authority tariffs change, and current confirmation is obtained for each file.

Expectations as to timing are also clarified from the outset. On the formation side the indicative ranges are as follows: license 1-3 weeks, visa 2-4 weeks, bank account 2-8 weeks, end to end 4-10 weeks. These are not undertakings but typical observations. In bank account opening, approval is at the discretion of the bank's compliance department. In visa applications, approval is at the discretion of the competent immigration authority (GDRFA in Dubai, ICP at federal level). These two sentences are also part of our engagement agreement; no one should give you an undertaking as to the outcome.

MEY INVESTMENT takes as its basis the obligations falling within the DNFBP scope in the UAE in respect of corporate service provision and real estate brokerage; goAML registration and an AML/KYC program are a precondition of this work. Property brokerage in Dubai requires a RERA broker card and DLD registration. In work where these authorizations are not held, we operate on a model of matching with and referral to a licensed broker. Who does what, and under which authorization, is stated clearly in your file.