Tax & Structuring
DIFC SPV vs ADGM SPV: Which Holding Vehicle Fits
The DIFC calls its holding vehicle a Prescribed Company. Compare year-one registry cost, provider rules, property use and tax against the ADGM SPV.
Tax & Structuring
The DIFC calls its holding vehicle a Prescribed Company. Compare year-one registry cost, provider rules, property use and tax against the ADGM SPV.
Tax & Structuring
An ADGM SPV costs USD 1,900 to incorporate, requires a corporate service provider and grants no visa. What it holds, what it cannot do, and the renewal fee ADGM does not publish.
Tax & Structuring
What a DIFC Prescribed Company is, what the registry actually charges (USD 1,100 in year one, USD 1,300 after), and who can form one after the July 2026 rule change.
Tax & Structuring
An ADGM foundation costs USD 1,000 to register and USD 200 a year, with setup in 3 to 5 days. What the process requires, and what the published rules do not say.
Tax & Structuring
What a DIFC will covers, who can register one, and the AED fees the DIFC Courts publish. No annual fee, and registration by video conference worldwide.
Tax & Structuring
DIFC foundation setup explained: the USD 200 registry licence, Charter and Council decisions, the 2024 firewall amendments, and the Dubai property route.
Tax & Structuring
Which UAE structuring vehicle solves your problem: DIFC foundation, ADGM SPV, DIFC Prescribed Company or DIFC will. Registry fees, firewall and tax rules.
Business Strategy
A UAE holding company is an entity formed to own and ring-fence assets, company shares, real estate, intellectual property or group subsidiaries, rather than to trade. The vehicle you need depends on one question: are you ring-fencing a defined set of assets that someone will still own, or
Company Formation
Yes, a US citizen can start a business in Dubai. The UAE has allowed 100% foreign ownership of mainland companies for most activities since 2021, and free zones were always fully foreign-owned, so no Emirati partner is required for most trade licences. No, forming that company does not end
Company Formation
Setting up a company in Dubai from the UK does not, by itself, move where you or your company are taxed. While you stay UK-tax-resident under the Statutory Residence Test, your worldwide income remains within UK scope, and a Dubai company run from the UK is itself UK-
Company Formation
Incorporating a company in Dubai does not, by itself, end your Swedish tax. If you set up a company in Dubai from Sweden, four Swedish mechanisms still decide what you owe: essential connection (vasentlig anknytning, IL 3:7), the ten-year rule on share gains (tioarsregeln, IL 3:19), the
Company Formation
Incorporating a company in Dubai does not, by itself, change where you or your company are taxed in Switzerland. A Dubai trade licence is a registration, not a relocation. Three Swiss questions decide your real position: whether you remain a Swiss tax resident under article 3 of the federal direct-