Geek Convention in Dubai: What if I started a business there?

[d0ris]

Hi,

I came across an ad for a geek/gaming convention in Dubai, kind of like a Middle Eastern Comic-Con, with some pretty big booths. It reminded me of a project I worked on a few months ago for a small services business in Lyon that was looking into opening a subsidiary there.

Obviously, nothing to do with anime, but since quite a few people here work in tech and the geek scene, Dubai seems like an interesting place to discuss when it comes to setting up a business. I went back through my notes and also found this useful overview on how to start a business in Dubai, which covers some of the basics.

One thing that stood out for my client was the corporate tax: 9% on profits above AED 375,000, while profits below that threshold aren't subject to corporate tax. There's also 5% VAT once the relevant turnover threshold is reached. And foreign investors can generally own 100% of a company without needing a mandatory local partner, which is quite different from how things used to work.

Another detail that's easy to overlook is the office requirement. For a service-based business, the minimum space can matter when sorting out the licensing, so it's worth checking early rather than discovering it halfway through the process.

Just sharing in case anyone here is looking into a similar project.