Which format fits
If you sell online courses to clients abroad, a free zone with an education or consulting services licence is often enough. In-person programmes in the UAE are subject to separate requirements from education regulators, which should be clarified.
What to pay attention to
- Rights to programmes, videos and methodologies are best held in the company.
- Payment providers scrutinise education projects, because refunds are a frequent issue there.
- Instalment plans and refunds need to be set out in the offer terms.
Structure and asset protection
The operating company accepts payments and is answerable to students. The rights to courses, the brand and the platform are held by a holding company. With several projects, it is more convenient to run each in its own company.
The overall logic of the structure is described on the page “Asset protection and ownership structures”.
Bank account
Tell the bank about your sales model, the countries of your students and how you handle refunds. Prepare the offer terms, sample programmes and a description of the payment scheme.
More: bank account opening.
Common mistakes
- Rights to courses remain with the author as an individual
- There are no offer terms and no clear refund procedure
Where to start
Tell us about your business. We will review your situation and propose a company format, a jurisdiction and an ownership structure. You can compare the options in the article “Free zone or mainland”, and costs are covered in the article “How much does it cost to open a company in Dubai”.
Regulations and licensing requirements change. Current conditions must be verified before launch. The decision to open an account is made by the bank. Tax consequences depend on your residency.