Liaison Office in Dubai

Foreign companies wanting to have an established presence in Dubai without undertaking separate commercial activities can opt for branch offices or liaison offices, also known as representative offices. While the branch office is allowed to carry out the same activities as the parent company, the representative office will only act as a communication channel between the parent company and its partners or customers in Dubai. The main activities of a Dubai liaison office are:

• -          promoting the parent company’s services or products,
• -          to conduct marketing activities or surveys,
• -          to carry out any other non-transactional activities.

Foreign companies are required to appoint a local agent when opening a liaison office in Dubai. 

If you are interested in opening a representative office in Dubai, this video presents the steps and requirements to do so:

How to open a liaison office in Dubai?

Once appointed the local agent, the representative office registration procedure can begin. The first step is to submit an application with the Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED), which is the equivalent of European commercial registers and obtain a business name for the liaison office. The second step is to file an application with the Ministry of Economy for the settlement of the liaison office. Once the Ministry of Economy allows the registration of the representative office, the local agent must return to the DED and submit several documents.

Documents related to opening a representative office in Dubai

The documents the local agent must file with the DED and the Ministry of Economy are related to the parent company. These are:

• -          the Certificate of Incorporation of the parent company,
• -          the parent company’s audited balance sheets from the last two years,
• -          a statement issued by the parent company’s management authorizing the establishment of the Dubai liaison office and appointing a manager,
• -          a copy after the manager’s identification papers,
• -          a statement with the company’s objects of activity.

The notarized agreement between the foreign company and the local agent together with the agent’s identification documents must also be submitted. It must also be taken into consideration that a liaison office may have up to four employees.

If you need assistance in drafting the documents required to open a representative office, do not hesitate to contact our company registration agents in Dubai.