Documents and licensing
Offshore company formation in the UAE: the documents
Short answer
A UAE offshore company is a registration with an offshore registrar such as RAK ICC, JAFZA Offshore or Ajman Offshore, filed through a registered agent. It is not a trade licence; ask the registrar what it permits. RAK ICC's published checklist asks for copies certified by the agent or a notary and 'current' certificates. Ask your agent in writing whether any document must also be legalised.
- Registered by
- RAK ICC, JAFZA Offshore or Ajman Offshore
- Filed through
- A registered agent (RAK ICC)
- Certified copies
- RAK ICC checklist; legalisation: confirm with agent
- Current documents
- Dated within 3 months of the application (RAK ICC)
- Translation
- Duly certified English or Arabic (RAK ICC)
Process map
Your route at a glance
- 01 Appoint a registered agent Offshore registrar
- 02 Reserve the name and settle the structure
- 03 Certify, and legalise if requested Registered agent or notary
- 04 Sign the memorandum and articles
- 05 Incorporation by the registrar Offshore registrar
An offshore registration is not a trade licence; ask the registrar what it permits. This guide covers the documents.
What a UAE offshore company is
EasyAttestation is an information and referral portal operated by Sandesh Solutions FZE. We do not form companies, issue licences, perform attestation or provide legal or tax advice. A referral does not certify a provider’s credentials or guarantee an application outcome.
A UAE offshore company is registered by an offshore registrar under that registrar’s own regulations. The registrars usually used are RAK ICC in Ras Al Khaimah, JAFZA Offshore in Dubai and Ajman Offshore. We have not found a published list stating those are the only three, so read them as the main options rather than an exhaustive count. Each has its own rulebook, so a statement true of one is not automatically true of the others. The specifics on this page come from RAK ICC’s published incorporation checklist and its Business Companies Regulations 2018.
A RAK ICC company must have a Registered Agent, the company’s registered address is the registered agent’s office, and the Registrar will not accept an incorporation application except through a registered agent.
On capacity, the RAK ICC regulations state that no company shall “conduct activities in the UAE outside the Zone … unless it has first obtained all appropriate licences to conduct the business activity from the competent authorities of the UAE”. Ask the registrar what your registration permits.
The RAK ICC checklist
RAK ICC’s published incorporation checklist sets out the documents by shareholder type. The Registrar reserves the right to call for additional documents.
| Document | Who provides it | Certification or legalisation (ask the agent) | MoFA fee if UAE attestation is required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memorandum & Articles of Association (signed by all shareholders) | All companies | Signatures notarised if signed partly or wholly outside the UAE; agent’s undertaking letter if signed wholly inside | — |
| Agent Appointment letter | All companies | — | — |
| Certified copy of in-force passport | Individual shareholders | Certified copy (RAK ICC) | — |
| Certified utility bill, tax bill, tenancy agreement, residency certificate or bank statement | Individual shareholders | Certified copy (RAK ICC) | — |
| Certified copy of Certificate of Incorporation | Corporate shareholders | Certified copy (RAK ICC); legalisation only if requested | AED 2,000 |
| Certified copy of Memorandum & Articles | Corporate shareholders | Certified copy (RAK ICC); legalisation only if requested | AED 2,000 |
| Current Certificate of Incumbency or Register Extracts | Corporate shareholders | Certified copy (RAK ICC); legalisation only if requested | AED 2,000 |
| Current Certificate of Good Standing | Corporate shareholders | Certified copy (RAK ICC); legalisation only if requested | AED 2,000 |
| Passport of the authorised signatory | Corporate shareholders | Certified copy (RAK ICC) | — |
| Names of the ultimate beneficial owners | Corporate shareholders | — | — |
| Power of attorney, if you are not signing | If used | Ask the agent | AED 150 or AED 2,000 |
RAK ICC’s checklist says documents that must be current ‘should be dated within 3 months from the date of the application’. Order them last.
Certification and legalisation
RAK ICC’s published checklist asks for certified copies, certified by the registered agent or a notary, and ‘current’ certificates. It does not itself state that UAE embassy and MoFA attestation are required. The Registrar may ask for more, and JAFZA Offshore and Ajman Offshore publish their own rules. Ask your registered agent in writing whether any document must be legalised. If it must, the chain is issuing-country authentication, the UAE mission and MoFA, and an apostille alone is not accepted.
Where the chain applies, MoFA attests the document inside the UAE unless your UAE mission runs MoFA’s combined ‘one service, two attestations’ route, where both attestations are made under one application — see MoFA attestation. The MoFA FAQ also states that “anyone can attest documents on your behalf”, so you do not have to be in the country for that step. The full document position across all three jurisdictions is on the documents required page.
Translation
RAK ICC’s checklist asks for ‘duly certified English or Arabic translations’ of foreign-language documents. Under Regulation 282, where an English translation must be certified, the translator certifies accuracy and competence before a notary or oath-administering officer. See legal translation.
MoFA fees
Where UAE attestation is required, MoFA charges AED 150 per individual affairs document and AED 2,000 per commercial document.
MoFA’s FAQ lists examples in each band. Individual-affairs documents (AED 150) include a power of attorney of personal nature. Commercial documents (AED 2,000) include commercial registration, board of directors decisions, minutes, memorandums, trade licences, shareholder certificates, a power of attorney of commercial nature and a general power of attorney. The lists are ‘not limited to’, and MoFA says a contract or agreement may count as several documents. Confirm a borderline document with MoFA on 800 44444 before budgeting.
The registrars and their registered agents do not publish incorporation and annual agent fees in a form this page could verify, so no figure is given here. Ask your registered agent for a written quotation that separates the registrar’s fee, the agent’s first-year fee and the agent’s annual renewal fee. To budget the document costs, keep mission, home-country, courier and translation charges as separate lines.
The embassy fee is not published centrally
UAE embassy attestation fees are set per mission and vary by country. Check your own UAE mission page before you budget. There is no single global embassy fee.
Why offshore documents get rejected
Why these applications get rejected
- The document carries an apostille but no UAE embassy attestation, where legalisation was requested Treat the apostille as the first step, not the last. The UAE is not an Apostille Convention member, so the UAE embassy in the country of issue must still attest it.
- The chain stopped at the UAE embassy abroad MoFA must attest the document again inside the UAE, unless your UAE mission runs MoFA's combined 'one service, two attestations' route, where both attestations are made under one application.
- The document is laminated MoFA states that laminated documents cannot be attested and will be rejected. Order a fresh copy before you start.
- An intermediate attestation in the chain is missing MoFA states that missing attestations will be rejected. Confirm every link in the chain before you pay the next one.
- A certificate of good standing or incumbency has gone stale RAK ICC's checklist says documents that must be current 'should be dated within 3 months from the date of the application'. Order them last.
- The memorandum and articles were signed abroad without notarised signatures RAK ICC requires signatures made partly or wholly outside the UAE to be notarised. Signed wholly inside the UAE, an undertaking letter from the registered agent is used instead.
- The English translation is not certified in the required form RAK ICC requires the translator to certify before a notary that the translation is accurate and that they are competent to make it. A plain agency stamp is not that.
- A general power of attorney was used A POA should expressly cover the acts the representative will perform. Generic wording may be rejected.
What this page does not cover
Corporate tax, beneficial-ownership and other filings are outside this guide; ask your registered agent and the Federal Tax Authority.
The process, step by step
Appoint a registered agent
RAK ICC will not accept an incorporation application except through a registered agent, and the agent's office becomes the company's registered address. The checklist also asks for an agent appointment letter.
Reserve the name and settle the structure
Agree the company name, the shareholders, the directors and the share structure with the registered agent before any document is certified or legalised.
Certify, and legalise if requested
RAK ICC's checklist asks for copies certified by the registered agent or a notary. If your agent says in writing that a document must be legalised, the chain is issuing-country authentication, the UAE mission and MoFA. An apostille alone is not accepted.
Sign the memorandum and articles
Under the RAK ICC checklist, signatures made partly or wholly outside the UAE must be notarised. Signed wholly inside the UAE, an undertaking letter from the registered agent is required instead.
Incorporation by the registrar
The registered agent files the application and the registrar issues the certificate of incorporation and the constitutional documents. The Registrar may call for additional documents.
What it costs
| Item | Payable to | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| MoFA attestation — commercial document Per document, only if the registrar requires UAE attestation. Commercial-nature or general POA: AED 2,000; personal-nature POA: AED 150 (MoFA FAQ). Do not add this again if your mission's combined service already includes the MoFA stage. | MoFA | AED 2,000 |
| MoFA attestation — individual affairs document Personal documents such as a degree certificate. | MoFA | AED 150 |
| MoFA courier inside the UAE, normal 3 working days, up to 25 documents per transaction. | MoFA | AED 40 |
| MoFA courier inside the UAE, express 1 working day, up to 10 documents per transaction, excluding VAT. | MoFA | AED 150 |
| UAE embassy attestation in the country of issue Set per mission and varies by country. Check your own UAE mission page. | UAE embassy or consulate | Not published centrally |
Cost summary: Only if UAE attestation is required: confirmed document count × MoFA band. Ask the registered agent for the exact list.
This summary covers only the scope stated in this table. Unknown or excluded charges are not zero; confirm the full payable amount before accepting a quote.
Figures: MoFA published attestation service fees and courier charges, mofa.gov.ae FAQ · Checked 27 September 2026. Government fees change — confirm with the issuing authority before you pay.
Document enquiry
Check the documents for your company file
Describe the company document, issuing country and receiving authority. You may request an independent provider referral for the document requirement. Sandesh Solutions FZE does not form companies or perform attestation.
EasyAttestation is operated by Sandesh Solutions FZE. We provide information and referrals; we do not perform attestation.
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Common questions
What documents does RAK ICC ask for?
Do offshore company documents need to be legalised?
Is an apostille enough if legalisation is required?
How recent must offshore documents be?
Do offshore documents need a translation?
Which registrars offer offshore companies in the UAE?
Can you incorporate an offshore company yourself?
How much does MoFA charge to attest corporate documents?
Does EasyAttestation form companies or give tax advice?
Sources and last review
- RAK ICC — company incorporation checklist
- RAK ICC — Business Companies Regulations 2018
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs — attestation FAQ and fees
- UAE missions abroad — embassy and consulate directory
- HCCH — status table, Apostille Convention
Reviewed 27 September 2026. Fees and procedures in this area change without notice — always confirm against the authority's own published information before paying. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Next steps
Documents required for UAE business setup→
The full document list and which items may need legalising before you file.
Free zone company setup documents→
The documents zones commonly request and which may need attestation.
Mainland company formation documents→
What DET asks for and what a duly attested MOA means.
Business setup cost: budget for the documents→
Separate company-document attestation, translation and provider charges from a licence quote.
Commercial document attestation for the UAE→
The chain for each corporate document, if legalisation is requested.
Legal translation→
How certified translations are prepared.