Legal Desire · United Arab Emirates
The UAE, for people who have to get it right
A working reference for free zones, corporate tax, residence and the legislation that keeps changing underneath all of it.
50Free zones listed
18VAT Designated Zones
30Instruments tracked
16Residence routes
913Judgments indexed
Explore the hub
50 zonesFree zone comparisonAll 50 zones across the seven emirates, filterable by emirate and by VAT Designated Zone status, with the three whose designation was withdrawn marked as such.Open →InteractiveAre you still a QFZP?Nine questions covering the eight conditions and the de minimis rule, with the consequence of failing any one of them, which is five tax periods and not one.Open →16 routesVisa route finderEvery residence route with its published threshold and a link to the issuing authority. Where no minimum is published, it says so.Open →Rates and datesCorporate taxRates, Small Business Relief and the deadlines actually in force, including the several most published guidance still has wrong.Open →30 instrumentsLegislation trackerEvery instrument from 2004 to now, newest first, showing what repealed what. Two of the most cited decisions were repealed retroactively to 2023.Open →ComparedDIFC and ADGMTwo English language common law courts inside a civil law country, and where they differ on governing law, procedure and enforcement.Open →913 judgmentsEvery published DIFC and ADGM judgmentA free index of every judgment and order both courts have published, each with its subject matter and a short account of what it decided. Nobody else indexes these.Open →
UAE desk
Twenty five guides to UAE law
Written for people who need the rule rather than a brochure. Each one answers the question first, then explains, and says where the position differs between onshore, the free zones, the DIFC and ADGM.
Employment and labour law
GuideUAE Gratuity Calculator: How End of Service Pay WorksHow end of service gratuity is calculated under the current UAE employment law, and where the old rules people still q GuideWhat a UAE Employment Contract Must ContainA guide to the employment contract required in the UAE onshore private sector, from the move to fixed terms to the par GuideTermination of Employment UAE: The RulesHow employment ends lawfully in the UAE, what summary dismissal requires, and what an employee is owed on the way out. GuideProbation Period in the UAE: The RulesHow probation works under UAE labour law, including the six month cap, the different notice each side owes, and what e GuideAnnual Leave Under UAE Labour Law: The RulesWhat UAE labour law gives employees on annual leave, how it accrues, when it can be carried over or paid out, and what GuideSick Leave Under UAE Labour Law: Your RightsWhat UAE labour law gives employees on sick leave, how the paid, half paid and unpaid tiers work, and when an employer GuideMaternity Leave in the UAE: What the Law ProvidesWhat the UAE private sector maternity leave entitlement actually is, and how the public sector and the financial free GuideUAE Labour Law Working Hours and Overtime RulesStandard hours, breaks, the weekly rest day, overtime rates and the staff categories that fall outside the working hou GuideUAE Labour Card: What It Is and How It WorksThe UAE labour card is the Ministry record of your work permit, and it is not the same thing as your residence visa.
Visas and residence
GuideUAE Golden Visa Requirements, ExplainedWhat the UAE golden visa categories cover, who decides, and the limits people discover only after the permit is issued GuideThe UAE Freelance Visa: How It Actually WorksHow UAE freelance permits, residence visas and the five year green residence fit together, and the obligations that fo GuideSponsorship Visa UAE: Sponsoring a Family MemberHow UAE family sponsorship works, what conditions apply, and the responsibilities a sponsor signs up to without always
Business and corporate
GuideMainland Company Setup in Dubai: A Practical GuideMainland means a licence from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, onshore trading reach, and since 2021 full GuideUAE Commercial Companies Law: What ChangedHow the UAE Commercial Companies Law works now, from company forms and foreign ownership to governance and the 2025 am GuideUAE Trademark Registration: How the Process WorksHow to register a trademark in the UAE, from class selection and examination through opposition, renewal and enforceme GuideData Protection Law in the UAE: A Business GuideThree separate data protection regimes operate in the UAE, and the first question for any business is which one actual
Property and tenancy
GuideTenancy Contract Dubai: Rules for Tenants and LandlordsWhat a Dubai tenancy contract has to contain, how far rent can legally rise, and the two notice periods that decide mo GuideRental Disputes in Dubai: How the Process WorksAlmost every landlord and tenant dispute over Dubai property goes to the Rental Disputes Centre, and the paperwork usu
Courts, family and estates
GuideADGM Courts: Jurisdiction, Law and How Cases WorkThe ADGM Courts apply English common law directly rather than a local codification, which changes how contracts and di GuideDIFC Wills: Estate Planning for Non-Muslims in the UAEA DIFC will lets a non-Muslim direct UAE assets by testamentary freedom, provided the eligibility rules and registrati GuideDivorce in the UAE: The Process and the ChoicesThe two federal regimes that govern divorce in the UAE, how the civil route for non-Muslims differs, and what to expec GuidePower of Attorney in the UAE: How It WorksA UAE power of attorney has to be notarised, and for anything that disposes of an asset it has to be specific rather t
Criminal and disputes
GuideBounced Cheque UAE: What the Law Says NowThe UAE reform moved the ordinary insufficient funds cheque into an enforcement track, but bad faith conduct around ch GuideDefamation Law UAE: Criminal and CivilDefamation in the UAE is prosecuted as a crime, with a separate civil claim available, and the defences are narrower t GuideCybercrime Law UAE: What It CoversThe UAE cybercrime law reaches far beyond hacking, covering online insult, rumours, photography and private messages.