Setting up at Ras Al-Khair SEZ

• Prepare the identity pack for each shareholder: passport copies, photos, recent bank statements, proof of address, CVEvery application starts with the same identity documents — one set per shareholder.
• AnswerAnswer this first: who are the founders?Founder facts tailor the document list — shareholding drives the incorporation forms.
• Prepare activity-specific documentation — Ras Al-Khair SEZ activities need external approvalRas Al-Khair SEZ flags approval-required activities in our data; regulators ask for extra evidence up front.

Typically runs alongside document preparation.

• AnswerAnswer this first: add up to 3 proposed company namesAuthorities take name candidates in preference order — clearance is first-come.
• AnswerAnswer this first: what will the company actually do? Set your activityThe licensed activity list is the licence — the checklist can't be concrete without it.
• Submit the application and pay the licence fee — from AED 1,500/yr plus AED 830 one-time registrationThe trade licence is the company's legal basis — visas and banking both hang off it.
• Pick a different workspace tier — Ras Al-Khair SEZ doesn't offer a flexi desk in our dataThe workspace on the licence application must be one the zone actually sells.
• AnswerAnswer this first: when do you want to launch?The application runway is worked backwards from launch — without a date there's no timeline.

Waiting on: Licence application

• Confirm work-authorisation and residency steps with Ras Al-Khair SEZConfirm with zoneThis checklist models the UAE residency pipeline; Saudi Arabia runs its own process.

Waiting on: Licence application

• Shortlist 2–3 banks (one traditional, one digital) before the licence issuesParallel applications hedge a single-bank rejection without extra cost.
• Prepare the bank KYC pack: licence copy, MOA, shareholder passports, 6 months of statements, proof of address, source-of-funds declaration, short business planBanks ask for the same core pack — having it ready compresses weeks of back-and-forth into days.
• Plan for ~21 days of bank onboarding at Ras Al-Khair SEZYou can't invoice or pay suppliers until the account opens — put it on the critical path.
• Set aside the minimum balance — from AED 25,000 depending on bankFalling below minimum balance triggers monthly fees that quietly eat the licence savings.

Waiting on: Licence application

• Plan real presence — Ras Al-Khair SEZ's economic-substance expectations are rated standard in our dataSubstance underpins regulatory filings and, in the UAE, the defensibility of free-zone tax treatment.
• Confirm Saudi Arabia tax registrations (corporate income tax, VAT) with a local advisorConfirm with zoneThis checklist models UAE tax rules only — local obligations differ.
• Diarise the licence renewal — about AED 1,500/yr →Renewal is annual from the issue date — diarising it now is free insurance.