MENA Company Setup (platform tool)

A 10-step guided checklist for incorporation, licensing, banking, visas and compliance in your first MENA market — with a downloadable summary.

What it is

MENA Company Setup walks you through the decisions behind forming your company, one question at a time. At the end you have a clear setup summary to take to a formation agent, a free-zone authority or your lawyer.

It's informational only. It isn't legal, tax or immigration advice. Requirements differ by authority and change over time.

The 10 steps

| # | Step | Examples of options | |---|---|---| | 1 | Where are you incorporating first? | UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Other MENA | | 2 | Your residency status | National · Resident · Non-resident | | 3 | Legal form | LLC · Free zone company (FZC/FZE-style) · Branch of a foreign parent · Sole proprietorship · Undecided | | 4 | Ownership structure | Founder majority · Local partner · Investor-ready · Undecided | | 5 | Trade licence and activity | Commercial · Professional services · Tech/SaaS · Industrial · Mixed | | 6 | Registered address | Flexi-desk/incubator · Leased office · Free-zone suite · Pending | | 7 | Corporate banking | Multi-currency · Digital-first · Offshore pair · Not opened | | 8 | Visas and hiring | Founder only · Founder + hires · Remote team · Outsourced HR | | 9 | Tax registration baseline | VAT-style registration · Small-business exempt · Export-focused · Advisor engaged | | 10 | Ongoing filings and renewals | Compliance calendar owned · Outsourced · Lightweight · Not defined |

Choose one option per step, then click Next. Each answer saves to your venture straight away.

Shortcut: if you already know your entity type, Jump to legal form skips to step 3. Progress on the Tools card and the Roadmap counts steps in order from step 1, so go back and answer steps 1–2 later.

When you finish

  • Your setup summary lists each choice with a short practical tip. Click Edit on any line to change it; the summary updates automatically.
  • Download PDF exports the summary with your venture name and the disclaimer.
  • Completion also shows on your Roadmap (Executing tab).

How it fits your journey

The natural next step is Legal & Governance, which covers shareholder agreements, NDAs, vesting and diligence.

Open MENA Company Setup