Holding Company licence
Ajman NuVentures Centre Licence for Holding Company
A holding company owns shares, intellectual property or other assets rather than trading. It is a structural tool, and the questions that matter are about substance, tax treatment and the documents the subsidiaries will need.
In short
A holding company owns shares, intellectual property or assets rather than trading. The structure is straightforward to register; the real work is substance, corporate tax treatment and the attestation chain for foreign subsidiaries.
- Licence type
- Holding, or commercial with investment activities
- Licence from
- AED 4,888
- With one visa
- AED 10,800
- Outside approval
- Not usually
Figures on this page were last checked on 2026-10-04. Government fees can change without notice.
What this licence covers
The activity list is what the licence actually permits. Everything else follows from it.
Included
- Owning shares in other companies
- Holding intellectual property and licensing it
- Owning real estate and other assets where permitted
- Receiving dividends and investment income
Not included
- Trading or providing services, which needs an operating activity
- Regulated fund management or investment advice
- Banking or financial services of any kind
Licence type: Holding, or commercial with investment activities. {'short': 'A holding company owns shares, intellectual property or assets rather than trading. The structure is straightforward to register; the real work is substance, corporate tax treatment and the attestation chain for foreign subsidiaries.', 'facts': [{'k': 'Licence type', 'v': 'Holding, or commercial with investment activities'}, {'k': 'Licence from', 'v': 'AED 4,888'}, {'k': 'With one visa', 'v': 'AED 10,800'}, {'k': 'Outside approval', 'v': 'Not usually'}]}
Approvals and the customs position
The two things that move a timeline from weeks to months.
Outside approvals
None for a simple holding structure. Anything that looks like managing third party money crosses into regulated territory immediately.
Customs
Not applicable.
Banking this activity
Compliance teams assess activities differently. This is how yours reads to them.
The hardest profile after general trading, because there are no operating flows to document. Banks want to understand where the money came from and what it will do. Source of wealth documentation matters more here than anywhere else.
Where people go wrong
- Assuming a holding structure removes a tax obligation, when registration is still mandatory
- Underestimating the attestation timeline for foreign corporate shareholders
- Leaving the memorandum silent on how shares transfer
- No substance at all, which is increasingly scrutinised
Founders consolidating ownership of several entities, families structuring assets, and anyone holding intellectual property separately from the operating business.
Other activities in Ajman NuVentures Centre
The licence category changes what you can do, what it costs and who has to approve it.
One number, in writing
Tell us what you are setting up
Fill in the form and we pass your details to the right licensing partner for your case. They come back with one itemised price covering the licence, the visa, the government fees and VAT. If Ajman NuVentures Centre is the wrong answer for your business, you will be told that instead.
No call centre, no cold calling, and nothing shared with anybody until you press send.
Free written quote
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