We help Australian online entrepreneurs secure their UAE residency visa, Emirates ID, and Dubai bank accounts — without forcing you to leave Australia. Keep your AU tax residency, or shift it down the line. The infrastructure is ready when you are.
We built seven-figure stores from Bali, Lisbon and Dubai before we ever filed a single client's visa.
TaxNomads wasn't started by lawyers, accountants, or career immigration agents. We're e-commerce founders, dropshippers, and online operators who built our businesses on Shopify, on Amazon, on YouTube, on Stan and Kajabi — and watched the ATO take a brutal slice every June 30.
So we did what every high-earning Aussie online entrepreneur eventually thinks about: we set up in Dubai ourselves. We navigated the Free Zones. We sat in the medical fitness queue. We had bank applications rejected. We got the Emirates ID. We figured out which structures worked, which paperwork mattered, and which "consultants" were quietly outsourcing the whole thing to a typing pool in Karama.
Here's what we learned: starting is the hardest part. Most people sit on this decision for years because every advisor wants you to commit to a complete tax exit on day one. We don't. Get the residency, the Emirates ID, the bank account first. Many of our clients keep their Australian tax residency while they build the optionality. If you later want to explore shifting tax residency, we'll introduce you to qualified tax advisers — that's their job, not ours. Our role is the operational setup. Once you're in motion, the direction becomes obvious.
You don't have to leave Australia to set up in the UAE. Some clients shift their tax residency, others keep it Australian and use the UAE structure for international business. Either path is valid — having the option is the point.
The UAE offers three distinct ways to incorporate. We'll match you to the one that fits your business model — for most online entrepreneurs that's a Free Zone, but Mainland and Offshore have their place too.
Set up through the Department of Economic Development (DED) for unrestricted access to the UAE market and government contracts. 100% foreign ownership in most sectors. Best if you plan to trade with UAE customers directly or open physical retail.
40+ designated zones — DMCC, IFZA, Meydan, RAKEZ, DIFC. 100% foreign ownership, 0% corporate tax on qualifying income, and freedom to operate internationally. Built exactly for online entrepreneurs invoicing global clients.
RAK ICC, JAFZA, BVI or Cayman structures — for asset protection, holding companies, or international trading without a physical UAE presence. 0% tax, full confidentiality, no office requirement. Often used alongside a Free Zone entity.
A choreographed sequence that gets your UAE foundation in place — visa, ID, banking — without forcing decisions about where you'll spend your time. That part comes later, on your terms.
We walk you through the structures available, what each one involves, and the typical timelines. Any tax or legal questions get referred to qualified advisers.
We incorporate your UAE Free Zone entity (IFZA / DMCC / Meydan) and apply for your investor or employment visa.
You fly to Dubai for biometrics, medical fitness test, and Emirates ID issuance. We're with you at every appointment.
Personal & corporate accounts opened with Tier-1 banks. Your UAE foundation is live. From here it's your call: use it for international business, or shift residency when the timing's right.
UAE issues distinct licences depending on your business activity. For dropshippers, online merchants, and Shopify operators the answer is almost always the same — but you need it set up correctly the first time.
Built for online stores, dropshippers, Shopify operators, Amazon FBA sellers, and digital merchants. Lets you sell physical or digital products through online channels with full UAE compliance. This is the one for dropshipping.
Dropshipper-fitBroadest commercial scope — import, export, distribute almost any non-restricted goods. Great if your stores span multiple unrelated product categories.
Multi-categoryFor specific trading activities tied to defined product groups. Lower fees than General Trading if your range is focused.
Single-categoryFor consultants, coaches, agencies, and service providers — anyone selling expertise rather than physical product.
Coaches & consultantsFor manufacturing, processing, and assembly operations. Rarely relevant for online entrepreneurs but listed for completeness.
ManufacturersFor owning shares, IP, or other assets. Often paired with an operating Free Zone licence for tax-efficient structuring.
Asset protectionIdeal for those wanting UAE residency without running an active business. Manage investments, hold assets, and sponsor family members while enjoying UAE tax residency benefits.
Most agencies hand you off between immigration lawyers, accountants and bankers. We do the lot — under one roof.
Choose the right pathway: 2-year Investor Visa, 10-year Golden Visa, or Freelance Permit. We handle the entire application — from company formation to entry permit to residency stamp.
Your federal identity card — required for everything from SIM cards to property leases. We escort you through medical and biometrics.
Personal and corporate accounts with banks that actually approve expats. Pre-vetted introductions, no cold applications. Available in our Premium Concierge package.
Dubai banks have grown cautious of expat applications post-FATCA. Our compliance team prepares your file the way bank ops want to see it — and our relationships mean your application reaches a real underwriter, not a queue.
→ 96% APPROVAL RATE · 14-21 DAYS
Three tiers built around how hands-on you want us to be. All prices in AUD and cover government fees, free-zone licensing, and our service work. Whether you're keeping AU tax residency or shifting later, the foundation is the same.
I sold my Sydney agency, expected six months of paperwork chaos. TaxNomads had us in Dubai with banking sorted in 78 days. The savings paid their fee back in the first month.
I was scaling a Shopify brand doing 8-figures and the ATO bill kept me up at night. Stayed AU-resident for now, but having the DMCC company, Emirates ID, and a Mashreq account gives me serious optionality. They actually understood my P&L.
As a contractor billing UK clients, the AU tax bite was brutal. Got my Emirates ID, my DMCC company, my Mashreq account — and kept full UK client relationships. Best business decision I've made.
The answers below are general information based on what we've experienced and learned setting up our own UAE businesses. Nothing here is legal, tax, or financial advice. Before acting on anything, please consult a qualified Australian tax adviser and, where relevant, UAE-licensed legal counsel.
No — and this is the question we get asked most often. You can secure your UAE residency visa, Emirates ID, and Dubai bank accounts while remaining an Australian tax resident. Many of our clients do exactly this. They keep their AU life intact, but now have a fully operational UAE structure they can use for international clients, asset protection, or as the foundation for a future move. If you later decide to shift your tax residency to the UAE (which requires 183+ days in-country and meeting the criteria for breaking AU residency ties), the infrastructure is already in place. We can introduce you to qualified tax advisers who specialise in this — TaxNomads itself does not provide tax or legal advice.
A few reasons clients give us: (1) optionality — life changes, businesses scale, and having a ready-to-go UAE base means you can pivot in weeks, not years; (2) international business — a UAE Free Zone company can invoice global clients and many find the banking opens doors that AU-only structures don't; (3) diversification — banking, residency, and assets across two stable jurisdictions; (4) future planning — Golden Visa now means renewable long-term UAE residency without re-applying. Your AU tax obligations while you remain an AU tax resident should be confirmed with your accountant — we'll introduce you to one if you need.
Personal income remains at 0% in the UAE. The 9% corporate tax (introduced 2023) applies to business profits above AED 375,000 — and Free Zone entities meeting the "Qualifying Free Zone Person" criteria set by the FTA may still benefit from a 0% rate on qualifying income. We help with the company formation and Free Zone selection at the operational level. Whether your specific business activities meet the qualifying criteria is a question for a UAE-licensed tax adviser, and we'll introduce you to one before you commit.
Both paths are legitimate when set up properly. If you remain an Australian tax resident, you continue to declare worldwide income (including any UAE company profits drawn as personal income) to the ATO as you always have. Nothing on the AU compliance side changes. If you later choose to break AU tax residency, the ATO uses a multi-factor test (domicile, principal home, family location, days in/out). TaxNomads does not provide tax or legal advice. We strongly recommend engaging your own qualified Australian tax adviser and UAE legal counsel before and during the move — we'll happily introduce you to specialists we've worked with. Our role is the operational setup: company formation, visa, Emirates ID, banking introductions.
It's your operating vehicle — for consulting income, holding investments, or a real business. Most clients invoice their existing international clients through it. It must have substance (a real office or flexi-desk, you working from it), which we set up. Annual cost ~AU$3,500 to maintain.
Yes, easily. If you're not trying to break AU tax residency, your partner's location is irrelevant — you can hold a UAE residency visa and Emirates ID while your spouse stays in Sydney. If down the track you do want to shift AU residency, family location is a major ATO factor. That conversation is one for a qualified Australian tax adviser, not us — we can introduce you to specialists. For the initial UAE setup, this isn't a blocker. Most of our clients start exactly here: get the UAE foundation in place, see how it fits into life, and decide what to do next when there's actually data to decide on.
Visa & Emirates ID: 30-45 days from start. Banking: 14-21 days after the Emirates ID is issued. Most clients have the full UAE foundation — visa, ID, personal & corporate banking — operational within 60-90 days. From there, what you do with it is up to you. If you want to pursue a UAE Tax Residency Certificate (TRC) it's typically issued by the FTA after 183 days of in-country residence, but that's a step you take only if and when you want to.
Free, confidential discovery email. We'll explain what we do, walk you through the structures available, and quote the setup. Any tax or legal questions get referred to qualified specialists — we don't give that advice ourselves.
taxnomads.support@gmail.com