UAE · RAK ICC company formation for non-residents

What a RAK ICC company is

RAK ICC is the Ras Al Khaimah International Corporate Centre, the UAE registry for international companies. Companies are formed under the RAK ICC Business Companies Regulations 2018 and managed through an approved registered agent.

A RAK ICC company is a UAE legal entity, but it is built for activity outside the UAE. It does not hold a trade licence for the UAE market, does not lease an office and cannot sponsor residence visas.

That makes it lighter and lower in running cost than a free zone or mainland company. The trade-off is that it cannot sell to UAE mainland customers or give you a UAE visa.

Ras Al Khaimah is one of the seven emirates, and RAK ICC is its registry for this type of company. It is separate from the RAK free zones that issue trade licences and visas, which is a common source of confusion.

What founders use it for

The most common uses are holding and asset protection within the law. A RAK ICC company can hold shares in other companies, intellectual property, investment portfolios and, in approved areas, UAE freehold property.

It also works for international trading and consulting where the customers are outside the UAE. Some families use one to hold property so that ownership can pass through a share transfer rather than a land transfer (confirm with your specialist).

It is less suited to an active business that needs local staff, a UAE invoice address or UAE customers. Those businesses usually end up needing a free zone or mainland licence anyway, so we raise it early.

• Holding shares in operating companies
• Holding approved UAE freehold property
• Owning intellectual property or investments
• Trading or consulting with non-UAE clients

Shareholders, directors and registered agent

One shareholder and one director are enough. The shareholder can be an individual or a company. Companies can also serve as directors, but at least one director must be an individual (Business Companies Regulations 2018, section 116(3)), so a sole director is always a person. There is no minimum paid-up share capital, so you can issue shares at the value that suits your plan.

Every RAK ICC company must have a registered agent and a registered office in the UAE. We act through an approved registered agent, file the documents and keep the statutory registers.

Changes to shareholders, directors or beneficial owners must be filed through the registered agent. Tell us before you transfer shares, because some changes need RAK ICC approval first.

UAE Corporate Tax for RAK ICC companies

A RAK ICC company is incorporated in the UAE, so it is a UAE tax resident under Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022. It must register with the Federal Tax Authority, even if it expects to pay nothing.

The standard rate is 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above that. The company files a corporate tax return within 9 months of the end of each tax period. RAK ICC is a corporate registry rather than an operating free zone, so do not assume the 0% qualifying free zone rate applies (confirm with your specialist).

Small Business Relief can help. A resident business with revenue of AED 3,000,000 or less can elect it, and on 7 August 2026 the Ministry of Finance extended it, by Ministerial Decision No. 131 of 2026, to tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029.

The UAE has no personal income tax, and dividends paid by a UAE company carry no UAE withholding tax at present. Your own country may still tax what you receive, depending on your residency.

Registers, privacy and disclosure

The registers of members and directors are kept by the registered agent and filed with RAK ICC. The UAE also requires a register of beneficial owners. None of these is open to the public.

That is privacy within the law. Authorities, including the tax authority, can obtain the information, and the UAE exchanges financial account information under the Common Reporting Standard.

The UAE left the FATF grey list in February 2024, and the EU removed it from its high-risk third country list in 2025. Banks still apply their own checks to each company.

Running the company each year

Each year you renew the company with RAK ICC through the registered agent. You keep accounting records that explain the company's transactions and financial position, and you file the corporate tax return.

RAK ICC does not require a standard international company to file audited accounts. Under Ministerial Decision No. 82 of 2023, corporate tax rules require audited financial statements once revenue passes AED 50,000,000. The UAE ended economic substance reporting for financial years starting on or after 1 January 2023.

Banking takes the most planning, because the company has no office or UAE staff. We introduce you to suitable banks and payment institutions, inside and outside the UAE, and prepare the application. The bank decides.

If renewal fees go unpaid, RAK ICC can apply penalties and eventually strike the company off, which can freeze its bank account and property. We send renewal reminders well before the due date, with the cost shown, so this does not happen by accident.

RAK ICC, DMCC or mainland

Choose RAK ICC if you want to hold assets or trade internationally without an office or visas. Choose a free zone company such as DMCC if you need a residence visa, an office in Dubai and possibly the 0% qualifying income rate.

Choose a mainland LLC if you will sell directly to customers anywhere in the UAE. We show the three options side by side, with year-1 and renewal costs, before you decide.

Some groups combine them: a RAK ICC company holds the shares or property, while a free zone or mainland company trades. We can set up both and keep their filings on one calendar, with each renewal cost shown up front.