Opening a Bank Account in the UAE: Personal and Corporate
A bank account is often the first reason people contact us; the company comes second. A UAE bank decides for itself whom it accepts, and nobody can guarantee that decision. Our job is to prepare a file that makes it easier for the bank to say yes, to pick a bank that says yes to profiles like yours at all, and not to lose months on one that will refuse regardless.
What is different here
In our practice accounts — personal and corporate — are opened without a mandatory deposit and without the bank's additional insurance or investment products. That means we do not steer you to a bank where the account comes "bundled" with a policy or an investment plan, and we do not treat a requirement to lock a sum on the account for the account's own sake as normal. It does not mean an account is opened for everyone: the decision stays with the bank, and in practice a refusal is not contested — a different bank is discussed instead.
Who comes to us
- A company registered three months ago with its licence in hand and no account: two banks refused without reasons, a third is silent.
- A new resident with a visa and an Emirates ID but no history in the country, whose bank asks him to explain every incoming payment.
- A client whose European bank closed his accounts, so that counterparties cannot pay him and the money is stuck.
- A customer offered an account "together with" an insurance policy, an investment product or a sizeable deposit.
- A business whose incoming payment bounced back with a compliance note, and who does not know what to tell the bank.
- An account holder whose account was frozen, and whose first question is whether this is compliance or a court order.
What the bank checks on a company: corporate bank accounts in the UAE. On an individual: personal bank accounts.
What we do, step by step
- Profile. Nationality and residence, line of business, where your counterparties are, source of funds, ownership down to the ultimate beneficial owner. This decides both the list of banks and the odds. What compliance actually looks at is covered in compliance in UAE banks.
- Bank and account type. Not "apply everywhere" but two or three banks where your profile passes. If it passes nowhere, we say so before filing, not after.
- The file. Proof of source of funds, a description of the business, contracts and invoices with counterparties, company and office documents, beneficial-owner details — how these are documented is in ESR and UBO. A file assembled correctly once saves months.
- Filing and compliance questions. We prepare the answers to the bank's queries with you: an imprecise phrase at this stage costs more than a missing page.
- After opening. How to run the account so that it is not frozen: which payments raise questions, how to answer requests. If a freeze has already happened: the first 48 hours.
If there is no company yet, the account is planned together with it: how to open a company in the UAE. A personal account usually needs a residence visa first: how to get one.
From our practice
A client's accounts in a European bank were closed despite his local citizenship; his counterparties could not make payments to him. We registered a company for the client and opened a current account in a UAE bank within one week, after which the funds were released and moved to that account with full access to them. The timing and the result were determined by the circumstances of that case — the client's profile, the state of his documents, the position of that particular bank; past results do not guarantee future ones.
What you get
An honest estimate of the odds before filing and a list of banks worth approaching. A complete file that can be resubmitted if the first bank refuses. Compliance replies written the way a bank reads them. And an open account — if the bank decides in your favour.
What we do and what stays with you
We prepare the file, select the bank, handle the correspondence and accompany the meeting. You supply genuine documents on the source of funds and a truthful description of the business; your presence where the bank requires it; and honest answers. The decision is the bank's.
When we decline
- The source of funds cannot be documented and the records cannot be recovered.
- The aim is to hide the real owner or to route payments around sanctions restrictions. What can lawfully be fixed is in sanctions and UAE banks; we do not go beyond that line.
- You want a guaranteed opening. Nobody can give one.
- You already have a refusal and want to "appeal" it. In practice a bank's refusal is not contested; we work with another bank and a corrected file.
How to start
The first consultation is free. Message us on WhatsApp or Telegram at +971 58 600 98 87: who you are, what the account is for, where the money comes from, and whether you already have a company or a visa. If a bank has already refused or frozen an account, send its letter; we read it before the call. You can also work through your situation on the home page.
⚠️ This describes a service, not legal advice. UAE banks' requirements change and differ from bank to bank. We review each situation individually.