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Leave the UAE for Europe, not for tax.

The UAE charges 9% on company profit and nothing on you, so Cyprus won't lower your tax. What it gives you is an EU company that European customers and banks accept. We check the UAE side first, then build the Cyprus side.

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  • Fixed prices
  • Eligibility checked before you pay
  • One team for the Cyprus side
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On tax alone, the UAE wins.

A UAE company pays 9% at most, and dividends are tax-free. Cyprus costs more at every profit on the slider, so the reason to move is Europe, not the rate.

€200,000
In the UAE
Corporate tax
−€18,000
Tax on dividends
−€0
You keep
€182,000
In Cyprus
Corporate tax
−€30,000
Health contribution (GeSY)
−€4,505
You keep
€165,495

UAE: 9% corporate tax on profit above AED 375,000 and 0% below it, or 0% on a qualifying free zone company's qualifying income. There is no personal income tax, so 0% on dividends. The calculator applies 9% to all profit, so real UAE tax is lower still.

Headline rates for a founder who takes the profit out as dividends and has become Cyprus tax resident with non-dom status. Your own figures will differ. This is an illustration, not tax advice.

Leaving is cheap. Leaving badly isn't.

The UAE charges nothing when you leave, but the company has to be kept or closed the right way. Settle these with a UAE adviser before anything is filed.

  • No exit tax

    There is no exit tax and no departure return, because the UAE has no personal income tax. Your UAE tax residency ends when you no longer meet its tests on days spent there and where your home and interests are.

  • Free zone 0%, lost for five years

    A free zone company keeps its 0% rate only if its core work, staff, assets and spending are really in the zone. Run it from Cyprus and it loses 0% for that tax year and the next four. Cyprus may also tax it.

  • Old substance reports can block closing

    Yearly economic substance reports ended for financial years ending after 2022. Any unfiled report for 2019 to 2022, and any unpaid penalty, still counts. The company can't be deregistered until every return is filed and every penalty paid, so clear them first.

  • Get a residency certificate first

    Ask the UAE tax authority for a tax residency certificate for your last full UAE year, while you still qualify. It shows where you were resident in the year you move. A company must be 12 months old to apply.

  • Small Business Relief ends with 2026

    Small Business Relief, for mainland companies with revenue up to AED 3 million, covers tax years ending by 31 December 2026. Unless it's extended, a company that used it moves onto normal corporate tax after that.

  • No wealth or inheritance tax, either side

    The UAE has no wealth tax and no inheritance tax, and neither does Cyprus. On that front the move changes nothing.

What an EU company gets you.

Cyprus can't beat the UAE's rate. What it adds is membership of the European Union.

Corporate tax
15%
One flat rate, with no local surcharges.
Tax on dividends
0%
As a non-dom, for up to 17 years.
Days a year for tax residency
60
Under the 60-day rule, with a home and a business here.
Wealth or inheritance tax
0
Cyprus has neither.
  • An EU VAT number customers can check online and an EU IBAN for euro payments, so European businesses buy from you as from any EU supplier.
  • Income from qualifying intellectual property, such as your own software, pays an effective 3% under the Cyprus IP Box. That beats the 9% a mainland UAE company pays.
  • The Yellow Slip is for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, so with a UAE or other non-EU passport you need the Pink Slip, the residence permit for non-EU citizens. We check which route fits you and file it with you. Running your own Cyprus company counts towards the 60-day rule.
  • The tax treaty between the UAE and Cyprus, in force since 9 June 2021, settles where you're resident in a year both countries could claim you.

The move, in order.

How long it takes depends on your zone, your licence and your filing history. The order doesn't change.

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  1. First

    Check the UAE filings

    Have a tax adviser in the UAE check your corporate tax, VAT and any 2019 to 2022 substance report or penalty. That decides whether closing the UAE side is quick or slow. We can recommend an adviser if you need one.

  2. While you qualify

    Get your residency certificate

    Your adviser applies to the UAE tax authority for a tax residency certificate for your last full UAE year.

  3. Month 1We do this

    Form the Cyprus company

    We register it with tax, VAT and VIES, then prepare your Pink Slip application and file it with you. Your books open the day you order.

  4. Month 3 to 6

    Move your home and decisions

    Rent or buy the Cyprus home the 60-day rule needs. Then take the company's real decisions in Cyprus and record them here.

  5. Month 3 to 6

    Keep or close the UAE company

    Keep it with real staff and decisions in the UAE, or file its final return, pay any penalties and deregister it. Your UAE adviser handles this side.

  6. From month 12We do this

    Tax residency and non-dom

    We register your Cyprus tax residency and non-dom status, then keep your day counts and Cyprus filings in order.

The Cyprus side, done for you.

Fixed prices, excl. VAT, agreed before you start. Government fees are charged at cost, on top of our fee, once your application is approved.

Questions UAE founders ask.

Still unsure? Talk to a person on WhatsApp, or book a free call below.

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No. The UAE charges 9% on company profit above AED 375,000, 0% on a qualifying free zone company's qualifying income, and nothing on your salary, dividends or gains. Cyprus charges 15% on company profit. The one exception is income from qualifying intellectual property, at an effective 3% under the Cyprus IP Box, which beats a mainland company's 9%. Every other reason to move is about Europe.

No. There is no exit tax and no departure return, because there is no personal income tax. What can slow you down is the company. A UAE company with a tax registration can't be deregistered until every return is filed and every penalty is paid, including the return for its final period.

When you meet none of its tests. You're resident if your main home and your financial and personal life are in the UAE, or if you spend 183 days there in 12 months. A UAE or GCC national, or a residence permit holder, with a home, job or business there needs only 90 days. Get a residency certificate for your last full year before you go.

It risks the 0% rate. That rate needs the company's core work, staff, assets and spending to be in the free zone. Fail that and it loses 0% for that tax year and the four after it. Cyprus may also tax the company, because it's run from there. Keeping it just in case while you live in Cyprus can lose on both sides.

Yes, if it really stays in the UAE, with staff, premises, spending and decisions there. A mainland company stays a UAE company whoever runs it, so running it from Cyprus can make it resident in both countries. For most founders whose customers are in Europe, closing it properly and starting fresh in Cyprus is simpler. Moving the UAE company itself to Cyprus depends on your zone's rules, so confirm that first.

No. They were cancelled for financial years ending after 31 December 2022. Any unfiled report for 2019 to 2022, and any penalty already issued, still has to be cleared, and until it is the company can't be deregistered. The substance test itself now sits inside corporate tax, for free zone companies that want 0%.

Because it's an EU company. That brings a VAT number customers can check, no VAT on your sales to EU businesses, one VAT return for consumer sales across the EU, and euro payments inside SEPA, the EU's payment system. If your customers, regulators or banks are in Europe, that matters more than the rate. If they aren't, stay where you are.

No. Under the 60-day rule you can be Cyprus tax resident with 60 days a year here, a home you rent or own, a business or job in Cyprus, and no more than 183 days in any other country, the UAE included. Running your own Cyprus company can count as the business. With a non-EU passport you also need the Pink Slip to live here, which we file with you.

Yes. A UAE company banks in dirhams and dollars outside SEPA, so every European payment carries currency costs. A Cyprus company gets an EU IBAN that European payroll, direct debit and card payment systems accept. We help you set up banking and EU payments, but no one can promise a bank's decision or how long it takes.

Plan your move with us.

Tell us what you own and when you'd like to move. We'll tell you what applies, what it costs, and what to do first.

  • Which rules at home affect you
  • The order to do things in
  • A fixed price for the Cyprus side

30 minutes, by video, free

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