[gamblor956]

Dubai is a lovely place as long as you love empty desert visas, sandstorms, and you don't mind not having many of the freedoms or safeties that you would enjoy in the US, Europe, or even most of Asia.

For example, public kissing is a felony in Dubai. A woman walking around in public "indecently clothed" is a felony (though exceptions are provided for hotel guests and beach visitors). Drinking is a felony, though hotels and other tourist spots are excepted. There is no free speech in the UAE. If you badmouth the royal family, you've committed a felony. If you badmouth Islam, you could be put to death (but most likely would be killed by religious zealots long before trial). Worse, for expatriates--if you aren't a UAE citizen and you commit a violation of your employment agreement, you've committed a felony and your visa is subject to destruction, effectively barring you from leaving the country without the assistance of your embassy.

Oh...and by the way...if you're a foreign corporation, you end up paying a 50+% income tax. While there technically is no income tax in Dubai, all companies doing business in any UAE member state must be at least 50% owned by a local company, and by law, all eligible local companies are owned by the state or a member of the royal family.

I have quite a few clients that operate in Dubai. Without exception, they limit their time in Dubai to strictly what is necessary for their business, because it's a decidedly unpleasant place to be once you've experienced the very limited touristy options.

[speeq]

Free economic zones like the Dubai Internet City exist, where 100% foreign ownership is permitted. I agree that there are many other issues though. Could I have your input on this please (if you have the time): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6904888 .. I'd love to hear your opinion since you have a lot of knowledge in this field.

[gamblor956]

Unfortunately, due to your admission that you ran the whole thing illegally, and in the EU, I can't make any suggestions (even in general terms) without running afoul of legal restrictions (I'm not an EU lawyer) or my firm's tax practice restrictions (due to the potential illegality of your prior structure/activities). I'm not even allowed to refer you to one of my firm's local offices.

I would suggest that you hire a local (to you) lawyer. Since it appears that you also have accounting needs, you should look for a firm which provides both legal and accounting services.

As for the Dubai Internet City: it's intended for specific business activities within the Free Zone. It's not a panacea that gives you access to the rest of Dubai or the UAE (for that you still need a 50% local owner.) That's great if you want to do business in the Free Zone, but if you're not a local to that region then there are far superior jurisdictions to be located if you plan on having international business operations.

Also, the royal family has a tendency to radically change laws every time a new generation comes into power, so the current business-favorable laws may change for the worse in a few years. If that happens, it could be very difficult to get out.