Local Sponsor Package Reassures Foreign Companies Setting up in Dubai
2nd July 2020
Gateway Group's Platinum Local Sponsor Package provides a reassuring solution for foreign organisations looking to expand their business into Dubai.
Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) remain one of the most popular business license types in Dubai accounting for 37% of all licenses issued behind sole trader licenses which are the most popular, accounting for 41% of the total. One the main reasons for their popularity is because it enables foreign companies to sell products in Dubai, which is not allowed under other legal structures, such as the Foreign Branch. However, LLCs generally require the foreign organisation to partner with a local sponsor holding 51% of the shares in the new Dubai company. And, this is where foreign companies get anxious. The thought of entering into such a partnership when they are only just starting to dip their toes into the water is a big risk, especially when they don't have lots of existing local Emirati connections with whom they have already established trust and reliability. How can they get around this problem and and have peace of mind?
Gateway Group's local sponsor package provides peace of mind to foreign investors
Having been setting up companies for many years, I have experienced foreign companies rushing into the market to take advantage of opportunities, but not having sufficiently protected themselves either financially, operationally or both. This is in part due to their eagerness to establish their company in Dubai and also because they didn't know what questions to ask. Perhaps being misled by an aura of legitimacy - its very common.
My observations of being an ex-pat abroad are that we tend to congregate, network and do business with our own nationalities for familiarity. Therefore, Gateway set out to create a unique local sponsor package to address this, whilst ensuring that it meets the legal requirement that international companies expanding into Dubai must have a local sponsor that is 100% Emirati-owned.
Gateway Group created its unique Platinum Local Sponsor Package. It is 100% owned by a British national and his daughter (who have been granted the rare recognition of citizenship), and Western-managed, providing extra confidence to foreign companies, particularly British and Commonwealth-based organizations, wanting to expand their businesses into Dubai. Speaking the same language, understanding the same colloquialisms and sharing common values and beliefs provides trust and reassurance. As a corporate local sponsor, Gateway's Platinum Local Sponsor package provides foreign companies with security, protection and control of their Dubai businesses.
Gateway Group empathizes and shares your experiences
Gateway Group is managed by a British expat duo who have been through exactly the same process as you: moving to a new country, finding out how to do things, checking the regulations, and investing their own money to set up their companies in the UAE. They understand the anxiety of starting a business in a foreign country, as well as organizing visas and work permits for expat employees and residence visas for their families. They've done it themselves. Tried and tested it already. This makes them the best positioned to help you and your business step into Dubai.
For the avoidance of confusion and to be sharing correct information, I would like to highlight that the UAE has passed a Foreign Direct Investment Law which will allow up to 100% foreign ownership in certain sectors in the UAE and avoid the requirement for having a local sponsor providing the criteria is met; however, at the time of writing, a number of aspects still needed to be finalized in terms of processes and approvals.
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Written by Jenny Hunt
Founder, Gateway Group, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, United Arab Emirates
FORBES' Top 100 Most Influential Women in the Middle East
