Top 12 business ideas for Dubai, UAE

1. Real estate agency

Active commercial and residential construction is underway in almost every district of the Emirates. Developers offer a variety of projects for every taste and purse: from apartments and villas for comfortable family life to office and retail premises for successful work and business. Every year the increasing flow of foreign citizens contributes to the growth of the real estate and construction sector, and accordingly, the need for qualified real estate agents increases.
Registering an agency will require obtaining external regulatory approval and training employees to obtain broker cards, in addition to the basic steps.

2. Car Rental Business

One of the preferred modes of transportation for locals and tourists is renting a car. Business class and luxury cars, as well as sports cars, are particularly popular. Buying your own car requires a lot of investment and further maintenance, so it is often easier to rent a car. This is convenient both for everyday purposes and for business tasks.
To open a company in this industry will require:
  • Obtaining approval from the Highway and Transportation Dept; 
  • finding parking spaces or a garage;
  • Bringing the vehicles to the proper technical condition and registering them;
  • Drawing up a legally correct contract for the transfer of the car to the client.  

3. Online trading on marketplaces

A rapidly growing industry that allows you to maximize profits at minimal cost. Online marketplaces for the sale of goods are popular among all categories of citizens of different ages. The attendance figures of sites operating in Dubai speak for themselves - from 22 thousand (Myecosouk) to 24 million (Amazon) people per month.
In this industry, it is important to think about your unique offer and build a sales funnel. Company registration is possible on Mainland and Free Zone. Depending on the expected turnover, an office or warehouse may be required, for some categories of goods it is necessary to issue additional documents and certificates of conformity.

4. Beauty salon

Beauty industry in the UAE is popular among both women and men. Tidy and respectable appearance is extremely important for locals, businessmen and tourists. Here it is possible to provide basic services: haircut and coloring, manicure and pedicure.
When opening such a company, it is worth bearing in mind the mentality and local traditions. For example, in one room cannot provide services to men and women at the same time. Customers must be served by masters of the same sex. Other important requirements include that the premises must meet certain standards and pass regulatory inspections. Some cosmetology procedures will require ministerial approval and specific qualifications of the specialist.

5. Cafe or restaurant

More than 80% of people living in Dubai are newcomers from different countries, so the cuisine here is multinational and allows you to open an institution with different concepts and dishes. It is also important to keep in mind that agriculture is not developed here and a food basket collected in a store with a high price tag is often more expensive than a regular lunch in a cafe. Therefore, opening a catering place can be an extremely profitable investment.
Among the main steps are selecting a suitable premises to meet the standards, obtaining approval and passing a food safety inspection.

6. Travel agency

The influx of tourists provides a significant economic growth of the country, so there is an active process of development of various tourist routes, increasing the number of different events, recreation areas and attractions for different budgets and tastes. In order to make their trip the most profitable, effective and filled with impressions, tourists seek help from specialized agencies.
Opening this type of business involves registration on the mainland under a professional license. Depending on the need to book airline tickets, additional permits may be required.

7. Wholesale and trading company

Dubai's geographical location allows for international trade with most countries. Various free economic zones offer favorable tax and customs conditions for UAE-registered companies. Flexible trade licenses provide for the import of various categories of goods and do not limit the freedom of import and export operations.
In this case, it is important to choose the best FEZ for international wholesale trade with warehousing capabilities, if necessary, or close to important logistics points.

8. IT company

Active development of artificial intelligence, introduction of environmentally friendly technologies and state support for innovative projects attracts many highly qualified specialists to the UAE. These conditions make the services of IT companies highly demanded.
Registration is possible in various organizational and legal forms, for this purpose it is possible to consider both mainland and freezones depending on the business goals.

9. Renovation of commercial and retail premises

As mentioned above, active commercial construction provides different types of business sites. In order to prepare the premises and renovate them according to the standards, entrepreneurs turn to companies that provide professional services in this field.
In this case, it will be necessary to pay special attention to the selection of a suitable license and obtaining the necessary approvals.

10. Cleaning company

Dubai is a city with a fast pace of life, where most residents simply do not have extra time for cleaning, so cleaning services are in extraordinary demand here. It is also worth remembering the various office and retail premises, which also require maintenance of cleanliness.

11. Foreign language school and private tutoring

For a comfortable life and work in Dubai it is necessary to speak English. Foreigners moving to the UAE tend to tighten their language level and go to specialized schools or hire tutors. This is especially useful for children or students as extra lessons.
The popularity of the tutoring service has contributed to the emergence of a special type of permit for private tuition outside of educational institutions. The license is issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and the Ministry of Education.

12. Commercial Broker

Assists in transactions of all kinds. Their main purpose is to bring the seller and buyer together to solve the client's problems for a fee. These types of services simplify many processes and help reduce the client's own time commitment to a task.

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