Two co-founders want to set up a marketing consultancy in a Dubai free zone, with two visas (one per founder) and a flexi-desk office package.
The Walkthrough
- Pick your activity and jurisdiction
Marketing consultancy is a professional-services activity, generally available in most free zones. For this example, assume a mid-market free zone with a flexi-desk package. - Enter your visa count
Two founders means two visa allocations — this is usually bundled into free zone packages up to a certain headcount, beyond which each additional visa adds cost. - Choose your office type
A flexi-desk (shared desk, no dedicated private office) is the lowest-cost compliant option for a two-person team not needing a full office. - Review the breakdown
The estimate splits into licence fee, visa allocation cost, and office/flexi-desk fee — three separate line items rather than one bundled number, so you can see where the money actually goes. - Add renewal cost for year two
First-year cost is what most quotes advertise; check the annual renewal figure too, since it's a recurring cost that continues every year the company operates.
The Takeaway
The total for a two-person consultancy setup typically lands well below what a single "all-inclusive" agent quote suggests once you can see licence, visas and office broken out separately — and knowing each line item means you can negotiate or trim exactly the part that's inflating the total, rather than accepting one bundled number.
Try It With Your Own Numbers
This example used specific figures to make the process concrete, but the same steps apply whatever your actual numbers are. Run the Business Setup Cost Calculator with your own details — free, in under a minute, no sign-up required.