We assist clients in designing and establishing the right legal structure for their business – whether in the UAE mainland, a designated free zone, or a financial centre (i.e. the DIFC and ADGM).
From selecting the appropriate jurisdiction to drafting constitutional documents, appointing shareholders, and registering with the relevant authority, we manage the full incorporation process with precision and discretion.
Our approach ensures your entity is optimally positioned for growth, ownership, and regulatory compliance – whether you’re building from scratch, entering the market via SPV, or restructuring an existing venture.
A valid trade licence is the operational heartbeat of any UAE entity. We help you secure the correct commercial licence aligned to your activity, structure, and jurisdiction – whether in the mainland, free zone, or a regulated financial centre.
Crabb Hill liaises directly with licensing authorities to ensure your trade licence is issued swiftly, accurately, and in line with your business model. We manage classification, documentation, government interactions, and renewals – so you can operate legally and without interruption.
Whether as part of a new company setup or a change in business activity, we ensure every licence is correctly issued, maintained, and fit for purpose.
We don’t just follow process – we anticipate obstacles, pre-empt delays, and manage relationships. Our long-standing experience and trusted networks enable us to handle matters swiftly, quietly, and correctly the first time — so your operations remain uninterrupted and fully compliant.
The ability to navigate government procedures efficiently is critical to doing business well in the UAE. At Crabb Hill, we act as your experienced intermediary with ministries, free zone authorities, municipal bodies, and regulatory agencies across all seven Emirates.
Whether you’re establishing a new entity, renewing a trade licence, modifying shareholder structures, or seeking regulatory clarifications, we manage the full scope of interactions on your behalf – ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and peace of mind.
Our support includes:
Whether you’re relocating key staff, establishing residency for your employees’ family, or managing support personnel, visa and immigration processes in the UAE must be handled with precision and efficiency.
At Crabb Hill, we oversee the full visa lifecycle on your behalf – from application and approvals to medicals, Emirates ID processing, renewals, cancellations, and dependent sponsorships. Our coordination includes direct engagement with immigration authorities and free zone regulators, ensuring minimal disruption and timely completion.
We support:
Our approach isn’t one-size-fits-all. We align immigration strategy with your broader personal and business objectives – giving you both legal clarity and long-term optionality.
By curating the right match between your structure and the institution’s risk appetite, we have achieved to date a 100% success-rate in securing new bank accounts for our clients.
Securing a corporate bank account in the UAE has become increasingly complex, particularly for international shareholders or new entities. Crabb Hill simplifies this process through strong institutional relationships, deep regulatory understanding, and meticulous preparation.
We help you:
Whether you’re submitting documents for visa processing, setting up a business, or preparing for legal proceedings, we ensure everything is properly authenticated, so it’s accepted the first time, without delay or repetition.
With Crabb Hill, bureaucracy becomes manageable — and global paperwork becomes UAE-ready.
In the UAE, foreign-issued documents must often be legalised before they’re accepted by government authorities, banks, courts, and licensing bodies. This process can be complex, multi-jurisdictional, and time-sensitive – especially when documents originate from multiple countries.
At Crabb Hill, we manage end-to-end legalisation and attestation of personal and corporate documents, ensuring they meet the formal requirements of the institution seeking them. We act as your single point of coordination – navigating lawyers, notaries, foreign offices, embassies, and UAE-based authorities with precision and speed.
We assist with:
Whether you’re submitting documents for visa processing, setting up a business, or preparing for legal proceedings, we ensure everything is properly authenticated, so it’s accepted the first time, without delay or repetition.
With Crabb Hill, bureaucracy becomes manageable — and global paperwork becomes UAE-ready.
Our teams’ decades’ of on the ground experience ensure that the structure not only works in theory, but functions smoothly in practice. With Crabb Hill, you gain a partner who understands both the commercial logic and the regulatory mechanics behind your operations.
Whether you’re entering the UAE market, consolidating operations, or restructuring for tax or succession purposes, how you structure your entity and its commercial arrangements, matters.
Crabb Hill provides strategic support in designing and implementing UAE-appropriate structures that reflect your objectives – balancing legal form, commercial purpose, and long-term flexibility.
We work across mainland, free zone, and offshore jurisdictions to help you:
Going beyond mere technical summaries, we coordinate forward-looking support that aligns with your business strategy and cross-border ambitions.
Understanding the UAE’s evolving tax landscape is essential for effective business planning, international structuring, and long-term regulatory compliance.
At Crabb Hill, we work in close collaboration with qualified local and international tax professionals to provide tailored guidance to startups, SMEs, family offices, and cross-border investors operating in the Emirates. Our role is to translate tax obligations into practical actions – and to ensure you’re structured for clarity, compliance, and control.
We help you:
With Crabb Hill, protection is proactive – not reactive.
At Crabb Hill, we recognise that effective insurance isn’t about ticking boxes – it’s about protecting reputation, operations, people, and future growth.
We work closely with a network of vetted insurance partners who understand the nuances of operating in the UAE. Whether you’re a startup, SME, or regional subsidiary, we help match you with providers offering sector-specific, compliant, and commercially intelligent coverage.
Typical areas of support include:
We don’t sell insurance. Nor are we a broker. We do however, act as a neutral advisor – helping you assess risks, define coverage priorities, and engage with the right insurers for your business structure, licensing obligations, and operational footprint.
While we don’t deliver these services in-house, our role is to ensure you’re working with people who do – with the right expertise, cultural fit, and commercial acumen.
We bridge ambition with execution – so your brand enters the UAE market not just present, but positioned to succeed.
For new ventures, entrepreneurs, and ambitious SMEs entering the UAE, strategy and visibility are just as important as structure and compliance.
At Crabb Hill, we offer practical, grounded support by connecting clients with trusted, vetted partners who specialise in business planning, market entry strategy, brand development, and marketing execution. These partners bring local market insight, sector knowledge, and international standards of delivery.
Whether you’re refining a business model, positioning a new offering, or building your presence in a competitive local market, our trusted partners can help you:
Our approach is conservative, transparent, and fully aligned with UAE regulatory expectations. We do not offer “off-the-shelf” arrangements or lend names casually. Instead, we assist clients in establishing nominee structures that are defensible, compliant, and fit for purpose – whether for DIFC, ADGM, mainland, or offshore entities.
In select circumstances, Crabb Hill facilitates nominee arrangements to help clients satisfy local presence requirements or preserve confidentiality in their UAE corporate structures.
These services are available on a highly selective basis, and only where they serve a legitimate commercial or regulatory objective. Nominee appointments – whether as shareholder, director, or authorised signatory – are always structured with detailed contractual safeguards, clear scope limitations, and rigorous compliance protocols.
Our tried and trusted framework ensures that:
Our approach prioritises clarity, control, and compliance. Every POA is crafted to reflect the scope you intend – and no more. When discretion and reliability matter, Crabb Hill ensures your voice carries, even when you’re not in the room.
In a jurisdiction like the UAE — where many matters require physical presence, authorised representation, or fast-moving procedural compliance — an effective Power of Attorney (POA) can unlock real flexibility.
At Crabb Hill, we assist clients in preparing, notarising, and coordinating the execution of tailored, UAE-compliant POAs. Whether for corporate actions, banking, asset management, visa processes, or family-related authorisations, we ensure your affairs proceed smoothly — even when you’re elsewhere.
We support:
We ensure you’re matched with reliable, vetted providers who understand what efficiency, discretion, and executive support truly mean in the UAE context.
At Crabb Hill, we connect clients with trusted providers offering high-quality Virtual Personal Assistant services – designed for entrepreneurs, executives, and business owners operating across the UAE.
These experienced assistants provide responsive, detail-oriented support across a wide range of administrative and executive functions, including:
At Crabb Hill, we understand that talent is the backbone of every successful venture. That’s why we work with trusted recruitment partners to help you attract, assess, and onboard the right people – at every level of your organisation.
From entry-level hiring to executive search, we support a recruitment process that is strategic, discreet, and aligned to your long-term goals. Whether you’re building a new team or strengthening an existing one, we ensure your approach to hiring is structured, compliant, and fit for purpose.
Our support includes:
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