Financial Compliance Roadmap: Your First 90 Days After Dubai Business Setup
From Corporate Tax registration to your first VAT return: a week-by-week checklist for new UAE companies.
Getting your trade licence is the start line, not the finish line. The first three months after setup are when most new UAE companies either build clean, compliant foundations or quietly collect problems that surface at their first audit. Here is the roadmap we walk our clients through.
Days 1 to 30: get the foundations right
- Open your corporate bank account. Banks ask for your licence, memorandum of association, shareholder documents and a clear description of your business model. Prepare these together to avoid weeks of back and forth.
- Choose your financial year. It drives your Corporate Tax and audit calendar, so pick it deliberately rather than by default.
- Set up cloud accounting from day one. A proper chart of accounts and bank feeds cost a few hours now and save weeks at year end.
- File your Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO) details with your licensing authority within the required window.
Days 31 to 60: register with the Federal Tax Authority
Every UAE company, including free zone entities, must register for Corporate Tax on EmaraTax, even if it expects to pay no tax. Late registration carries a fixed penalty, so treat the deadline in your licence-based schedule as non-negotiable.
Check your VAT position at the same time. Registration is mandatory once taxable supplies exceed AED 375,000 over the last 12 months, or are expected to in the next 30 days. Voluntary registration is available from AED 187,500 and can make sense if you incur significant VAT on setup costs.
Days 61 to 90: build the monthly rhythm
- Close your books every month and reconcile every bank and card account.
- Issue tax invoices that meet FTA requirements if you are VAT registered.
- Run payroll through the Wage Protection System for mainland employees.
- Keep records for at least seven years, as required under UAE tax law.
Ninety days of discipline turns compliance from a recurring fire drill into a background process. If you would like a second pair of eyes on your setup, our advisors can review it in a free consultation.
