Dubai is home to thousands of homes, shops, restaurants, retail units and offices that all have one thing in common: they need to be kept clean.
It should come as no surprise then that the cleaning market size in Dubai is expected to grow at a five-year CAGR of ~9.7% by 2026 – the more the city expands, the more of it there is to clean.
As well as demand, there’s another reason behind this growing market – providing you have the right support, it is both easy and affordable to set up a cleaning company in Dubai.
How to set up a cleaning company in Dubai
Before applying for your business license, there are a couple of tasks to tick off. The first is to choose a company name.
Keep in mind when doing this that the UAE has a rather distinctive set of naming conventions that you’ll need to adhere to. For example, your company name should not include any offensive or blasphemous language or make reference to known organisations or corporations.
If you are going to include your personal name in your business name, it must be in full – no abbreviations or initials. You must also check that your chosen business name is available to be registered. A company formation expert can do this for you as part of the license application process.
With your company name chosen, you now need to decide whether you wish to set up in a free zone or on the mainland. Should you opt to set up on the mainland, you’ll benefit from being able to trade directly with the local market and will be permitted to take on potentially lucrative government contracts.
Free zone businesses on the other hand benefit from low startup costs, 100% exemption from customs tax and zero currency restrictions. What’s more, unlike in many other countries, UAE free zone business owners also have full freedom to repatriate all invested capital and profits. There are also no foreign exchange controls or currency restrictions.
The final step before making your license application is to decide on the cleaning activity you wish to undertake. There are three popular options in Dubai:
Industrial cleaning: These companies usually clean large office blocks and other corporate buildings. This is usually not a one man job and requires a team of cleaners.
Commercial cleaning: Commercial cleaning companies tend to be specialised and highly-skilled. As such, commercial cleaning contracts can be hard to secure.
Residential cleaning: Residential cleaning focuses on households. Starting a residential cleaning business Dubai is a popular choice as it can be taken on by an individual or small team.
Applying for your cleaning services license
With these decisions made, you can now apply for your trade license. The type of cleaning you wish to carry out will determine the type of license you need to apply for – i.e. an industrial cleaning company license, a commercial cleaning company license, or a residential cleaning company license.
The application process is similar whether setting up in a free zone or on the mainland. In both cases, a company formation expert can help you with this step, even going so far as to manage the entire application process on your behalf.
Whether making your application yourself, or through a company formation agent, you are usually only required to provide a few details and some basic documentation, including:
- Completed application form
- Passport copy of the proposed owner or owners
- Two coloured photos
- LOE
- KYC
- Application form
- Proof of address
- Business activity questionnaire
As well as applying for your business license, you can also apply for your visa and those of your employees should you need them. It’s also possible to sponsor the visa applications of your dependent family or any domestic staff that you may have.
Finally, you’ll need a corporate bank account in order to start trading. Again, a company formation expert can help you with this step, putting you in touch with the most suitable financial institution for your business needs.
If you are looking to get your company license in the UAE, free zone, or mainland, or even in Qatar and Saudi Arabia – then our team can help. We also offer monthly installment plans for UAE company registration
What is the cleaning services license cost?
The cost of a cleaning business license is very dependent on the size of your business and the type of license you apply for. In most cases, however, start-up costs are usually low.
What’s more, our flexi-desk packages which afford entrepreneurs the use of business facilities such as desk space, mail services, and internet and phone use – come with eligibility for up to 15 employee visas.
Are you ready to apply for your cleaning services license?
If you’ve got the drive and the skills then then what’s stopping you? It’s incredibly easy and affordable.
While applying for your cleaning company license is not overly complex, it does require a level of prior knowledge of the process. What’s more, it is important to note that the application process is only straightforward if your trade license application is complete at the time of submission and free from errors.
To help you to ensure that this is the case, it’s a good idea to work with a company formation specialist such as Set Hub when establishing a new company in the UAE. We are a team of company registration professionals who are passionate about bringing the dreams of aspiring entrepreneurs and SMEs to life.
As well as handling your license application, we can also assist with the opening of corporate bank accounts and advise on the most appropriate financial institution to suit your specific needs.
We also offer visa and immigration services and can handle all government formalities, permissions, work permits and visas applications that are required to trade in the UAE.
In short, our experts can establish your company on your behalf, make your license and visa applications, and take care of all the necessary administrative processing – leaving you free to get on with running your business.
